Bucs in condition to win

This article appeared as part of the Tampa Tribune Prep Sports Preview on Aug. 23, 2003. Photo caption: Jeff Blanchette threw for 1,056 yards and nine touchdowns and ran for 477 yards last season. Tribune photo by Andy Jones.

By ANDY STAPLES

NEW PORT RICHEY -- Jeff Blanchette saw a teammate's hands slip and yelled.

All 33 members of the Gulf High football team lay on the practice field in full pads, each pair of legs 6 inches off the ground. Thirty-two sets of hands touched helmets. Because the offending teammate lay in Blanchette's row, Blanchette had to act.

"Get your hands on your head!" the Buccaneers quarterback yelled, his voice quivering right along with his abdominal muscles.

Amid all of this pain, a bald man with a touch of cauliflower ear smiled.

Gulf assistant Travis DeWalt already had led the Bucs through 75 push-ups. Now he was burning their stomach muscles.

After more push-ups, some up-downs and mountain climbers -- an exhausting drill that forces players to get on their hands and knees and simulate a steep ascent -- the Bucs were ready to start practice.

After years of trying to lengthen the roster, Gulf coaches decided to streamline their operation. Daily warm-ups tougher than anything the Bucs endured last season were only part of the makeover they hope will jump-start a program that has gone 8-42 the past five seasons and has not won more than two games since 1997.

After years of watching Zephyrhills succeed with a small group of tough, dedicated players, Gulf coaches decided to try to follow the Bulldogs' example. Instead of trying to carry a heavy roster, Coach Keith Newton decided in the spring to find out exactly who wanted to play.

To that end, he moved DeWalt, Gulf's wrestling coach, up from the junior varsity staff and named him strength and conditioning coach. By the end of spring practice, DeWalt had run off anyone who wasn't serious about football. That left a thin roster, but Gulf coaches expect every player to be in shape and ready to play both ways.

"The kids were pretty awed by it when it first started," Newton said.

That awe has turned to acceptance. During one preseason practice, 32 players had to run half a mile because one had forgotten to bring the footballs to practice. No one complained to the coaches, but the offending player heard a symphony of jeers when he sprinted back to the field carrying a black duffel bag.

Later, Blanchette yelled at that teammate to put his hands back on his head. Because under the new rules, Blanchette -- a senior who is one of five "line leaders" -- would be punished if a youngster in his line got caught slacking. DeWalt believes this fosters leadership and accountability.

All of the Gulf coaches hope the new attitude fosters a few wins.

"We've got enough grass here to beat up. We're going to run a lot," said DeWalt, whose wrestling team went from 9-11 in his first season (2000-01) to 14-1 last year. "They will look just as good in the fourth quarter as they do in the first quarter."