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Injury Bug Hits Bulldogs At The Wrong Time

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By EDDIE DANIELS

edaniels@tampatrib.com

Published: January 30, 2009

LAND O' LAKES - Of all the times for this to happen.

Just when things appeared to be going well for Zephyrhills, the Bulldogs lose their No. 2 and No. 3 scorers to injury.

The cruel irony is each was lost to a high ankle sprain in the midst of their three-game winning streak.

Chris Fern, a 6-foot-3 forward, was injured toward the end of the Bulldogs' Jan. 15 victory against Pasco. David Hengehold, a 6-1 forward, was injured in the final eight seconds of their game against Wiregrass Ranch.

They've gone 1-3 since the injuries and Coach Alan Reed isn't sure if the players will return this season fully healthy. If they do make a return, it will have to be in the district tournament.

The team will tweak its playing style to fill the void left by the absence of Fern and Hengehold.

"We try to limit opposing team's possessions and play a little better defensively because we have a couple to come off the bench, who I was hoping will help us defensively," Reed said. "And then I was hoping we would improve our shot selection and limit their possessions.

"We haven't done a real good job of it."

The Bulldogs (11-10) will rely upon Kyle Farrell, Tyler Guy and Zack Caparaso to get the job done. Additionally, Zephyrhills has welcomed back Dillon Allen, who returns from rehabbing his ACL injury from more than a year ago. He was counted on for depth, but now he may get a few extra minutes.

"We're trying to put things back together and that means some people who weren't scoring, but have the capability will play big roles," Reed said. "We've been lucky. We've had five different players score in double figures during the season and we've got three players still with us. We've just got to find our niche now."

SNAKES ALIVE: Hudson is once again encroaching upon history.

The team has guaranteed it will end the year with a winning record, which will give the Cobras back-to-back winning seasons. The last time Hudson's boys basketball program had that situation - never.

Hudson is 14-7 entering tonight's contest at Wiregrass.

Last season's bunch was the first team in Hudson boys basketball history to advance out of the district tournament.

MORE RECORDS: Hudson junior Chris Russo connected on five 3-point shots and tallied 22 fourth-quarter points Tuesday night against Pasco. That too is a first for the Cobras. Entering the final period of the contest, Pasco had a 44-36 advantage, but the lights-out shooting of Russo helped guide Hudson to a 66-62 victory.

GETTING THERE: Sunlake coach Bob Marinak left a message for his team on their MaxPreps.com page. He told them they had put out one of the best defensive games he has "ever been a part of."

The Seahawks (7-14) held Nature Coast to 28 points.

"I think the kids kind of bought in finally," Marinak said. "We've had some spells where we played good for a couple possessions, but we've been trying to emphasize to them just how hard you have to play and for how long. We've been trying to create that sense of urgency for them and I think playing against Nature Coast, which is a very good team, it demanded that we play good defense for an extended period of time."

That defensive spark Jan. 23 against the Sharks has led the team to the program's longest winning streak - three games. It isn't much, but as far as Marinak is concerned, it's a start.

Helping to lead the Seahawks in this direction has been senior guard Eli Escobar. In addition to Escobar, Marinak elevated a number of his JV players and told them they don't have to wait their turn for game time. If they prove themselves in practice, they'll get on the court. That has fostered a much higher level of competition in practice.

Going forward, Marinak is hopeful the district tournament can provide a stage for his team to continue its run.

"In this new program, we're trying to get kids to understand at the end of the regular season, everybody in the state goes back to 0-0 and as long as you're winning, you get to keep playing," Marinak said. "Crazier things have happened and I've been a couple of those on the top side of it and on the bottom side of it. It's a new season."

Coaches who want to add their team's information can submit entries to Eddie Daniels by calling (813) 948-4214 or e-mailing edaniels@tampatrib.com.

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