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pasco finds its voice in win over Land O'Lakes

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By EDDIE DANIELS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 8, 2008

LAND O' LAKES As the first minutes ticked off the game clock Friday night in the football game between Pasco and Land O' Lakes, voices on the Pirates sideline, which started at a quiet, yet confident pitch, began to grow into an assured cadence.
With each run, completed pass or defensive pressure, Pasco's confidence grew.
The squad left Gator Stadium with a convincing, 26-6 victory, but coach Tom McHugh made sure he got his point across.
Each Pasco football player huddled around him, McHugh delivered a verbal squat to the Pirates' collective helmet, following that with praise.
"We got work to do fellas! We got work to do! We got work to do," McHugh shouted. "We left 17 points on the field! We made mistakes we shouldn't make. Against a good team, we pushed them down the field. They were supposed to beat the brakes off. You understand what I'm telling you?
"The were supposed to beat you by 17. Let me do my math… That's how you play football. I'm very, very, very proud of you."
The message was clear as was the way Pasco dominated Land O' Lakes.
The Pirates (1-0) scored on their first four possessions in the first half. Bring that stat to life, they had five possessions in all in the first two quarters.
Running back Jamall Haynes had his way with the Gators' defense, slicing through the unit for 102 rushing yards and two scores. He averaged 5.6 yards per carry.
Quarterback D.J. Clower was judicious with his passes. After the first attempt was dropped, each of his ensuing seven passes were caught for a total of 133 yards and one touchdown.
And in the second half, only once did the Land O' Lakes (0-1) offense go beyond the 50-yard line.
Those aren't things that will disappoint a coach. What likely got under McHugh's skin was the seven penalties for 50 yards his squad committed.
Land O' Lakes coach John Benedetto, who admitted to being aggravated earlier in the week because Pasco did not play in a Kickoff Classic, which meant the Gators couldn't get any recent game film of the Pirates, was bothered from his team's output.
Land O' Lakes was outgained 237 yards to 38 yards in the first half and ended the game with minus-5 rushing yards.
"They were just a more talented team than we were tonight," Benedetto said.
According to Benedetto, he sensed a major momentum swing on his team's first possession.
Pasco had a 3-0 advantage when the Gators took over on offense at the 7:14 mark of the first quarter. Stephen Weatherford completed his first pass to Alex Robinson for 4 yards and then heaved a 26-yard completion on the ensuing pass to Andrew Moore.
On first-and-10 from the 50, Land O' Lakes fumbled and Pasco recovered. The Pirates marched down the field in four plays for a touchdown by Haynes and a 10-0 advantage.
During the course of the contest, Pasco running back Josh Johnson realized his team was more of a team this season than last. Although the Pirates beat Land O' Lakes 15-10 last season, this one was different.
"We felt more relaxed than last time because they were really big dogs then," he said. "We played more as a team and we didn't fight like last year. We didn't argue with Coach, telling him we want this or that. We listened to what he had to say because he has more control than we do. We just played our game."
Pasco will host Sebring next week, while Land O' Lakes travels to Wesley Chapel.
There also seemed to be a difference in the stamina.
"They worked hard," McHugh said when asked what may have been the key to the victory. "I take these guys out every afternoon for about half an hour in that hot sun. We run stadiums, we run sprints, we run half mile relays and then we get back in the weight room for an hour and then we get back on the field and condition at the end and they were not tired [tonight].
"We had guys going both ways tonight and they weren't tired. They were telling me, 'They're tired Coach, we're not tired.' Now they're thanking me for the stadiums, for those wind sprints. Instead of cursing me, they're thanking me now."
If Pasco keeps playing and winning as they did Friday night, McHugh and his group won't be getting any thanks from the competition.

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