After a season that ended with much disappointment, Gulliver senior safety Frank Crawford said the key to erasing last season's short comings can be summed up in two words: Extra work.

''We didn't like the way things ended for us last year,'' Crawford said. ``We're trying to be the best team in the state, and we know what it's going to take to be that; playing hard, playing smart and working extra hard.''

The 6-foot, 180-pound Crawford will be looking to improve on the 40 tackles and six interceptions he totaled in his junior season. That performance was enough to land Crawford scholarship offers from Minnesota, South Carolina, South Florida and Florida State.

RECRUITING FRENZY

Aside from the four offers Crawford confirmed as his top choices, Crawford says that many other schools are contacting him on a daily basis.

''The recruiting stuff is really crazy,'' Crawford said.

''I get at least three letters and five phone calls every day. A lot of coaches calling me and telling me about how good I would fit in with their team and how much I would like their school,'' Crawford said. ``It's hard to keep up with sometimes, but I know that this is the best time of my life so I'm enjoying it the best I can''

Other schools that have shown major interest, but haven't made official offers are Penn State, Michigan State, Ohio State and Michigan.

Going into the summer, Crawford clocked in a 4.53 40-yard dash time and 37.5-inch vertical leap, but says that improving both of those are his top priorities.

''We're all trying to get better, as individuals and as a team,'' Crawford said. ``We want to do more than every other team out there. We're up early everyday at 6 a.m. running and working out. We're working hard while everybody else is sleeping.

``We even do workouts that the coaches don't tell us to do.''

Crawford, who also plays wide receiver for the Raiders, says he has been doing extra work to improve his ability to read coverage.

''Since I play safety and receiver, I try to use the stuff I know about one to help the other,'' Crawford said. ``The better I know how coverages work, the easier it will be for me to get open. But I still like playing defense the most, I'd rather hit people.''

In the classroom, Crawford is looking to improve on his 2.5 unweighted grade point average and is preparing to retake the SAT and the ACT.

COACH IN TRAINING

While most schools are recruiting Crawford as a receiver, he believes he would have a bigger impact on defense.

''I love playing safety,'' Crawford said. ``I like being able to see everything on the field and help get my teammates in place to make plays and help them read what the offense is doing. It's like being a coach on the field.''

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