Football: Pasco High jumps into district scheduling for next 7 weeks

Posted Sep 20, 2010 by Eddie Daniels

Updated Sep 20, 2010 at 04:25 PM

From here on out, life gets very interesting for the Pasco Pirates football team.

They’ve set themselves up nicely, winning the first two games on their ledger against quality opponents – Plantation American Heritage and Bushnell South Sumter. Last season at this point, South Sumter handed Pasco an eye-opening, 32-7 loss, bringing the team back down to earth.

Now comes the Class 3A-District 7. All of it.

In its next seven games, Pasco (2-0) will face each of their seven district opponents – Wesley Chapel, Zephyrhills, Gulf, Anclote, Land O’ Lakes, Mitchell and Sunlake.

No, this isn’t anything new as this is year No. 2 in the same scheduling format, but teenagers always make things interesting.

“If they can’t stay focused on a seven-game district run, I don’t know,” Pasco coach Tom McHugh said before naming each of the teams they will face on that run. “If you can’t stay focused and get excited about that every week then you’re in the wrong sport.

“These guys are athletes and they’re competitors, so I think they’ll be fine.”

If 2009 is any kind of an omen, Pasco went 7-0 in district play, capturing a third consecutive district title. In fact, the Pirates were so dominating in that stretch, they outscored opponents 252-50.

“Seven weeks is a long time when you’re a teenager and to be able to focus on something for that long … even in our society, it’s not expected for kids to have a long attention span,” McHugh said. “But when you have seven weeks and a goal that’s at the end, you have to focus on that goal. You have to work for it every week.”

There are seven opponents who will make sure Pasco works for it – every week.