THEY CALL IT THE BATTLE FOR PEACE RIVER...BUT THERE IS NO PEACE....
RIVALRY HISTORY
Port Charlotte and Charlotte have met on the gridiron every year since 1982, with the Tarpons holding a dominating 24-2 edge entering this season. Still, there have been memorable moments and heroes in the series, which continued Friday at Pirates Cove:
1982: Charlotte 42, Port Charlotte 0 -- Billy Midgett threw a touchdown pass to Alex Guzman for the first score in the series. The Tarpons used a balanced attack to roll over coach Dave Lantz's young Pirates, who didn’t have any seniors. Midgett completed 15 of 26 passes for 254 yards for coach Keith Goodwin's Tarpons, while Tim Hornish gained 65 yards rushing for the Pirates.
1983: Charlotte 39, Port Charlotte 0 -- 3,000 fans witnessed the dedication of Pirates Cove but Charlotte’s Dennis Stokes ruined the debut with 152 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Charlotte quarterback Gary Gussman passed for 259 yards, including a 14-yard scoring toss to Buddy Tuck. Gussman scored on a 10-yard run and kicked a 28-yard field goal. Port Charlotte halfback Tim Hornish rushed for 139 yards.
1984: Charlotte 28, Port Charlotte 14 -- At Tarpon Stadium, the Pirates dominated Charlotte in almost every statistic, including turnovers. Charlotte sophomore Lavell “Hippie” Cudjo picked off Port Charlotte junior quarterback Mike Hayes twice, once in the end zone, and the Pirates fumbled out of the Tarpon end zone to stop another drive. Cudjo also finished with 121 rushing yards. The Tarpons got two touchdowns from fullback Keith Harris to finish 6-4 season. The 3-7 Pirates closed a 21-0 halftime deficit to 21-14 on touchdowns from Henderson McCullough and Keith Locker.
1985: Charlotte 38, Port Charlotte 3 -- At the Pirates Cove, Cudjo bedeviled the Pirates again, scoring three touchdowns. The Tarpons got 104 yards rushing and a touchdown from Doug Brown. Don Poort added a score to even Charlotte’s record at 5-5. Jim Thomann had eight points on five PATs and a 40-yard field goal. Port Charlotte finished the season 0-10.
1986: Charlotte 7, Port Charlotte 0 -- The teams met in Punta Gorda to settle the Coral Coast Conference Championship. Charlotte’s Jason Crain turned a screen pass from Cudjo into a 69-yard scoring play in the first half. Thomann kicked the extra point for the game’s final point.
1987: Charlotte 23, Port Charlotte 6 -- Charlotte coach Jim Refosco made his debut as the series returned to the home of the favored Pirates, who were looking for their first winning season. The Pirates’ lone score came on a 21-yard pass from quarterback Gregg Marsh to Malcolm Hart. Charlotte’s Jason Crain rushed for a pair of 1-yard touchdowns and finished with 96 yards. Quarterback Sean Ford bootlegged for another 15-yard score. Charlotte finished 5-5, but Port Charlotte went to the Pecan Bowl, where it lost to Wakulla in Monticello.
1988: Charlotte 25, Port Charlotte 0 -- Charlotte quarterback Darin Hinshaw threw for three touchdown passes, including a pair of 9-yarders to Wes Wankelman, who had two fourth-quarter interceptions. Les Backer rushed for 101 yards and T.J. Volpe nailed a 22-yard field goal for the 7-3 Tarpons. The Pirates finished 0-10.
1989: Charlotte 24, Port Charlotte 0 -- Hinshaw, who went on to rewrite the record book at the University of Central Florida, threw two touchdown passes to John Russell and ran for another to improve Charlotte’s record to 9-1. Russell finished with five catches for 124 yards at the Pirates Cove. Kicker Robbie Quick booted a 42-yard field goal and tacked on three PATs. Pirate running back Jason Hamm rushed for 54 yards.
1990: Port Charlotte 14, Charlotte 12 -- Pirates quarterback Brian Cann connected with Chris Varisco on the most celebrated touchdown pass in Port Charlotte history -- It gave the Pirates their only victory in the series.
Trailing 12-7 with 35 seconds to play, the Pirates faced a fourth-and-17 from their 21-yard line. Cann fired the ball downfield. It deflected off a Charlotte defensive back and into the arms of Varisco, who raced the final 28 yards to victory that stunned an overflow crowd at Tarpon Stadium.
It was the Pirates’ second lead of the night. Hamm’s 2-yard run with 7:35 to play in the game gave the Pirates a 7-6 lead. Charlotte’s Anthony Jones put Charlotte on top with a 15-yard touchdown with 1:43 to play.
Charlotte, which won the district crown, dropped to 8-2. Port Charlotte, under first-year coach Tom Mut, finished 5-5.
1991: Charlotte 34, Port Charlotte 9 -- Charlotte’s Jones rushed for 232 yards and five touchdowns, including scoring runs of 32 and 34 yards, as Charlotte (8-2) trounced the Pirates (2-8) at the Cove. Robbie Quick connected on four PATs for Charlotte, which earned a spot in a district tie-breaker.
Manny Harris blocked a Charlotte punt and teammate Chris Vassel recovered the ball in the end zone for the Pirates’ lone touchdown.
1992: Charlotte 24, Port Charlotte 10 -- The Pirates (5-5) led the host Tarpons 3-0 on a Mike Hillis field goal. Hillis tied the game at 10-10 with the point after Ernie Dubose’s 7-yard touchdown run on the last play of the third quarter. But Charlotte’s dynamic duo of Derrick Jones and Willie Burroughs combined for 199 yards and three touchdowns, including two fourth-quarter scores, to ice the Tarpons' eighth victory in 10 games.
1993: Charlotte 25, Port Charlotte 22 -- Charlotte (6-4) held off a late Pirates rally to set up a three-way tie for the final district playoff spot with Port Charlotte (7-3) and Bradenton-Bayshore. Charlotte’s Derrick Jones rushed for 82 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Ronnie Shearin ran for one touchdown and hooked up with Mike Reich for another. Donnie Marcum, Scott Hornish and Anthony Mathis scored for Port Charlotte.
1994: Charlotte 14, Port Charlotte 10 -- At Port Charlotte, Charlotte (4-6) clinched its first playoff berth in five years when the Tarpons stopped a late drive by the Pirates (3-7). Charlotte’s T.K. Kelly scored on a 57-yard touchdown run and Mance Spikes caught a 47-yard scoring pass from Adam Desguin. David Germana kicked both extra points.
Port Charlotte, which scored on a safety and a fumble recovery by Chad Shepard, saw its last drive stopped by a fumbled snap on fourth-and-5 at the Tarpons' 9. Charlotte’s Mike Alvarez fell on the loose ball to clinch Charlotte’s win.
1995: Charlotte 41, Port Charlotte 7 -- At Port Charlotte, running the option on a dry field, junior quarterback Jason Cunningham rushed for a career-high 157 yards on 11 carries and scored three touchdowns. Demetrick Harris set up two scores for the Tarpons (8-1-1) with punt returns.
Port Charlotte’s Joe Nicolosi, who was looking to become the first 1,000-yard rusher in school history, gained 52 yards on 22 carries to end 14 yards short. Port Charlotte fell to 3-7 in its only year under coach Casey Coons.
1996: Charlotte 37, Port Charlotte 3 -- The host Tarpons became the first team in school history to finish the regular season unbeaten at 10-0. Cunningham again proved to be a thorn in the Pirates’ side with 135 rushing yards and two touchdowns runs. Mance Spikes chipped in with 131 yards on the ground. The Charlotte defense, led by Adam Desguin, Kevin Kramer, Spenser Stockbarger and Sharod Williams, held Port Charlotte to 62 yards. Port Charlotte ended 1-9.
1997: Charlotte 56, Port Charlotte 7 -- At Tarpon Stadium, in the most lopsided game of the series, the Tarpons (9-1) got four touchdown passes from J.C. Savasuk, four touchdowns from Chris Dodge, a fumble recovery and return for a TD by Jay Wester and a score from Bruce Gipson on an interception return. David Hawes (11-for-19 for 124 yards) passed for the Pirates’ lone touchdown, a 6-yarder to Andy Wells. Port Charlotte finished 2-8.
1998: Charlotte 38, Port Charlotte 6 -- For the first time, the schools schools -- Charlotte at 8-1 and Port Charlotte at 7-2 -- played for the Class 5A-District 12 title. The Tarpons, however, were not fazed by the sudden rise of their northern rivals, scoring the first 38 points before more than 5,000 fans at the Pirates Cove.
Brett Sifrit’s 142 rushing yards and three touchdowns led a Charlotte running attack that amassed 256 yards on the ground. Port Charlotte senior Fortin Jean-Pierre, the county’s all-time season rushing leader, was held to just 59 yards.
It was the final rivalry game under Tarpons coach Eric Moore, who was replaced by assistant coach Binky Walrop.
1999: Charlotte 20, Port Charlotte 10 -- The Tarpons rallied from a 10-point deficit for the victory and Sifrit was again a big cog in their victory.
The senior fullback rushed for 138 yards and two touchdowns, most of the yardage coming in the second half. Bruce Gipson also was a standout for the Tarpons (6-4). He rushed for 54 yards and made eight catches for 101 yards.
The Pirates (5-5) had several opportunities in the game but couldn’t capitalize on them. Junior quarterback Tony Hargrove led the Pirates, rushing for 75 yards and completing 7-of-12 passes for 108 yards and one touchdown.
Both teams made the playoffs but lost in the first round.
2000: Charlotte 61, Port Charlotte 25 -- The Tarpons made it 10 straight victories with the largest offensive output of the series. Charlotte quarterback Jeff Corsaletti completed 12 of 16 passes for 298 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 89 yards on 12 carries and one touchdown as the Tarpons finished with 496 yards of total offense.
For Port Charlotte, Griff Howard alternated with Tony Hargrove at quarterback and completed 12 of 21 passes for 155 yards. Howard is the Pirates' starting quarterback this year.
The Tarpons advanced to the playoffs and finished 7-4. The Pirates finished 2-8.
2001: Charlotte 20, Port Charlotte 17 -- Charlotte took a hard-fought victory, holding off a Pirate rally.
Port Charlotte outgained the Tarpons 409-345, but Charlotte took a 20-6 lead. The Pirates rallied to cut the margin to 20-17. Charlotte’s Joe Scola put the game out of reach with a 57-yard run.
Charlotte quarterback Justin Midgett completed eight of 17 passes for 131 yards. Port Charlotte quarterback Griff Howard made eight of 18 passes for 172 yards. His teammate Richard Gayle caught seven passes for 88 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown.
Both teams finished the regular season with 7-3 records. But only Charlotte advanced to the playoffs, qualifying as a second-place team.
2002: Charlotte 42, Port Charlotte 7 -- Charlotte quarterback Justin Midgett put on a brilliant display in the pocket, completing a season-best 29 of 43 for 326 yards and two touchdowns in Charlotte's Class 4A-District 10 rout of the Pirates before an estimated 7,000 fans.
The victory clinched the district title for the Tarpons. Charlotte outgained the Pirates 481-187 in total offense. Charlotte went on to a 13-1 record and the state semifinals. Port Charlotte finished with a playoff berth and an 8-3 record, a school record for victories.
2003: Charlotte 42, Port Charlotte 10 -- The Tarpons rushed for a season-high 245 yards and Wayne Campbell and Cody Milburn connected five times, including twice for touchdowns as Charlotte clinched a playoff berth for the 10th straight season. The defense got an 82-yard interception return for a score from Tyler Wright and the special teams blocked two kicks.
2004: Charlotte 38, Port Charlotte 10: Florida Gov. Jeb Bush was on hand as the Pirates and Tarpons, who were sharing Port Charlotte High School because Charlotte High School was closed after sustaining damage from Hurricane Charley on Aug. 13, renewed their rivalry at a refurbished Wally Keller Field under portable lights supplied by Musco. The Tarpons won for the 14th straight time to capture the Class 4A-District 11 title and their 11th straight playoff berth. Junior receiver Lance Francis caught a career-high nine passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns for the Tarpons as senior quarterback Wayne Campbell completed 13-of-18 passes for 227 yards. Charlotte would finish the season 6-4, while Port Charlotte would end 2-7.
2005: Charlotte 21, Port Charlotte 10: -- The game was played in the looming shadow of Hurricane Wilma and marred by unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and injuries. Port Charlotte lost leading rusher Jason Wood while Charlotte lost linebacker Hunter Reed, each to high ankle sprains. Port Charlotte moved the ball effectively but bogged down in the red zones and Charlotte cooly nabbed its 15th consecutive win in the series.
2006: Charlotte 6, Port Charlotte 0 -- In a series that has always been long on offense, the lowest-scoring chapter in the history of Charlotte-Port Charlotte was decided on a pair of fumbles -- and one that wasn't. Charlotte's Nick Alexandrou recovered a Randy Bianchi fumble with 53 seconds to play, killing a Port Charlotte drive and preserving victory at Pirates Cove. Earlier, Bianchi tackled Charlotte's Matt Kautz in the end zone after Kautz had misplayed a punt at his own 7-yard line, but officials ruled there was no safety and placed the ball back at the 7 to much controversy.
2007: Port Charlotte 28, Charlotte 19 -- Port Charlotte forced three turnovers, each leading to touchdowns as the Pirates earned a cathartic, streak-snapping victory in their rivals' backyard. All three turnovers occurred inside the Tarpons' 25-yard line. Charlotte's Mike Bellamy had two rushing touchdowns. The Pirates won for just the second time in series history and snapped a 16-game series losing streak in the process.
