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Not just for show
By KEITH NIEBUHR
© St. Petersburg Times, DUNNELLON -- The Dunnellon-Lecanto rivalry is so un-storied you can count the consequential games on one hand. Make that one finger. In 1999, both teams entered with winning records for the first time. It happens a second time tonight when the longtime rivals meet in a Class 3A, District 3 game that will go a long way toward determining who reaches the playoffs. Lecanto, one game behind Crystal River, must win to have a shot at the title. For years, the series meant nothing. Not anymore. "This is a very important game for a lot of different reasons," Lecanto coach Dick Slack said. "Most importantly for us, we want to play well two weeks in a row." Seven days ago, Lecanto (4-2 overall, 1-1 in 3A-3) posted one of the most impressive wins in school history when it beat Hernando 65-28 behind a 413-yard rushing performance. The Panthers, who had never previously scored more than 48 points in a game, had 32 in the first quarter. The win was Lecanto's first against Hernando in 13 tries. "I'm very happy with last week's performance," Slack said. "Any time you have success, you get more confidence. The good part about that is that we know the success comes from hard work and execution. It's not just, "Hey, we're lucky." Luck has had little to do with Lecanto's success. The running game is a different story. In five of Lecanto's six games, the Panthers have rushed for more than 300 yards behind an experienced and ever-improving offensive line. Jarvis Patterson, Terence Hollis and Jeff Yearwood rank 2-3-4 on the county's rushing list. "Offensively, they just line up and take charge," Dunnellon coach Perry Brown said. "They come off the ball well, the backs run hard and the quarterback (Phil Reed) looks like he's in charge of what's going on. They have a good football team." Dunnellon's defense will have its hands full. "We're much-improved on defense from last year, but teams have been able to run against us," Brown said. Dunnellon (4-2, 0-2) counters with a passing attack that is as good as the area has to offer. Senior quarterback Alex Harvey, who has thrown for 837 yards and 10 touchdowns, has a solid group of receivers led by Chris Anderson, Eric Cox, Sherwin Gates and Daniel Ramp. "We've got good receivers and our quarterback does a good job throwing the ball," Brown said. Dunnellon's running game also is solid, which makes Lecanto's challenge all the more difficult. The Panthers have faced several good running teams (see Central and Crystal River) and at least one better-than-average passing team (Springstead), but none of their first six opponents has Dunnellon's balance. "Dunnellon can hurt you with the pass or the run," Slack said. "It is very capable of doing both. "When you prepare for them, you have to prepare for the horizontal as well as the vertical and that's tough."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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