Lightning Doesn’t Deter Eagles

DADE CITY — The only thing that came close to slowing down Springstead’s football on Friday night was the weather. But even that was only temporary.

In a game that’s start was delayed 25 minutes by lighting in the area and was paused for one hour and three minutes after more bolts appeared, the Eagles dominated in a 51-0 victory against Pasco High at W.F. Edwards Stadium. Springstead recorded its second straight shutout and has scored 103 points in its last two games.

“We’re off to the kind of start we wanted,” Springstead coach Mike Garofano said. “We beat a strong Zephyrhills team in the opener and we’ve done what we needed to do the last two weeks.”

The Eagles did plenty against the 0-3 Pirates. Springstead controlled the game from start to finish and didn’t miss a beat after the long delay. The Eagles used the running of Connor McCazzio and the running and passing of senior quarterback Gio Martinez to jump out to a 24-0 first-quarter lead. McCazzio scored Springstead’s first two touchdowns on runs of 13 and 55 yards and Martinez connected with Mikel Theriault on a 19-yard touchdown pass.

After Pasco ran one play to start the second quarter, the game was paused due to nearby lightning. The Eagles began the delay in their locker room, but players eventually wandered outside as the weather improved. With lightning still visible in the distance, Garofano huddled with game officials, Pasco coach Fred Hicks and Pasco administrators discussing the possibilities.

“(Officials) were talking about postponing the game and having us come back another day,” Garofano said. “The last thing you want as a football team is to have to make the same road trip twice. I’m really glad we didn’t have to go home and, then, have to turn around and come back another day.”

Play resumed, but stipulations were put in place. All sides agreed to go without the traditional halftime break in order to keep the game from lasting deep into the night. Once back on the field, the Eagles did their part to speed things up. They took a 30-0 lead on a 5-yard run by Jadon Jaimes with 10:05 left in the second quarter.

On the first play of Pasco’s next possession, Springstead defensive back Dalton Williams intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown. McCazzio added the two-point conversion to give the Eagles a 38-0 lead and prompt the use of a running clock. Although the lightning had stopped, Williams struck again. He picked off another Pasco pass and returned it 20 yards to give the Eagles excellent field position.

Three plays later, McCazzio scored his third touchdown of the night on a 23-yard run to give the Eagles a 44-0 lead. “When you get big defensive plays like the interceptions, you’re not going to lose too many games,” Garofano said. “The entire defense played well all night and we were able to come up with turnovers.”

Both teams were scoreless in the third quarter and Garofano pulled his starters as the fourth quarter began. Backup quarterback Tyree Davis led the Springstead offense on an impressive drive and finished it with a 1-yard touchdown run with 5:20 left in the game.
The Eagles will have a bye week before returning to the field Sept. 20 on the road against Hernando.

“I try not to nitpick, but that’s part of the job,” Garofano said. “We’ve played well, but you always strive for perfection and we haven’t been perfect. We have a lot of things to clean up and we’ll work on them during the off week and we need to be better because we have a tough stretch ahead on the schedule.”