Schools
Hurricanes Hope 2011 Finally Brings A Playoff Appearance
The Palm Harbor University High Hurricanes football squad has never made the playoffs. With a savvy new coach, a fantastic quarterback and a quick start, the playoffs may not just be a dream.
Unlike it's soccer programs or its swim teams, has no such bragging rights when it comes to football.
The boys and girls soccer programs have littered the school with trophies, many of them state championship trophies. The school's swim teams are among the best in the state, regularly sending swimmers to the state championship meet.
But in football, well, the sport is not a mirror image of its Hurricanes brothers and sisters.
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Palm Harbor has yet to play in a postseason game. It is the lone public school to not have appeared in a football playoff game, though the Hurricanes did come close a few years ago, losing in a tiebreaker with Countryside and Dunedin. The Hurricanes are the lone Pinellas County public school not to have played in a football playoff game.
First-year coach Matt Lepain has a simple way to solve this issue: Keep it simple.
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"Football is a simple game,” Lepain said. “Football is all about blocking and tackling. If you block well and you tackle well, the rest comes along.”
Lepain's tenure has seemed to breathe new life into the program. The previous eight seasons, Lepain had been one of the best assistant coaches in Pinellas County, carving out a strong reputation as Largo High School's defensive coordinator. When the Packers advanced to consecutive state semifinal appearances in 2007 and 2008, Lepain's defense posted nine shutouts.
The Hurricanes are now 3-0 to start the season. It's easy to understand if players and fans start seeing playoffs in the crystal ball but recent history is a start reminder how quickly dreams can be shattered.
Last season, Palm Harbor also started 3-0 only to lose their next seven games finishing 3-7.
What the Hurricanes do have going for them is quarterback Billy Pavlock, who has a gun for an arm and fleet of foot. Pavlock currently has 232 yards passing and four touchdowns and has yet to throw an interception. Pavlock also has 69 yards rushing and one touchdown.
Whether the 2011 season, Lepain's first with the Hurricanes, results in the school's first playoff appearance remains to be seen. Thus far, it's not a far-fetched dream.