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TONIGHT'S PREP FOOTBALL MATCHUPS

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 12, 2008

Sebring (1-0) at Pasco (1-0)

WHEN/WHERE: 7:30 p.m./W.F. Edwards Stadium, 36850 State Road 52, Dade City

COACHES: Jared Hamlin (Sebring), Tom McHugh (Pasco)

LAST WEEK: Pasco 26, Land O' Lakes 6; Sebring 24, Martin County 3

LAST MEETING: Sebring 21, Pasco 7 (2007)

NEED TO KNOW: The Pasco defense sacked Land O' Lakes quarterback Stephen Weatherford four times and allowed the unit to move beyond the 50-yard line only once in the second half. ... Pirates QB D.J. Clower completed eight of nine passes for 135 yards and a score, while RB Jamall Haynes scored twice. ... That defense will have to get after Blue Streaks sophomore passer Matt Grubb, who went 5-of-9 for 49 yards and a passing TD, and bottle up RB Daniel Burnett, who had 149 yards rushing and a score. ... While McHugh is happy with last week's victory, he refused to call it dominating, saying "they played a great game. The game plan we put in as a coaching staff, they adhered to it." ... In last season's meeting, Pasco's lone score came on a 66-yard bomb from Clower to Josh Johnson on its third play.

Wiregrass Ranch (0-1) at Ridgewood (1-0)

WHERE: Rams Booster Stadium, 7650 Orchid Lake Road, New Port Richey

COACHES: Ricky Thomas (Wiregrass Ranch); Chris Taylor (Ridgewood)

LAST WEEK: Wesley Chapel 21, Wiregrass Ranch 6; Ridgewood 35, Hudson 12

LAST MEETING: Ridgewood 48, Wiregrass Ranch 0 (2007)

NEED TO KNOW: Wesley Chapel harassed Wiregrass Ranch QB James Tringali all night as he completed only six of 23 passes, throwing three interceptions. The Bulls were within striking distance until a muffed kickoff return after the Wildcats had gone up 14-0 in the third quarter. Wesley Chapel scored on the first play following the recovery. ... Bulls RB Nick Lomba will not play because of a concussion he sustained last week. ... RB Sterling Ross made a huge impression on the Ridgewood faithful last week, rushing for 198 yards and three TDs on 17 carries against Hudson. ... QB Jimmy Mattos was 7-of-10 for 116 yards and two touchdowns. The Rams had 386 yards of total offense.

Gulf (1-0) at River Ridge (0-1)

WHERE: Jim Valentine Athletic Complex, 11646 Town Center Road, New Port Richey

COACHES: Jay Fulmer (Gulf); Tim Stevens (River Ridge)

LAST WEEK: Gulf 34, Mitchell 7; Sunlake 19, River Ridge 10

LAST MEETING: Gulf 42, River Ridge 26 (2007)

NEED TO KNOW: Gulf RB Tevin Gamble made the most of his playing time against Mitchell, rushing for 144 yards on 14 carries, while newcomer Adrian Golden added 76 yards, despite sitting out most of the second half with leg cramps. ... QB Madison Burr was efficient, completing seven of nine passes for 110 yards. ... With the loss to Sunlake, the Royal Knights have a 10-game losing streak. QB Kenny Toce rushed for 62 yards against Sunlake, but he only completed two of nine passes for 33 yards.

Land O' Lakes (0-1) at Wesley Chapel (1-0)

WHEN/WHERE: 7:30 p.m./Gator Stadium, 20325 Gator Lane, Land O' Lakes

COACHES: John Benedetto (Land O' Lakes), John Castelamare (Wesley Chapel)

LAST WEEK: Pasco 26, Land O' Lakes 6; Wesley Chapel 21, Wiregrass Ranch 6

LAST MEETING: Land O' Lakes 34, Wesley Chapel 31 (2007)

NEED TO KNOW: Wesley Chapel's defense had three interceptions, and its special teams recovered a muffed kickoff, which led to a score. ... All three Wildcats scores came via the run, with Keenan Reynolds leading the way with 17 carries for 185 yards and a score. ...Land O' Lakes struggled to defend against the Pasco running game as it did the previous week in the Kickoff Classic against Mitchell. ... In all, Land O' Lakes ran 32 plays, which Benedetto said is well under its typical offensive output. Aiding in that loss was an underperforming kicking game, which gave Pasco good field position all night. ... The Gators dropped their opening game for the third consecutive season. In the two previous seasons, they rebounded by winning nine consecutive games before losing in the first round of the playoffs. ... Land O' Lakes leads the series 6-3, winning the last three.

Zephyrhills (0-1) at Mitchell (0-1)

WHEN/WHERE: 7:30 p.m./Mustang Stadium, 2323 Little Road, New Port Richey

COACHES: Tom Fisher (Zephyrhills), Scott Schmitz (Mitchell)

LAST WEEK: Miami Gulliver Prep 35, Zephyrhills 6; Gulf 34, Mitchell 7

LAST MEETING: Zephyrhills 35, Mitchell 33 (2007)

NEED TO KNOW: Though the Bulldogs have won three in a row in this rivalry by two, one and four points, these squads look nothing like they've looked in those games, mainly on offense, where improvement is badly needed. ... Zephyrhills is struggling to run the ball (2.0 yards per carry last week), while Mitchell had no passing yards on six attempts against Gulf. ... The Bulldogs did benefit from the return of WR Gage Hayes from injury, who had five catches for 54 yards to complement fellow flanker Alex Sampson (five catches, 80 yards). Zephyrhills still hasn't settled on a running back, and last week's leading rusher was senior Al Sampson (42 yards). ... RB Ricky Trinidad (95 yards) was the Mustangs' main weapon against the Bucs, and no one else gained more than 30 yards for Mitchell. He will be a focal point for the Bulldogs' defense.

Hernando (1-0) at Hudson (0-1)

WHEN/WHERE: 7:30 p.m./Cobra Stadium, 14410 Cobra Way, Hudson

COACHES: John Palmer (Hernando), Mark Nash (Hudson)

LAST WEEK: Hernando 16, Brooksville Central 7; Ridgewood 35, Hudson 12

LAST MEETING: Hudson 38, Hernando 6 (2007)

NEED TO KNOW: Last week, the Cobras' offense didn't show the same pop as it did last season, with only one 20-yard play against Ridgewood and four turnovers. ... Their defense also has struggled, allowing more than 200 yards rushing in both outings (including a Kickoff Classic). This is a bad combination against Hernando, a predominantly running squad that features the Wing-T formation, with a defense that forced five turnovers against Central in an emotional win. ... RB Alvin Delaine had a career-high 145 yards and both touchdowns, making him the key guy Hudson must stop tonight. ... The Cobras will counter with Dylan Luke, who had 120 yards rushing against the Rams, and hope to get more big plays out of the passing game.

Bishop McLaughlin (0-1) at Lakeland Santa Fe (1-0)

WHEN/WHERE: 7:30 p.m./Santa Fe Catholic Stadium, 3110 U.S. Hwy. 92 E, Lakeland

COACHES: Marty Williams (Bishop McLaughlin), Mike Jones (Santa Fe)

LAST WEEK: Hernando Christian 21, Bishop McLaughlin 14; Santa Fe 55, Landmark Christian 13

LAST MEETING: Santa Fe 33, Bishop McLaughlin 0 (2007)

NEED TO KNOW: The Hurricanes are coming off a losing but uplifting performance against HCA, which is considered a top contender for the Sunshine State Athletic Conference crown. They held the normally prolific QB David Rotteveel to minus-8 yards total offense (12 passing, minus-20 rushing) and the HCA running game to 2.8 yards per carry. ... Their downfall was five turnovers and a blocked punt, mistakes that will need to be corrected. ... Of the nine games on Bishop McLaughlin's 2008 schedule, Santa Fe is the only team it has faced previously (0-3). The closest game was 20-14 in 2006; the other two were shutouts. ... Bishop McLaughlin is looking to snap a five-game road losing streak; the last win was Oct. 6, 2006 against Orlando West Oaks. ... The Hawks piled up seven first-half touchdowns en route to their victory last week.

Eddie Daniels, Rick Harmon, Bart O'Connell

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