TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Suncoast Pasco News

For Knights Gridders Success A Long Time Coming

ADVERTISEMENT

By Eric Horchy | The Suncoast News

Published: November 1, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - Streaks are made to be broken is an age-old saying in sports, but no one may have been more relieved this past week with this emerging truth than River Ridge High School.

For the first time in 16 games, the Royal Knights were able to walk off the field as victors following their 31-14 win over then Class 4A-District 8 first-place Springstead High School. The team had not won since last season's Week 1 50-0 stomping of first-year Sunlake High School.

Since then, Friday nights have ended much how they have over the past five seasons - in the right-hand column of the standings. That 2007 Sunlake win squashed River Ridge's previous losing streak of 23 games and since 2004, the Knights have won but four games total.

While beating Springstead only elevated their record to 1-6, this year's Knights seem to have a different feel all together. In 2007, other than the Sunlake game, the closest River Ridge came to victory was 14 points.

Narrow losses

This season three of River Ridge's games have been decided by single-digit margins. The Knights have been painstakingly close but oh so far away from what could be a winning record.

Tim Stevens, in his third year as Knights head coach, is seeing the progress but knows there is still a considerable space between his program and the others throughout West Pasco.

"We are better, and I knew we were going to be better than last year," he said. "But that doesn't always translate into wins."

"Against Springstead, I think we played about as well as we can possibly play," Stevens said. "We didn't make the mistakes we've made in the last few weeks and that makes a big difference."

Consistency credited

Stevens credits the consistency and resilient nature of his senior class to this team's development.

"With those guys coming out here everyday loose and with smiles on their faces, it makes a big difference," he said. "They could have packed it in a few weeks ago."

"I just hope the young guys are learning from this group of seniors on what it takes. Not just the hard work, but the positive attitude week in and week out."

One of those senior leaders, and a team captain, is Alex Hill, a 6-foot, 190-pound linebacker.

"We all know we could be a winning team with a winning record, but I think (the close losses) gave us the motivation to know that we've come so close. But it's just us holding us back, it's nobody else," Hill said.

Among those games were near losses of 16-10 (Mitchell), 16-7 (Ridgewood), 19-10 (Sunlake) and 14-0 (Hudson).

Time for pride

"We were so proud of each other" after beating Springstead, Hill said of the win, which also came on homecoming night at River Ridge. "With just the love that we have for each other as a team, every emotion came out at the end of that game. We gave it our all and it really showed."

As it was leading into Springstead, the Knights' will enter their last three games as the likely underdog. But with a win freshly tucked into its collective belt, it would be a mistake to, by force of habit, count out the boys in purple and black.

"We've got a long way to go to catch the rest of these teams in this county," Stevens said of the program's uphill climb toward competitiveness. "The last couple of years we've started behind everybody else."

"Little by little, though, we're catching up I think."

Eric Horchy can be reached at 727-815-1071 or ehorchy@suncoastnews.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT