Whytsell back to the center of things

This article appeared in the Tampa Tribune on Aug. 24, 2002.

By ANDY STAPLES

NEW PORT RICHEY - Chris Whytsell had shed the shackles of anonymity.

He had broken free. He had burst into the end zone and out of the shadows.

Whytsell, then a Gulf High fullback, did not realize as he celebrated his first touchdown during the Buccaneers' spring game that he probably would not score another. To paraphrase Al Pacino in ``The Godfather, Part III'', Whytsell thought he was out, then they pulled him back in.

During the summer, one of Whytsell's former Police Athletic League youth football coaches squealed to Gulf coaches that Whytsell was an accomplished center despite his 5-foot-9, 175-pound frame.

Buccaneers coach Keith Newton had searched all spring for a player who could snap and block without slowing Gulf's new I-formation offense. By the time the Buccaneers started fall practice, Whytsell was a lineman again.

``In [youth football], every year he used to get talked out of playing fullback because they needed him to play the line,'' said Gulf quarterback Jeff Blanchette, who has taken snaps from Whytsell for more than five years. ``Every year, he was supposed to play running back, but he ended up playing on the line.''

Whytsell probably would play center, mop the locker room and wash the jock straps if he thought it would help his team.

The junior, who is playing high school football for the first time, said he did not intentionally hide his center past from his coaches. He said he had no idea he could compete at the high school level.

``I thought I'd get thrown around,'' said Whytsell, who also plays linebacker. ``I'm pretty much holding my own.''

Newton said he hated to move Whytsell, who had emerged as a talented fullback, but the coach said the offense needed a center who would start plays cleanly.

In the spring, Gulf coaches tried several centers, but none could master the exchange with the quarterback that is pivotal to each play. Enter Whytsell, whose precision snapping gives Blanchette a full second extra during plays.

That second can make the difference between a successful play and a huge loss, Newton said.

``If your center position isn't solidified, your offense suffers,'' he said.

Whytsell does not worry about the lack of fame. He said he would have enjoyed playing fullback, but he would rather play center than hurt his team.

``It's not the first position that I would want to play, but it's what will help the team,'' Whytsell said.

That attitude has endeared Whytsell to Newton. The coach said many players today are too finicky about their position.

Whytsell could have scored more touchdowns, but he told Newton to pull him back to the line if necessary.

``He's a very giving kid,'' Newton said. ``He's willing to give for the team. It's nice to have those kind of kids.''