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Land O' Lakes, Pasco bring plenty to the field

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By EDDIE DANIELS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 22, 2009

DADE CITY - One thing has remained constant in Pasco County as this football season has unfolded – Pasco and Land O' Lakes have tussled for that No. 1 spot.

The Pirates (5-1, 4-0 Class 3A-District 7) have maintained a No. 1 billing in The Tampa Tribune's Pasco County football rankings for nearly the entire season. Only twice have the Pirates either shared that spot or had another squad above them.

In Week 4, the Gators took the top spot, pushing Pasco down to No. 2 and two weeks later, Land O' Lakes (6-0, 4-0) shared that No. 1 ranking with the Pirates.

Friday night, the teams will attempt to solve the debate for good – on the field – when Land O' Lakes travels to Pasco's W.F. Edwards Stadium.

"I think we match up well," said Land O' Lakes coach Matt Kitchie. "I think it's going to be a barnburner of a game. A classic dipsy-do, dunker-ro. All that stuff."

Classic? Quite possibly. Here's a look at what each team brings to the table, well, turf in this case.

QUARTERBACKS

Land O' Lakes is led by junior passer Stephen Weatherford. The youngest of the six Weatherford brothers has completed 57 of 91 passes for 924 yards, 16 touchdowns and two interceptions. He's also proven to have a quick set of feet with his 204 rushing yards and one touchdown on 18 carries.

Meanwhile, Pasco senior D.J. Clower is on pace to surpass last season's numbers (75 of 149 for 1,199 yards, 18 TDs). In six games this season, Clower has connected on 59 of 114 passes for 1,104 yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions. He's also rushed for two touchdowns.

RUNNING BACKS

Tyler Peak has given the Gators' spread offense a dangerous running back. On 74 carries, Peak has collected 645 yards and eight scores. Peak has the ability to turn short gains into big rips. And if defenders don't wrap him up, he'll go until he's stopped.

Pasco's Janarion Grant is very deceptive. The freshman, well, looks like a freshman. He stands 5-foot-10 and is a wiry 170 pounds. That's where the deception ends. Grant can slip through defenses and is just as dangerous when catching the ball in space. Grant has carried the ball 28 times for 348 yards and four scores. He's also caught 10 passes for 267 yards and four touchdowns. He also has a special teams touchdown.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Each team has a stable of receivers capable of catching the deep ball and keeping a defense from pinning its ears back and leaving its DBs vulnerable.

Land O' Lakes has three main weapons: Alex Robinson (17 rec., 370 yards, 5 TDs), Will Irwin (14 rec., 268 yards, 2 TDs) and Jason Tello (9 rec., 148 yards, 3 TDs). Now, Freddie Alequin is emerging as a viable option. He caught seven passes for 127 yards and a touchdown.

Pasco is just as deep at that position. Grant is the team's leader in receiving yards (10 rec., 267 yards, 4 TDs); then add true receivers Mitch Wozniak (12 rec., 257 yards, 2 TDs), Chaise Dunn (14 rec., 224 yards, 2 TDs) and Hakeeme Ishmar (14 rec., 182 yards, 2 TDs).

ON DEFENSE

Land O' Lakes' ability to make big plays isn't confined to the offense. Defense is also peppered with serious talent. Spencer Michelson has terrorized opponents with his 41 tackles, six sacks, two interceptions and one fumble recovery. Gary Myrick hasn't been any nicer. The Nature Coast transfer has 34 tackles, 7.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble. Defensive lineman Anthony Kasperitis is next in line with his 4.5 sacks, 16 tackles and one forced fumble. Linebacker Alex Mathis leads the team with 46 tackles.

Pasco's defense is led by he hard hitting Jamie Byrd. Byrd, who moved from linebacker to safety has a team-high 82 tackles. He also has three sacks, three fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles. Linebacker Chase Sellers is gritty, fast linebacker with 39 tackles, an interception return for a score and a sack. Mark Landry has also made his mark with 39 stops and 1.5 sacks. In all, six different Pasco defenders have collected interceptions.

Reporter Eddie Daniels can be reached at (813) 259-7066.

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