It was just three years ago that the Central and Nature Coast rivalry had grown so heated, the two teams were punished by the Florida High School Athletic Association for a postgame altercation.
Since then so much has transpired independently for each program, it's hard to imagine such a high level of intensity when the county rivals square off in tonight's season opener kicking off at 7:30 p.m. at Shark Tank Stadium.
Instead each squad appears more inwardly focused, especially with both programs breaking in brand new head coaches.
"It's another game," Nature Coast Head Coach Mark Nash said. "It's Game 1. We're taking everything one week at a time and this is Week 1."
"I think all the kids are excited," Central Head Coach Mike Einspahr said. "A lot of them live in the same neighborhood (as the Nature Coast players), they know each other. They're a natural rival. The kids want to play hard and do well against Nature Coast.
''... The Nature Coast game is not our season, win or lose. I know it's old and cliché, but we've just got to get better. We've got to take a few things and do them well."
Different points
Aside from changes in personnel, the primary reason this rivalry may have lost some juice is that the two programs are currently at such different points.
The Bears are coming off a 1-9 season and trying to rebuild. The Sharks (7-4 in 2009) have reached regionals four straight years and are expected to contend for a fifth consecutive playoff appearance.
So for Central, this contest represents an opportunity to take some strides forward, much like last week's preseason classic, a 35-7 home loss to Pinellas Park.
Despite the final score, the Bears produced some promising moments in the second half, nearly pulling within a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter before losing a fumble a few yards short of the end zone.
"I saw the kids fight," Einspahr said. "I saw them pick themselves up when they were down. I know it's not just about scoring. We got a couple of first downs, got some drives going. We got some series going, maintained the clock a little bit."
The red-zone fumble was one of five turnovers (three interceptions, two lost fumbles) for Central, four of which led to Pinellas Park touchdowns. The other was an interception on the final play of the first half.
Considering the Bears had a minus-12 turnover margin last year, the new headman would certainly like to put an end to this troubling trend.
"We need to take care of the ball," Einspahr said. "We need to minimize turnovers. That's the number one thing.
"We've definitely taken a step in the right direction. We had game experience. We've just got to do a better job of tackling, take better angles to the ball and play better technique."
No classic
Nature Coast did not play a classic, but with the heavy rain that preceded last Friday's action, Nash didn't feel his team would be at much of a disadvantage.
"I don't think it will have any impact," Nash said. "With the weather the way it was last Friday, I'm not sure anybody will know what to expect this week."
For that reason, even though he did have members of his staff scouting Central's preseason contest, he doesn't put much stock in what was seen.
Einspahr felt the same way about the limited information he had gained from watching Nature Coast's spring classic game film. At that point the Sharks did not have senior Ja'Juan Story at quarterback.
Between Story and running back Isaac Bailey III, Nature Coast figures to have even more firepower in the backfield than Pinellas Park, who totaled 394 yards of total offense - including 284 rushing - on the Bears.
Neither coach reported any injuries or issues that would keep any players out of action, meaning both veteran mentors should have full-strength squads as they try to start off on the right foot.
"We're ready to go. We're tired of hitting each other. We're ready to hit somebody else," said Nash, who will coach in front of his new home crowd for the first time since arriving from Hudson High.
"... I'm not a rookie coach. I may be a rookie at Nature Coast, but I have been around the block a few times. I guess I'm nervous because it's my first home game here and I'm not sure how it all operates. As far as the football end of it, I have no more concerns than I would at Hudson."
BY THE NUMBERS: NATURE COAST VS. CENTRAL
- Compiled by TONY CASTRO
Central leads series 5-1
YEAR SITE RESULT
2004 Away L 23-61
2005 Home L 20-41
2006 Away L 14-32
2007 Home L 13-17
2008 Away L FF
2009 Away W 44-6
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Results Loading...