Week 2 football for Lake and Sumter teams: Villages drop rainy game at Zephyrhills
What do a thunderstorm, a 100-plus yard rusher, and seven turnovers have in common? They all took place in The Villages' 32-15 loss on the road Friday night.
The Buffalo had bright spots in their second consecutive loss of the season, but it wasn’t enough to outweigh the Zephyrhills two-way output. The Bulldogs showcased a dangerous run game with the offensive line to open up gaps for playmakers.
The Villages moved the chains all night against a stout defense but failed to convert yards into enough points. Head coach Richard Pettus stacked the schedule at the start of the season to test his players, and they’re showing heart in the face of adversity.
Live scoreboard: Lake and Sumter County Week 2 high school football games
See video: The Villages emerge from the locker room at Zephyrhills
Ready for high school football?: Week-by-week football schedules for Lake and Sumter teams
Here are takeaways from The Village’s first meeting with Zephyrhills in their 20-year history.
Weather delays game almost three hours
The weather didn’t look good before the game and didn’t let up until about two and a half hours after the scheduled kickoff. Time ticked away as fans of both teams lined Bulldog Stadium.
With every flash of lightning, the 30-minute all clear clock reset. Zephyrhills officials were confident they’d play the game, but pushed the start back several times.
“We haven’t had a rainout since 2010 against Brooksville Central... We didn’t get back in town until 1a a.m., washed all the uniforms because they were soaked. Finished by 5:30 a.m. and played at 10 a.m.” Pettus recalled.
The looks on the faces of the coaches said one thing; we’re not going through that again. Fifteen minutes after the largest lightning strike of the night, The Villages got the final word. They’d be on the field at 9:30 for warmups and kick off by 10.
Run it hard, run it often
When rainy conditions strike, you have to secure the ball. Both teams did that by running the ball, especially in the first quarter. The Buffalo’s approach was successful as both of their scores were on the ground.
Junior quarterback Danny Bitting was the first Buffalo to reach the end zone with a 7-yard sprint to the goal line. Bitting showed toughness by breaking a pair of tackles on his way to giving The Villages its first and only lead of the game.
No one benefited from the run heavy attack more than junior Alvon Isaac. He was a few yards shy of a 200-yard game. Whether attacking the sides or finding a hole up the middle, Isaac moved the chains when The Villages put the ball in his hands.
Isaac, the running back with six Division 1 offers, broke free for a 76-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
“I saw a crease and hoped coach called the play. When he did, I just took it up the field,” said Isaac. He’d add three tackles to his stat line as a defensive back.
Turnovers and penalties
Pettus stated execution was the Buffalo downfall in Week 1. The problem reared its ugly head again midway through the second quarter in Week 2.
“We tried to improve on the mistakes we made last week. Take it one day at a time and get a little bit better,” said Pettus.
Turnovers and penalties were critical for both teams as the game went on. There were moments where a penalty flag was a precursor to an interception.
“We have to execute, and we didn’t do it tonight,” said Pettus.
The coach knows he has a young team, and there will be growing pains. After a few injuries to two key starters, a sophomore and freshman replaced them. Even Bitting has limited varsity experience playing most of his sophomore season behind former Buffalo quarterback and all-state honorable mention Brandon Kennard.
What's next: Homecoming
The Buffalo will have two weeks to regroup and recover from injuries before they play again. Their next game is against Citrus at 7 p.m. Sept. 16, an early homecoming matchup. Pettus believes in his team’s chances of winning the game, if it can shake the turnover bug.
“We match up well with Citrus. They’re closer to our size... and we have a four-star running back in our backfield,” he said.
More Lake and Sumter Week 2 scores
Lake Minneola 42, Eustis 0
Crescent City 27, Umatilla 13
South Sumter 41, South Lake 0
Trinity Christian 22, First Academy of Leesburg 18
Central Florida Christian 34, Mount Dora Christian Academy 10
Deltona 45, Mount Dora 7
Lecanto 7, Tavares 0
Wildwood 30, Leesburg 6
Week 3 schedule
East Ridge at Crystal River, 7; First Academy of Leesburg at Lakeland Santa Fe Catholic, 7; Lake Minneola at Wekiva, 7; Leesburg at Mount Dora, 7; Mount Dora Christian Academy at P.K. Yonge, 7; Real Life Christian vs. St. Johns Country Day, 5:30; South Lake vs. Savannah (Ga.) New Hampstead, 7; South Sumter at Wildwood, 7:30; Tavares at Eustis, 7; Umatilla at Lake Alfred Discovery, 7:30.
This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: High school football: Takeaways from The Villages game at Zephyrhills
