WEEKI WACHEE- When you look at matchups of teams throughout Hernando County, many of them involve county teams facing clubs in Pasco County this Friday night. If we’re talking about games that are actually taking place in Hernando County, the best one and only one is the matchup between Springstead and Weeki Wachee at Weeki Wachee.
Both teams, however, had very different Week 1 results. Springstead had themselves a nice result opening week against the Citrus Hurricanes, with the Eagles running away with a 35-0 rout. For Weeki Wachee, it was a much different story. Land O’ Lakes had their way with Weeki Wachee and routed the Hornets 39-3.
Now Weeki Wachee (0-1) has an opportunity to bounce back in Week 2 when they host Springstead this Friday, but one thing the Hornets will really need to do is clampdown in the defensive backfield. The Gators were able to throw for 201 yards and four touchdowns in getting by the Hornets. A good thing for Weeki Wachee is throwing the ball isn’t a big part of Springstead’s offense.
Running the ball is, though, for the Eagles and they have multiple options when it comes to that area. One of those is running back Cross Licht, who had himself a touchdown in the win over the Hurricanes. With Bill Vonada calling the shots on offense once again, look for Springstead to run the ball effectively from its triple-option attack from the Flexbone and Wing-T formations. Vonada was known for these plays during his tenure as head coach.
The Hornets have been trying to be more of a run-oriented team but Week 1 didn’t produce any acceptable results. Weeki Wachee has to get the ship turned around and fast, as the Hornets do not have an easy slate of games upcoming whatsoever. Weeki Wachee has Springstead then Palatka, Hudson, Satellite, Zephyrhills, and Wesley Chapel. That’s no easy schedule even for a veteran-laden club.
A 2-0 start for Springstead would be a good situation for the Eagles to be in heading into Week 3, as Mike Garofano’s club is aiming to be an above .500 team after a down 2020 campaign. It doesn’t get any easier next week for Springstead, as they face rival Nature Coast on the road. It could be the battle of two 2-0 teams when they meet at the ‘Shark Tank’ on September 10th.
Weeki Wachee- Springstead matchup should be a hard-hitting, old-school run the ball and for fans, maybe a game that only takes a little over a couple of hours as the ball may not go out of bounds on a pass incomplete, stopping the clock.
GAME PREDICTION:
Springstead 28, Weeki Wachee 6
Andy Villamarzo can be reached at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @avillamarzo.
