By Kyle LoJacono
Moments after Sunlake’s 21-10 victory against Land O’ Lakes on Oct. 20, Rashaud Daniels jumped into the arms of his coach Bill Browning and yelled out one powerful word.
“Playoffs.”
The home victory against their Class 6A-District 6 rival gives the Seahawks (6-1) the inside track to make the playoffs for the first time in the program’s five-year history and puts the Gators’ (4-3) 14-year playoff streak in jeopardy.
Sunlake forced the first of three turnovers on the Gators’ second play from scrimmage. Harrison Wood was breaking away from the Seahawks’ defense, but Daniels caught him and knocked the ball out. Mike Lopez recovered the fumble.
The Seahawks capitalized with a 10-play drive capped by Lopez running in for a 3-yard touchdown.
“I wanted to do it for my team and my coaches,” Lopez said. He then added, “We came out here with the mentality that we were going to win.”
Sunlake had touchdowns called back twice on the drive because of penalties; an eerily similar start to the game the Seahawks lost 22-7 against Hernando the week before.
“Last week we had three chances to score early and didn’t come away with anything,” Browning said. “It just seemed like we couldn’t rebound from that. Everything happens for a reason so hopefully it made us tougher for this game.”
Land O’ Lakes got on the board on its ensuing possession with a 15-play, 80-yard drive that included quarterback Ryan Bird converting on fourth and inches with a 2-yard sneak. Wood scored on a 1-yard run.
The Gator defense forced a fourth and one on Sunlake’s next drive, but fullback Jerome Samuels muscled his way up the middle for a 28-yard touchdown.
Land O’ Lakes added a 35-yard field goal from Andrew Garcia to make the score 14-10 at halftime — its last points of the game.
The Seahawks scored on their second drive of the second half when Eddie Burgos caught a 27-yard pass from quarterback Cameron Stoltz. The ball was tipped twice by Gator cornerback Jordan Michelson but found its way into Burgos’ hands.
The Land O’ Lakes offense moved the ball into Sunlake territory on its last three drives but turned the ball over on downs twice and fumbled the ball away once. Nick Hoffman recovered the final fumble with 4:16 remaining.
The ball came lose when Bird couldn’t control a snap while in the shotgun. The Gator signal caller was unable to fall on the ball, leaving Hoffman in the clear to scoop up the fumble.
“I was just thinking do or die; this is the game-changing play,” Hoffman said.
Land O’ Lakes safety Darin Patmon recovered a fumble on Sunlake’s next drive, but it was too late. The Gators gave the ball back for good when Bird’s pass on fourth and nine fell incomplete with 20 seconds left.
Sunlake put up 154 rushing yards in the contest, but spread the touches around. No one player had more than 48 yards on the ground.
“We didn’t change anything,” said center Nate McCoole. “We just came out the same way. We knew we were just going to run it down their throats just like that and we did.”
The Seahawk defense limited Kent Taylor, the top-rated tight end recruit in the nation by Rivals.com. The senior had five catches for 71 yards, but the coverages upset him enough that he slapped the helmet of a Sunlake defender in the final minutes and was ejected.
“The secondary played great and has played well all year,” Browning said. “They finally just frustrated him I think at the end of the game.”
Browning also gave credit to the Gator defense, especially linebacker Shadow Williams.
“Land O’ Lakes played some tough defense and their No. 8 (Williams) was all over the field tonight,” Browning said.
Bird finished 14-of 31 passing with 203 yards. His most productive receiver was Wesley Moore, who finished with five catches for 90 yards. Moore also added 54 yards on kick returns.
Both central Pasco County squads have a pair district games left, which are against the same teams — River Ridge (5-2) and Central (0-8). The Seahawks will clinch a playoff spot if they win or Land O’ Lakes loses one of those games.
Browning pointed out to his players the importance of winning their final district contests.
“Enjoy this one because we have to get back to work and take care of the rest of our games,” Browning said. “We have to stay humble, but I will say this: There’s a new sheriff in town.”
Sunlake travels to River Ridge on Friday, Oct. 28, while the Gators host Central. Both games start at 7:30 p.m.
The new sheriff in town
For the last four years, Sunlake got an “L” in its annual matchup against cross-town rival Land O’ Lakes — but not this year.
“We’ve never beat them and it’s definitely a feeling I could get used to,” said senior center Nate McCoole. “It’s a tremendous feeling. All the work we’ve put in has definitely paid off.”
Fellow senior running back Mike Lopez added, “It’s an honor. I’m so proud to be with my 2012 class.”
The Gators entered the contest 4-0 all-time against the Seahawks with a combined score of 125-35. Sunlake was minutes away from winning the contest a year ago, but two fourth quarter touchdowns gave Land O’ Lakes a 29-21 win.
Bill Browning has been the Seahawks’ coach since the school opened in 2007 and understands the significance of a beating a rival for the first time.
“It’s a big win,” Browning said. “In my career coaching when I was at Springstead beating Hernando was a huge milestone. When I was at Hernando and we beat Pasco for the first time that was a huge win. This one is huge too and it ranks right up there near the top.”
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