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Gulf not ready to stop rewriting history books

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BY ERIC HORCHY

THE SUNCOAST NEWS

Published: November 15, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - Before even watching film on St. Cloud High School - Gulf's Class 3A regional semifinal opponent next Friday - Buccaneers Head Coach Jay Fulmer said he can already draw similarities between the two programs.

"I think St. Cloud and Gulf have got a lot in common," he said. "They've rebuilt a program that has struggled for a long time and they're on the upswing now. Sounds a lot like us."

Both schools were preseason fourth-place picks within their respective districts, only to surprise each field with breakout years. Playoff successes have also been painfully elusive, with the Orlando-area school's lone victory being 28 years ago and its last postseason appearance coming in 1999.

Gulf's only previous playoff trip was two years ago and ended with a first-round exit.

"We're proud to represent Pasco County," Fulmer, in his fourth year at the Bucs' helm, said. "Hopefully, now we can go and win the game."

Reaching the postseason twice in three years at a school with virtually no football success stories is a foundation the program can build tradition upon, he added.

"We don't want to be a Johnny-come-lately type of team," Fulmer said. "This is something that's our goal every year."

In comparison to Gulf's 2006 run into the regional quarterfinals, this year's team appears to have more promise. The Bucs were 6-4 and collided with another Orlando team, undefeated Bishop Moore, two seasons ago. This year, Gulf nearly ran the table itself and is a better-rounded squad.

That being said, the Bulldogs are no pushovers themselves and have potential to open up offensively on any given Friday.

Senior quarterback E.J. White is the unequivocal team leader, accounting for an eye-popping 89.9 percent of St. Cloud's offensive yardage. He has thrown for more than 2,000 yards from the Bulldogs' shotgun attack and also leads the team in rushing.

Receivers Donnie Jennert and James Boone - each a combination of size and speed - are White's main downfield reads. Jennert himself stands more than 6 feet 7 inches tall.

One advantage Gulf does appear to hold over St. Cloud is its play-calling diversity. Bucs tailback Adrian Golden is the state's third overall leading rusher with 1,992 yards. Quarterback Madison Burr has thrown for more than 1,100 yards.

Conversely, the Bulldogs ground game is very limited.

"He must be a good player," Fulmer said of the St. Cloud quarterback White. "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out you've got to try and keep him from having a typical game."

Though he will not receive game tape of the Bulldogs until today, Saturday, Fulmer said, his defensive staff will most likely have multiple schemes prepared by Friday to counter St. Cloud's pass-happy attack.

"We're going to have a Plan B and probably a Plan C on defense," Fulmer said. "If the adage is true that defense wins championships, ours is going to put a lot of this on its shoulders. But they like that."

The defense is still smarting over last Friday's nailbiting 21-20 loss at Pasco, but drew positives from the letdown as well, he said.

"I think it's important at this point in the season to know that we don't enjoy that feeling," Fulmer said.

"It's better that we've been through that now and to be knowledgeable about how our team reacts in those situations."

If the Bucs do prevail over St. Cloud and Dade City's Pasco High School can take out Bishop Moore, a semifinals rematch in the Pasco County seat would be in the works.

Though Fulmer says his kids would like another crack at their rival, it pales in comparison to the current task at hand.

"That's not something we're going to preach," he said of a potential 'Round 2' with Pasco. "We just want to advance. We don't care who we play."

Online update available

Gulf closed out its regular season last night with a home game against East Lake High. A win would tie the team with Gulf's 1941 squad for most wins in a season, nine, and tailback Adrian Golden needs only 197 yards to break the Pasco County single-season rushing record.

Full game coverage, stats and photos can all be found online at www.suncoastnews.com>.

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