After painful loss, Pirates to regroup for another run By DENNIS MAFFEZZOLI Posted Dec 1, 2013 at 12:01 AM
When Jordan Ingman returned, the Port Charlotte High football team was a downtrodden program that had won 24 games in the previous nine seasons. In the two years Ingman has been the head coach, the Pirates played in a tiebreaker for the district title and reached the regional final by winning their first two playoff games in the 32-year history of the program. How? “They worked every single day,” said Ingman, a Port Charlotte graduate. “They’ve given everything they’ve got. They laid it on the line.” Ingman, along with assistants Carson Bowman and Jarret Debus, put together a vigorous plan that concentrated mainly in offseason work. And the phrase the trio uses most often is the players “bought in.” “That plan doesn’t matter unless the kids actually work,” Ingman said. “They bought into the team concept. They bought into playing for each other. There was no secret. It was just good old fashion hard work.” On the back of the T-shirts commemorating the team’s first district title is “No shortcuts.” “There is no replacement for grinding,” Ingman said. “Buying in is when you’ve got 85 kids who lift and run year round. Buying in is when you have 6 a.m. workouts and everybody is there. Buying in is when you put them on the line in overtime for gassers and nobody complains. That’s buying in. “And the kids deserve the credit.” The season did not end exactly the way Port Charlotte had planned: with a 49-15 blowout loss at East Lake (Tarpon Springs) in the Class 7A-Region 3 final Friday night on the road. The Pirates were outmuscled by the bigger, stronger, faster Eagles. There were multiple unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and personal fouls on both teams in the game that ended with East Lake special teams player Noah Vazquez being taken off the field via ambulance after a late hit by Port Charlotte’s Shacquille Williams, who was ejected. “It was very disappointing because that young man we worked so hard to try to help,” Ingman said. “Just when you think you’ve made a difference and you think he turned the corner, something like that happens. It’s a frustrating, disappointing moment. You can’t save them all, but it sure doesn’t make it any easier when you feel like you failed a young man.” Ingman received solace knowing Vazquez, who recovered the onside kick, was OK after speaking with Eagles coach Bob Hudson. According to reports, Vazquez, who was stabilized for precautionary measures, was sore. His CT scan was clear, no spinal injury and he did not sustain a concussion. “Thank God that kid is OK,” Ingman said. “But it still wasn’t the way I wanted our seniors to go out, because there is so many good young men on that team. That was such an isolated case that made them look poor.” There are 16 seniors listed on the Port Charlotte roster, many of whom, such as quarterback Traige McClary, defensive back Jaques Jean-Louis, running back/defensive back Ian Tyler, defensive linemen Ian Bush and Greg Patton, linebackers Jake Hobbs, Ryan Harless and Darren Price, offensive lineman Jace Norus, made major contributions throughout the season. “There were a lot of seniors -- when you talk about buying in -- they put their life into this program,” said Ingman, who added the bus ride home was quiet and tears were shed. “A lot of them realize that will be the last time they will take the field as a Pirate. That hurts, especially when you put as much time in as those kids have. “The sadness will go away. The memories will take the place. Hopefully, some of the young men will carry some of the special times this season with them the rest of their lives.” Some of those seniors will compete for the South in next week’s South-Central All-Star game in Sebring. The underclassmen will have two weeks off before beginning preparation for 2014. The cupboard is not bare. A stable of backs including Anthony Stephens, Keon Suber, Grady Wells, Martin Luther, along with wide receiver Paulsin Heitter, all-purpose player Christian Coffelletto, linebacker Taylor Severson and safety/wide receiver Malik Vaccaro-Dixon form a strong nucleus. “We’ll figure out what went wrong and get ready for the offseason,” Ingman said. “We’ll get back to work because that’s what our program is built on.”
