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Royal Knights Shock Springstead To Join 4A-8 Playoff Picture

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By BART O'CONNELL and CLIFF GILL

Tribune correspondents

Published: October 25, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - Sometime after all the homecoming hoopla and player parties died down, Tim Stevens' phone rang.
Land O' Lakes coach John Benedetto was on the other end.

The two used to coach together with the Gators, but since Stevens took the head coaching job at River Ridge prior to the 2006 season, they have opposed each other at the helm of rival schools in Class 4A-District 8.

No doubt, the conversation was different this time. After the previously winless Royal Knights pulled off one of the most shocking upsets in recent memory, beating district leader Springstead 31-14 to snap a 15-game losing streak, Benedetto congratulated Stevens on easily the biggest win of his career.

The victory sets up a showdown between Land O' Lakes (which lost to Springstead at Gator Stadium in Week 4) and River Ridge on Friday that has playoff implications for both teams.

"We threw a wrench into the district race," Stevens said. "[The Gators] are not going to be able to overlook us this week.

"We proved we can do it."

Losers of 38 of their last 39 games in the past four years, the Royal Knights (1-6, 1-2) dominated Springstead (5-2, 2-1) on both sides of the ball and on special teams. Anchored by senior linebacker Frank White (17 tackles), they held the Eagles to 54 yards rushing. Springstead ran for 348 yards in last year's meeting.

River Ridge pressured Eagles quarterback James Mahla the entire game and limited him to 169 yards and one passing TD, well below his season averages. And the Knights offense that had been dormant all season finally came to life.

On their second possession late in the first quarter, they put together a 16-play drive that consumed more than eight minutes on the clock and resulted in a 3-yard touchdown plunge by senior fullback Trevor Shoun, his first of two scores on the night.

With River Ridge trailing 14-10 after three quarters, Shoun, quarterback Kenny Toce and receiver Shane Allen each had a fourth-quarter touchdown to put the game away for the Royal Knights.

Running back Stavros Arianas finished with 81 yards rushing, thanks to a relentless offensive line that pushed the Eagles back, keeping them off-balance the entire game.

The win was easily the talk of Pasco County football even before the night was over. Scouting Sunlake at Seahawk Stadium, Hudson coach Mark Nash and defensive coordinator Keith Newton heard about it from a Cobras junior varsity coach, who was at the Tarpon Springs-Ridgewood game and heard it from Spongers coach George Kotis.

"We didn't believe it," Nash said. "Keith and I said we would have to read it in the paper before we believed it. Springstead is one of the best teams in the area. I thought River Ridge was on the verge of a big win, but I didn't think it would come against Springstead."

The news also came as a pleasant surprise to the other teams in 4A-8, particularly Ridgewood (3-4, 1-2), which once again has playoff hopes with a game against Springstead on Friday.

"It makes everybody play for something because if Springstead had won, it would have eliminated several teams from playoff contention," Rams coach Chris Taylor said. "I wish we could have won [Friday] night to be a part of it. … Now there could be a [tiebreaker] for the top two spots."

Since Springstead already beat Land O' Lakes and Brooksville Central this season, River Ridge's final two district opponents, it's hard not to consider the possibility that the Royal Knights could make the state playoffs. But Stevens knows not to look past Land O' Lakes, which has shut out River Ridge the past two seasons.

"You've got potential and you've got performance," Stevens said. "And only one of them matters."

What They're Saying

"We didn't believe it. [Defensive coordinator] Keith [Newton] and I were at Sunlake and we said we would have to read it in the paper before we believed it. Springstead is one of the best teams in the area. I thought River Ridge was on the verge of a big win, but I didn't think it would come against Springstead." — Hudson coach Mark Nash

"It makes everybody play for something because if Springstead had won, it would have eliminated several teams from playoff contention. I wish we could have won [Friday] night to be a part of it. … Now there could be a [tiebreaker] for the top two spots." —Ridgewood coach Chris Taylor

"Hats off to River Ridge. That's great for those kids. That's why they play the games. [Making the playoffs] is a possibility now for them. That's the next hurdle that I'm sure Coach Stevens is thinking about. To be able to win a big game is one thing. To be able to sustain it is the next step." — Nash

"[When we played them] that was the best River Ridge team I've seen in the four years I've been here." — Taylor

Correspondent Rick Harmon contributed to this report.

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