The third week of the prep football regular season promised an exciting matchup of county rivals Nature Coast and Springstead.
But Mother Nature has spoiled all the fun, at least temporarily. With Hurricane Irma threatening just about every area in Florida, Hernando County followed the trend of surrounding counties by canceling school – and all other activities – for Friday.
After its season opener against IMG Academy White lasted less than a quarter because of rain, the last thing Nature Coast wanted was more weather-related delays.
On a Friday night when seemingly every area game was impacted by lightning, the Sharks managed get their home opener versus South Sumter off without a hitch, collecting a 33-7 victory.
BROOKSVILLE – When a team opens the season with a 62-0 victory, it can be hard to follow up with a proper encore.
Hernando hosted Seven Rivers Christian on Friday at Tom Fisher Memorial Stadium, and while it didn’t go quite as smoothly as last week’s thumping of Fivay, it counted all the same with a 27-7 win.
Throughout his 18 seasons at the helm of Springstead and now Hernando, Bill Vonada has often said a coach is never fully satisfied.
But in evaluating Friday’s season opener, the veteran football headman couldn’t find much fault with the outcome. The Leopards stomped Fivay at Tom Fisher Memorial Stadium, 62-0.
“The guys came out firing on all cylinders and really just didn’t have any letup at any position or play,” Vonada said. “I guess not being able to play in the spring and all that, the guys were charged up about playing somebody else.
SPRING HILL – Central and Springstead had to wait nearly an extra hour to start their season on Friday night, and when they finally took the field at Booster Stadium, the performance mirrored the soggy weather.
Both teams had their share of miscues and wasted opportunities, and in the end a missed 2-point conversion proved the difference as the host Eagles held on for a 21-20 victory.
HUDSON – For the past two decades, Springstead has prided itself on playing a disciplined, mistake-free brand of football.
But preseason classics are rarely a showcase of crisp, fundamentally-sound performance. To that end, Thursday night’s exhibition at Hudson revealed plenty of ragged edges, though still yielded a positive result: a 32-6 victory.
Dustin Kupcik admits, he didn’t really know Rob Mahler. Yet the Springstead athletic director felt a kinship with the former Hudson High head football coach that compelled him to act.
Last month, Mahler’s 1-year-old son Clayton was diagnosed with Stage 3 intermediate-risk embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, a form of pediatric cancer. Mahler had stepped down in November after two seasons leading the Cobras. Four years ago, Kupcik’s sister Kasey went through her own battle with cancer.
The opening weeks of August are typically a time of excitement and hope for a high school football team, with practices beginning and the season on the near horizon.
But at Central High, it’d be understandable if the mood was far more subdued. There’s a large void left on the Bears’ coaching staff and a metaphorical hole in the hearts of those connected to the program following last month’s sudden passing of assistant coach Willie Thomas Jr., better known as “Coach Buck.”
Since he took over as Central’s head football coach three years ago, Chris Sands has often emphasized his focus on finding opportunities for his players at the college level.
The product of his efforts was on display during Wednesday’s National Signing Day, when four Bears celebrated as they put pen to paper on a National Letter of Intent.
Justin Worden made a name for himself the past three seasons at Nature Coast, guiding the Sharks to the best two-year football run in county history.
But Hernando County isn’t truly home, and the chance to return to his alma mater proved an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. So on Thursday, Worden stepped down as Sharks’ head coach to take the same position at Titusville-Astronaut.
