LEVY COUNTY JOURNAL

AROUND LEWY COUNTY

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2006

Page 11

 

Eagles soar at homecoming

BY NEAL FISHER
STAFF WRITER

If Bronson celebrated
homecoming and __ played

Ocala St. John’s every week,
it would be easy to prove they
are a better team
than their 0-4 start
indicated.

Then again
maybe they played
an impressive
game against St.
John’s, because
after the first four
games of the
season, they have
turned the corner.
~ Their 15-6
victory over the Ocala rival
featured a shutout for over 43
minutes. The defense set the
tone from the beginning as
they forced the Saints into a
punt on their first possession
of the game after allowing
only one first down.

The exchange of possession
resulted in Bronson gaining
field position advantage,
which they held onto for the
rest of the half.

With the Saints punting
from their 27-yard line, the
Eagles shredded the visitors’
kick coverage as they returned
the ball to the St. John’s 42-
yard line.

When Virgil Greenlee
busted loose off of an end
around rushing play two plays
later and galloped 38 yards
down the right hash mark, the
Eagles drew first blood for the
second consecutive week.

' However, this time,
Bronson’s defense Kept the
opposition’s offense on the
sideline, allowing their team
to score two more times on

wNeal

grew. When the game ended
the Eagles’ happiness was
more than the jubilation

that comes from winning

a game or celebrating their

first victory. of the season... -

It was also wrapped in the
knowledge they had done
something they couldn’t do
the year before against a
team that had been a thorn
in their side. This is true of
any rivalry at any level in
football.

While it isn’t unusual for a
team to be a thorn in another
one’s side in a different
sport, high school and
college football is unusual in
the fact that the team on the
losing end of the score has
only one opportunity every
year to right the wrong. In
the NFL if the teams are in.
the same division they get
two shots at righting the
wrong. In other words, the
losing team has to live with
the loss for the whole off-
season. The losing team
wonders what happened,
while the winners walk with
an ease and coolness. The
only way for it to end is to
beat the team the next time
they play, but the game will
not be played until the next
year.

In other sports, most rivals
play each other several
times per year, lessening the -
urgency of needing a victory
and giving them several
times to right the wrong.
When the outcome of the
meetings between the rivals
is added together the value
of winning the series is the
same as it is in football, but
the one game decides it all
status makes for a theater of
do or die. And isn’t that the
American way?

In other sports,
championships are decided
by a series of seven games
and their seasons are four
times as long as football.

So even when there is a
rivalry that features only
two games, it doesn’t

have the same magic and
characteristic. After all, it is
only one game in a season
of 84 or 162 games. In fact
most rivalries that feature

 

short drives and establish a
commanding halftime lead.

“The defense played well,”
Brochetti said. “They ran well
to the ball. We had a good
scheme to stop St. John’s.
They like to
run off tackle
and use the
option, but
we were
able to stop
them from
getting to
the outside.
I think we
surprised
them with
our speed. We were faster
than St. John’s and it gave our
guys the chance to shut down
what they like to do.”

The sequence of plays
was a show of force and lent
more credence to Brochetti’s
belief that the young team is
improving with each game.
Unlike earlier games this
year, this time the defense
made several decisive stops
at critical points in the
game to snuff out St. John’s
opportunities, while the
offense did the same to keep
their own drives alive. When
the visitors did come up with
a big play, Bronson quickly
steered the ebb and flow of
the game back to their side.

The defense followed
the first score by forcing St.
John’s into a three and out
possession. The exchange
of possession resulted in the
Eagles setting up shop at the
Saints’ 39-yard line. The
excellent field position was
once again fronted by another
punt return.

This time Michael Freeman

 

teams in two different
conferences were born out of
their championship history,
not their regular season
meetings. |

Does. anybody: remember
every game the Yankees and
Red Sox played this year?
Or how about the Tigers and
Twins? With the American
League Central Division

coming down to its final

week before its champion

is crowned and the Twins
rallying from over 10 games
down in the standings, there
should be something that
sticks out. But the fact is
very few people can recollect
the excitement.

In fact what about the
World Series last year? I
remember the White Sox
beat the Astros, but not
because there is anything
that stands out in my mind.
I remember who played,
because the drama of when
will the White Sox finally

‘end their drought has been

a dramatic plot line for
baseball long before I was
born.

On the other hand I
remember the referees
reversing Pittsburgh’s
interception against

- Indianapolis in their playoff

game when replays clearly
showed it was a turnover.

I remember the missed
field goal by the Colts only
seconds later. I remember
the Panthers shredding the
Giants in the playoffs and

‘then the Seahawks doing

the same to Carolina. I
remember the Redskins won
their last six games to get
into the playoffs and how
they did it. I remember
Tampa Bay took the lead in
the final minutes against the
Redskins on a long Chris
Simms pass only to lose

the game as Washington
mounted a typical Joe
Gibbs coached playoff style
grinding drive propelled by
their ground game.

I can remember without
hesitation Pittsburgh and
Seattle played in the Super
Bowl last year and the
referees’ reversal of two
apparent touchdowns in the

from every game that was
» significant to the outcome.

juked and jived his way for
a 40-yard return. Several
plays later, at the I1:11
mark of the second quarter,
Mike Williams lowered his
shoulders and pounded his
way into the end zone for a
three-yard touchdown run.

With the score now 12-0,
the confidence of the Eagles’
defense had grown. Their
play’ became much more
aggressive and _ relentless
than it has been at any time
this year. They sacked Chris
Decker on the next drive,
just when the Saints’ offense
began to show the signs of a
team that entered the contest:
with a 3-1 record.

The blindside sack caused
Decker to cough up the ball
and after Bronson recovered
the fumble, they found
themselves this time with
the ball at their own 35-yard
line.

Spearheaded by the Saints’
15-yard penalty for a late
hit and an ll-yard pass
completion from Barber to
Terrence Dukes on 4" and
3, the Eagles drove to the
visitors’ 1l-yard line. The
drive ended with Dukes’ 2&
yard field goal and upped
their lead to 15-0, which they
took into halftime.

“We were able to get
Freeman and Greenlee some
room to run,” Brochetti
said. “I think they were also
surprised by our speed on
offense. Almost of the kids
are starting for the first time
and I think after the first four
games we are starting to click
on offense. The offensive

See Eagles Page 15

Continued from page 8

Super Bowl: I have watched
Michigan and Ohio State

play each other 31 times and
I remember at least two plays

Yet, all I remember about
the Tigers one World Series
appearance in my lifetime
is Kirk Gibson’s home run
that wrapped the series up.
Without going through the
archives, I don’t have a clue
how they got to that point.
So while football might
be the king of sports in
this country, it is also the
king of rivalries. Other
sports rivalries might be
fun to watch and they have
a history and reason for
their significance, but they
don’t have the American
spirit, buildup and hype of
a football rivalry. That one
rivalry game during football
season can make or break a
season. What other sport can
say that? With that kind of
importance on its schedule,
only a football rivalry can
produce the sensation it does
and is second to none when
it comes to a rivalry game.
Neal Fisher is the sports
writer for the Levy County
Journal.

  
   
 

Sports info?
Sporting events?
Email Neal at

   

jcpirahna@yahoo.com

Titles for Cedar Key starting with Sept. 28

Day High Tide Height Sunrise Moon’) Time % Moon
s /Low Time Feet Sunset Visible
4:48 AM ‘ 7:24AM Rise 1:02 PM
12:07PM 0.4

 
    
    
  
       
 
   
 
     

         
 

 

   

28 Low: 7:22 PM. Set 11:05 PM
28. High 6:51PM 2.8
11:44 PM

   

Rise 2:01PM

 

Set 12:00 AM

    
 
    

12:39AM 2.
6:29AM 3.7

30 High ) 7:19PM Rise 2:57PM
30 Low 2:36PM 0.6

   
 
   
  
   
      

10:17 PM
Set 1:03 AM
“Rise 3:47 PM

  

Set 2:10 AM
Rise 4:32 PM

  

Set 3:19AM
Rise 5:11 PM

12:13AM _ 3.
5:21AM 1.8
11:08AM 3.9
6:18 PM

    
 
    
     
   
   

6:20AM 1.2 Rise’ 5:48 PM
12:15PM 4.1

7:04 PM

Minute Book ‘P” -
| November 17th, 1938

to designate and establish a Fresh and Salt Water Fishing line on
|| the Wacasassee River. Mr.

 
   
 
 

| attempt to establish the line at this time, SVARER motio
“the want of a second. PAeevpon Chairman, B

 

H that a TOD to adjourn was in order,

| Board adi ourned.
| Front the Archives and History Center
| Levy County Clerk’s Office

| Dauny J, Shipp, Clerk of Court

eame ofthe Week

This week's Frida y night

 
  
  

“LEVY COUNTY HISTORY
67 Years Ago

  
  

      
    
 
 

   
 

1938-1943 — p. 56, Special Meeting of}

 

The Chairman announced that the purpose of the meeting was

  

C. E. Clark, Jr.was present
representing the: State Conservation Departinent and stated that it
was the wishes of the Conservation Department that a Fresh,

Salt Water F ishing line be: ea on the Wacasassee River

  
  

    
 

upon the sabeshing of any line on the Wacasassee River
would be satisfactory to all the fishermen concerned and stat