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Nothing is in Alford's way
By JAMAL THALJI, Times Staff Writer
DADE CITY -- Ben Alford has heard the advice. Forget about a football scholarship to a smaller school. Go for a track scholarship in the pole vault and use walk on for a bigger football program. To which Alford replies: "Heck no," he said. "I mean, I've had people throw that idea at me, 'why don't you get a scholarship in the pole vault and walk on in football?' "I don't want to be a second-class football player. I want to go as a football player and walk on in track. "I'm better than that." Which just goes to show the conflict between the two sports that has vexed Alford. As a football player, he rewrote Pasco's passing records. This season, the all-state honorable mention quarterback threw for a school-record 27 touchdowns and 1,926 yards as a senior to lead the Pirates to the playoffs for the first time since 1998. Mobile, elusive and athletic, Alford was the heart of the Pirates for three seasons. He spent this season scrambling from pass-rushers to deliver the ball downfield and keep the team alive during crucial stretches. But Alford is headed to Dodge City Community College, where he will be on scholarship and trying to earn a scholarship at a bigger program. Football is No. 1 in Alford's life. Always has been. But not without a cost. "Football is always first," he said. "But I guess it has held me back in the pole vault." Splitting his energies between football and the pole vault, Alford still managed to win the Sunshine Athletic Conference in consecutive seasons. But he never has been to state. Without spring football to distract him in his senior season, Alford is setting his sights on his first trip to state. This is his last chance to get there. Which begs the question: without football, how good could Alford be in the pole vault? Considering his best leap this season is 15 feet, an inch behind the state's best, pretty good. "He has great potential," coach Raven Lewis said. "He can really go far in pole vaulting. I know his first love is football, and that's fine. But he's got skills that he can do some stuff with if he chooses to do it. "Ben has to be more focused, and I think he'll surprise himself." What Alford has done so far in his track career is get by on speed, strength and athleticism. He has not had much coaching in the event, one of the most arcane in track and field. He could have gone to all those fancy summer camps. He could have taken lessons. But football always was in the way. So when it came time for track season, he basically was on his own. "I don't have a coach, I don't have anyone to tell me what I'm doing wrong," he said. "I try to run as fast as I can and use my upper body strength to get over the bar. All these kids going to all these camps this summer, all jumping 13 to 14 feet each time, that's nice. "But, you know, I'm all about football. Every time there's a camp going on, I've got football." Last year, missing out on the state meet would not have bothered him. He always wanted to get to state, sure, but it would have interfered with spring football. And a starting quarterback can't miss spring football now, can he? But now that he's a senior, with his prep football career past him, it does kind of bother him. "I don't have spring football anymore," he said. "So now I want to get to state bad."
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