![Springstead, 4, Connor McCazzio looks to elude the tackle attempt by Fivay High School, 13, Antwon Brown Friday at Booster Stadium. [Photo by JOSEPH DiCRISTOFALO]](https://www.hernandosun.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/DSC_9744-Enhanced-NR.jpg "DSC_9744-Enhanced-NR")
By PAT YASINSKAS
WESLEY CHAPEL — If you watched the way Springstead started the second half of Monday night’s 42-21 victory against Cypress Creek, you might have assumed that Eagles coach Mike Garofano gave some kind of magical halftime speech.
He didn’t. Instead, he simply reminded the Eagles of how poorly they played in the first half.
“We were sloppy and sluggish,” Garofano said. “We weren’t playing Springstead football.”
But, in a stretch of just over three minutes to start the second half, the Eagles played Springstead football — and then some. After letting a winless team hang too close for comfort in the first half, the Eagles used a quick turnover to set up a touchdown and an onside kick that led to another score to take firm control of the game and run their record to 5-0 for the first time since 2021.
Actually, there was a prelude to the surge late in the first half. Clinging uncomfortably to an 8-7 lead in the final minute of the first half, senior quarterback Gio Martinez hit Xylus Pastrana with an 18-yard touchdown pass with eight seconds left in the second quarter and the Eagles added a two-point conversion to take a 16-7 lead into the locker room.
“That was a huge play,” Garofano said. “It was still a close game, but that started the momentum.”
And the momentum didn’t stop there. On the second play of the second half, Cypress Creek quarterback Trip Jackson, whose passing gave the Springstead defense trouble most of the game, hit receiver Elsa Choudhry with a pass over the middle. But Springstead’s defense forced a Choudhry fumble. Senior linebacker Jadon Jaimes recovered to give the Eagles possession at their own 43-yard line.
From there, Martinez picked up where he left off at the end of the first half. He hit Tyree Davis with a 19-yard pass to open the drive and followed that with a 15-yard run. After that, Connor Mccazzio turned a run up the middle into a 23-yard touchdown and Raul Maldonado kicked the extra point to give Springstead a 23-7 lead.
But that wasn’t Maldonado’s biggest play of the night. On the ensuing kickoff, he perfectly placed an onside kick, and the Eagles recovered.
“We have great coaches,” Garofano said. “They all saw something. They saw an opening where they thought the onside kick would work. We went for it and Raul did a great job of putting the ball right where we wanted him to.”
Taking possession at the Cypress Creek 42-yard line, Martinez continued his hot streak. He ran for 27 yards on the first play and found Davis for a 15-yard touchdown pass that put the Eagles ahead 29-7 with 8:52 left in the third quarter.
![Hernando High , 3, Jerry Brown puts pressure on Springstead QB, 1, Gio Martinez Friday at Tom Fisher stadium. [Photo by Joe DiCristofalo]](https://www.hernandosun.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/DSC_7253-Enhanced-NR.jpg)
“Gio really picked it up,” Garofano said. “Our offense was really out of sync in the first half. We turned the ball over twice in the first half and we hadn’t turned the ball over twice all year. Offense is like an orchestrated dance. You need all 11 guys working together to make the whole offense work properly. We finally got it going in that little stretch.”
Although Martinez has been solid all season, he was called upon to do more than usual against the Coyotes. Unofficially, Martinez rushed for 158 yards on 16 carries. He also completed nine of 17 passes for 101 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Martinez was asked to take on the extra load because Springstead’s other top offensive weapon was ailing. Mccazzio, the senior running back, wasn’t feeling up to par, but still managed to have a big game. Garofano said Mccazzio didn’t get as many carries as originally planned but made the most out of the touches he got. On only 11 carries, Mccazzio ran for 154 yards and two touchdowns. His 70-yard breakaway run with 2:52 left in the first quarter gave the Eagles their first touchdown of the game.
“Connor had a 102 (degree) fever,” Garofano said. “But he’s a warrior and he gave us everything he had.”
Halfway through the regular season, the Eagles have a perfect record. But Garofano said they’re not yet a perfect team.
“We played well in the opener against a good Zephyrhills team, but we’ve kind of just done what we’ve needed to do since then,” Garofano said. “We haven’t played our best football yet.”
The time for that, Garofano said, is approaching rapidly. In a week made shorter by last week’s postponement of all games in the region, the Eagles have little time to get ready for perhaps their biggest challenge yet. They Eagles have to turn right around and host county rival Nature Coast (4-2) on Friday night.
“Nature Coast is a very good team,” Garofano said. “We’re a pretty good team. We know there will be a big crowd and it’s a big game for both teams. We’ll need to play our best football.”
