Saturday, Oct. 04, 2008

Pirates show resolve in rout of Lake Placid

Usually when a team plays musical chairs with the offensive line, good things aren't supposed to happen.

But Braden River (3-2) showed it has the resolve to win with any lineup when the Pirates thrashed Lake Placid 42-0 on Friday in a non-district football game at Braden River High.

Starting center Joey Tonkin was nursing a sprained neck - spending the first half on the sideline with an ice bag.

Pirates head coach Josh Hunter said the injury didn't change his team's game plan. "(Tonkin) actually went down Wednesday, and (we) moved the starting left guard over and the backup left guard - (we) moved him up," Hunter said.

So, it was up to Josh Spence to fill in, and all he had to do was snap it so the Pirates' playmakers could do their part.

Spence said he played center for the junior varsity team last year so he had the experience to do the job.

"I had (Spence) freshman year . . . so I knew what he could do and couldn't do," said Pirates quarterback Steven Fischer, who went 5 of 5 with three touchdowns and 217 passing yards in the first half. "Our offensive line did a hell of a job (Friday) - a great job."

Braden River wide receiver Willie McNeal lit up the Green Dragon (1-3) secondary. He took part in four touchdowns - three catching and one passing.

"All I can say is (that) I am glad (Fischer) threw it up and gave me a chance to make the plays that I did," said McNeal, who tallied 218 all-purpose yards.

McNeal torched defensive back Chevontray Wilson on several occasions, making up his own highlight reel in the process.

First, he burned Wilson on a slant turning up the jets down the sideline for a 52-yard touchdown from Fischer. Then the 5-foot-11 senior got past Wilson once more - this time it was a one-handed 80-yard touchdown grab.

McNeal followed that up with a leaping 39-yard touchdown snatch to close out Braden River's first half, where they took a 28-0 lead into the locker room.

If that wasn't enough, McNeal showed some versatility when he capped the Pirates' opening second-half drive with a 13-yard strike to tight end Mark McKoan.

"When coach called the play, the tight end Mark McKoan winked at me to let me know that he is always open on his route" said McNeal, who hasn't decided on where he will play college ball. "So, after the play action, I looked for him and he was there."

On the flip side, there wasn't much Lake Placid could do right as Braden River's defense swarmed in on the Green Dragon attack, holding them to only 38 yards.

Braden River will look to even its Class 3A-District 12 record next week when Avon Park visits.