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Preseason football: Citrus 17, Wesley Chapel 14

 
Published Aug. 20, 2016

INVERNESS — Wesley Chapel traveled to Citrus County on Friday night in a preseason tilt. The Wildcats showed some grit and made positive plays, but was missed opportunities and the Citrus ground game did in Wesley Chapel in a 17-14 loss.

The 'Canes controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, rushing for 216 yards on 50 carries, while holding the Wildcats to just 64 total yards. The Wildcats did force Citrus into six plays for a loss and recovered two fumbles. A fumble recovery in the fourth by the Wildcats with 7:24 to go was squandered at the Citrus 35, as they didn't gain a single yard on the next possession, which could have turned the game back in their favor.

After a first quarter of miscues by both teams, Citrus scored first in the second, as Mitchell Barroso capped a nine-play, 53-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead.

On the ensuing kickoff, Malik Melvin had a huge 77-yard return for the Wildcats to the Citrus 3, which set up an Ellrie Allen 3-yard run to tie it at 7-all.

But the momentum was short-lived when on the next possession, Citrus embarked on an 11-play, 70 yard-drive, which culminated in a Christopher Adamson six-yard run with 18.7 left in the first half for a 14-7 lead.

With Citrus leading, 17-7 late in the fourth and punting in its own end zone, the Wildcats' special teams came up big, as they swarmed and hit the punter, while falling on the ball for a touchdown to cut the lead to 17-14 with 21.2 remaining, but the onside kick failed ending the game.

"I'm proud of my guys for playing with a big and physical team, and we're going to go toe-to-toe with a lot of people that don't expect us to, and our guys are hungry and want to win," Wildcats coach Anthony Egan said.