At Weeki Wachee
Weeki Wachee 50, Gulf 49, overtime
Spring game-breakers: Rising junior ATH Avery Welch was nearly unstoppable for Gulf. He started at QB and had 174 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries at by halftime. The Buccaneers, who are lacking depth, needed his playmaking ability, and Welch delivered (26 carries, 239 yards, two touchdowns, 3-for-11, 54 yards, touchdown, one catch, 5 yards). … Weeki Wachee RB Marcus Allen had only seven touches for 36 yards by halftime, but with a concerted effort to get him the ball he exploded for 16 carries, 175 yards and three touchdowns. His biggest play came in overtime after Gulf went ahead 49-42. Allen ran in a 15-yard touchdown then plunged in for the winning two-point conversion. … Gulf QB Ke’Shaun Peters, making his first appearance in a Buccaneer uniform since his freshman season, led the team on touchdown drives on three of his first four drives. He finished 2-for-8 for 41 yards and an interception, and ran nine times for 94 yards and three touchdowns and caught a 24-yard pass. … Weeki Wachee QB David Tinch threw for 111 yards and one touchdown on 5-for-18 passing. Those totals were higher than all but one game he started in last season.
Did you know? The Buccaneers’ 49 points were 20 more than they scored in all of their 0-10 campaign in 2012. … The teams combined for 23 penalties and 232 penalty yards. … Despite outgaining the Hornets 497-363, the Buccaneers were undone by penalties and turnovers in the second half. … Weeki Wachee coach Mark Lee got the idea for his new offense while watching the early 1990s Buffalo Bills under Marv Levy. When Gus Malzahn was hired at Auburn in December, Lee and his coaching staff went to Alabama to meet with the offensive mastermind on his up-tempo system. The no-huddle offense is something Lee is committed to in the long run. … First-year Gulf coach Jason Messamore was a key assistant at East Lake and Clearwater Central Catholic before taking the Buccaneers job in February.
Audible 1:“I was kind of nervous to commit to (the no-huddle) for a while, but when I got the chance to meet with Gus Malzahn up at Auburn I was all in. Some of his coaches up there have run it at the high school level with success, and we feel like that will give us an advantage. We watched a lot of game tape with those guys up there.” — Lee
Audible 2:“Avery has been in the weight room 95 percent of the time. He is one of the most committed kids I’ve ever seen, and you saw the results out there tonight. When I first got this job, he was the first one to come up to me excited about playing. That says everything right there.” — Messamore