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Land O' Lakes plotting road map to success

Staff Photo by Fred Bellet

Land O' Lakes quarterback Stephen Weatherford looks for an open receiver as the Bulldogs defense moves in.

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By EDDIE DANIELS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 26, 2009

ZEPHYRHILLS - Tuesday afternoon, Land O' Lakes coach Matt Kitchie presented his team with a map of Pasco County.

Sounds kind of odd when the team was preparing to face Zephyrhills Friday night, but it all made sense.

"We had a conversation (Tuesday) with the kids about a road map," Kitchie said. "We used a map of Pasco (as an illustration) for us to get to Orlando. We have to get through Pasco (County). This is the first stop on the map, Zephyrhills."

The hint wasn't at all subtle. Kitchie wanted his players to understand no one in their eight-team district should be taken lightly. Wins in their Class 3A-District 7 grouping, plain and simple, are a must.

Zephyrhills didn't make stop No. 1 an easy one either.

Although the Gators collected a 14-0 victory, the squad had to use every facet of the game to either set up a touchdown or put the ball in the end zone.

The first touchdown came off of a block punt return by defensive end Gary Myrick. On that fourth-and-16 play from the Zephyrhills 21, Myrick picked up the blocked punt, darting into the end zone for the 7-0 advantage.

After the Land O' Lakes (3-0, 1-0 Class 3A-District 7) defense forced the Bulldogs (0-3, 0-1) into a three-and-out situation on their second offensive possession, the Gators offense went to work.

Capping a nine-play, 54-yard drive, Spencer Michelson scored from 3-yards out, giving Land O' Lakes a 14-0 lead. Beyond that, the Land O' Lakes offense, which scored 93 points in its two previous games, wasn't a factor.

That likely can be chalked up to Zephyrhills defensive coordinator and co-head coach Troy Hochstetler. He began to freelance his defense, calling plays that hadn't been used in practice.

"They're really starting to get the mental stuff down because tonight, I'm making (stuff) up in the sideline," Hochstetler said. "We went in with a game plan, but then I'm like, now let's do this and now let's do this; let's just keep them guessing as much as possible."

The ploy seemed to work as Land O' Lakes has five more opportunities inside the Bulldogs 25 and came away with no points. The Gators rushed for a combined 161 yards, while quarterback Stephen Weatherford completed 9-of-22 passes for 111 yards and two interceptions.

It was gritty, and penalty plagued, but a win is a win.

"I'm just very proud of these kids," Kitchie said. "No matter what the score, no matter how you win, a district win is a great thing."

Stop No. 1 down, six more to go.

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

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