TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Suncoast Pasco News

WEEK 6 PREVIEW: Gulf Eyeing First Playoff Win

Gulf (9-1) @ Kissimmee St. Cloud (9-1, 0-0)

ADVERTISEMENT

By Eric Horchy | The Suncoast News

Published: November 19, 2008

This year's Gulf High football team has rewriting the history books all season long. A win of Friday night's regional quarterfinal matchup with Kissimmee St. Cloud would continue the trend.

Last week's nail-biting 22-21 victory over East Lake tied the Buccaneers with the school's previous best-ever, one-year win total (9) and electrifying tailback Adrian "Bubba" Golden broke the Pasco County single-season rushing record (2,193 yards).

Next on the Bucs' to-do list is breaking their school's record for overall wins in a season as well as winning a playoff game for the first time.

Standing in Gulf's way will be St. Cloud: a fellow 9-1 team with an offense that – similar to the Bucs – likes to put up lots of points. Another glaring challenge will be Pasco County Class 3A-District 8 teams' 1-5 record against District 3A-7 foes since 2005.

Will recent history again repeat itself? Or will Gulf continue blazing forward on its newfound path of success?

GULF (Class 3A, District 8):

If there is one thing Gulf can say it is heading into Friday night's game, it's being battle tested.

A season-long knock on the team is that it compiled its impressive 9-1 record against largely unimpressive competition. But as the saying goes, you can only play who is on the schedule. Gulf did just that throughout its first eight games while handedly taking care of business, outscoring opponents 337-93.

The regular season's final two showdowns are what have readied the Bucs further. Week 10's 21-20 loss at Pasco was a hard-fought battle that could have easily gone either way and Gulf followed that up with a 22-21 win over physical, big-bodied Class 5A East Lake.

While Gulf's M.O. is its big-play, high-scoring offense – led by newly crowned Pasco County single-season rushing king Adrian Golden and athletic quarterback Madison Burr – the Bucs possess a smash-mouth style defense that has shown its ability to contain speed and power.

Gulf is strong in the box at stuffing the run on defense and likes to pressure the quarterback on passing situations. The Bucs average over two sacks a game, led by LB Joe Mesiana (6) and DL Jordan Lawson (5.5). DB Trevor Williams leads a speedy secondary with 3 INT's and Golden is perhaps the Bucs' top lockdown corner.

Offensively, Gulf's attack goes as Golden goes. Since becoming the Bucs' primary back after Tevin Gamble's Week 2 season-ending injury, the junior has averaged 254.5 yards and nearly four TD's a game. Golden's elusiveness and propensity for breaking off huge runs also sets up a formidable passing attack. Burr has thrown for 1,201 yards, 11 TD's and only 3 INT's this season and has multiple go-to targets (WR Cody Kleiner, TE Leon Orr and FB Will Burbridge) when he's dropped back.

ST. CLOUD (Class 3A, District 7):

The Bulldogs enter Friday's home game riding an eight-game winning streak after falling 45-3 to Osceola in Week 1.

What jumps out immediately about this squad is its air-it-out offensive game plan. Of St. Cloud's 3,031 total offense yards, 2,344 (77.3 percent) of them have come on the pass. QB E.J. White alone accounts for 89.8 percent of the total production – he leads the team in rushing with 379 yards. The Bulldogs' most productive running back is Will Clark, with 186 yards on the season.

Statistically speaking, St. Cloud appears to be a one-trick pony. They play almost exclusively in a spread formation from the shotgun and attempt to run the ball very little. Though it can be said the Bulldogs are one dimensional, it can be equally pointed out that it has worked all season long. White averages 234.4 yards passing a game, has thrown for 21 TD's and only six of his 264 passes have been picked off.

The low INT total combined with a high amount of attempts conveys the image of an intelligent quarterback who doesn't make a lot of reckless mistakes. What it also suggests is a group of receivers who can get open and make sure passes don't end up going the other way.

White's Top 2 looks are James Boone (47 catches for 1,028 yards and 6 TD's) and Donnie Jennert (34 catches for 607 yards and 9 TD's). Both are tall receivers that can run after the catch. Jennert is 6 feet 6 inches tall and Boone stands at 6 feet 2 inches. Three other Bulldogs have caught over 10 passes, as well.

Defensively, the Bulldogs may not be a physically imposing unit, but they have kids that get to the ball carrier. The majority of St. Cloud's tackles come from its linebacking corps. Tyler Vaughn (121 tackles) and Ray Scavone (114 tackles) lead the team in that category and the Bulldogs have gotten to the quarterback 20 times.

The defense's opportunism looks to be one of its key assets. St. Cloud has forced 22 turnovers (15 fumble recoveries and 7 INT's).

THE SKINNY:

On game plans and productivity alone, the edge appears to lean in Gulf's favor.

St. Cloud allows an average of 20 points a game, which would lead one to believe that plays into Gulf's high-scoring hands. With that in mind, the outcome of the game looks to rest on the Bucs' defensive shoulders and how they manage to handle St. Cloud's high-flying aerial assault.

If Gulf can keep away from quick, big-play St. Cloud scoring drives and force the Bulldogs into 8-10 play sequences where they need to run the ball more often, the Bucs should be in good shape. But judging by only seeing a team on film and on paper, clearly it is easier said than done.

The Bucs offensive line also will enter the game with a size advantage over the St. Cloud defensive front, which could set up an enormous night for Golden. No team has been able to keep the back under 168 yards since he became the go-to guy and this does not look to be the week it will happen. An X factor for the Gulf offense may be FB Will Burbridge bruising some runs between the tackles as a change of pace from Golden's style.

Friday night's winner aside, this one sets up to be a high-scoring affair – i.e. if there were an over-under line, it would likely be inked in the mid-to-high 60's.

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

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT