BROOKSVILLE — Confidence was plentiful in the rain at Tom Fisher Stadium on Friday night as Hernando shook off two losses to open the season to dominate cross-county rival Weeki Wachee.
Starting with a fumble recovery in the end zone for a touchdown less than four minutes into the game, the Leopards took the lead and never looked back on the way to a 35-0 victory over the Hornets.
“We needed some confidence,” said first-year Hernando coach Bill Vonada, whose team lost 44-0 to Jacksonville Bolles and 30-13 to Citrus.
“And once we got some confidence, it was fun to watch.”
Hernando (1-2, 1-0 Class 5A, District 5) saw promising signs on both sides of the ball, but the most impressive performance came from the defensive front. Tahner Killoran picked up his first career sack and scored on the game-opening fumble recovery.
After a 40-yard punt from Brad Ellis was about to pin Weeki Wachee (1-3, 0-1) inside its 20, returner Jake Wilson muffed the catch and the ball bounced backward into the end zone. With a rush of players going for it, Killoran picked up the loose ball.
Hernando’s leading returning tackler, Steven Delaine, picked up his team-leading second sack of the season and scored a defensive touchdown. In the second quarter, an Ellis punt pinned the Hornets on their 1. A wet ball snap was fumbled by Weeki Wachee quarterback Alec Cromie. Delaine squeezed through the scrum to pick up the ball, leading Hernando to a 21-0 advantage.
Senior quarterback Tyler Kline made a big leap in Vonada’s option attack. Keeping the ball on several occasions, Kline ran for 63 yards and one touchdown on 12 carries while completing 4 of 7 passes for 70 yards and a 42-yard touchdown to Mark Wilson just before halftime.
“We worked hard in practice, and the effort was a lot better from everyone,” Kline said. “At first (I was skeptical of the new offense), but I like it a lot better now.
“I like being a dual-threat quarterback.”
The conditions affected both teams, but Weeki Wachee struggled more in key spots, fumbling the ball seven times while losing two.
Cromie went 12-of-29 for 93 yards, but he was done in by a handful of drops by his receivers as well as some inaccurate passing with the wet ball.
Hornets tailback Shawn O’Gorman, who came in averaging 182 yards from scrimmage per game, had 17 rushes for 49 yards and 56 yards on seven receptions.