Florida Football: Week 8 Review (Gulf Coast Edition)
October 20th, 2007 Posted in Florida Sports, Florida, High School Sports, Florida Football, football, High School FootballThere was lots of action along the western edge of the state on Friday. Perhaps most notable is that Class 1A has been shaken up with two big upsets. Indian Rocks Christian defeated St. Pete’s Northside Christian 12-7 Friday night behind Jonny Sitton’s 130 rushing yards, two touchdowns and a pair of quarterback sacks. The St. Pete Times has the full story on this one.
The loss is going to send previously No. 3 ranked Northside Christian out of the top 5. As it happens, No. 2 Liberty County also lost on Friday. In terms of the rankings, that bodes well for a few other teams. One of those squads is St. John Neumann, but the team has more on its mind than a ranking. SJN (5-0) plays Glades Day (4-2) on Monday after the game was moved from the Friday schedule. The key District 1A-6 game could decide the district championship and also push SJN to No. 2 when the new rankings are released on Tuesday.
In 2B, St. Pete’s Keswick Christian (7-0) continues to roll. Ranked No. 1 in most polls, Keswick defeated Bradenton Prep 21-0 on Friday night to roll into next week’s big District 1B-6 matchup with Out-of-Door Academy, a 27-6 winner Friday against Clearwater’s Calvary Christian.
In 2A, St. Pete Catholic stirred up a mess in District 5 with a 35-28 victory over Bishop Verot, which has now dropped two straight after starting the year 5-0. More importantly, Bishop Verot and SPC are both now 2-1 in the district, which means SPC would get the playoff nod if the season ended today. That’s quite alarming given that SPC is just 2-6. Next Friday, BV, which got 189 passing yards and another 114 rushing yards from quarterback Butch Moore in the loss to SPC, plays Lake Placid next week. Mulberry, also 2-1 in district games, will host SPC next Friday after suffering a 17-16 loss to district leader Tampa Catholic (6-1, 3-0).
But let’s jump up to 6A and take a look at what transpired among the big boys this week. In District 6A-6, Sarasota squeaked past Riverview 22-21 on Friday to all but seal up a district championship despite a 5-3 record. Durant defeated the district’s other Riverview 21-14 to keep pace with its runner-up expectations.
In 5A, Fort Myers pulled out a huge victory on Friday down in Cape Coral. The 34-13 win for Fort Myers (7-1) secured the district championship over Cape Coral (6-2). Cape Coral, meanwhile, is still in the runner-up competition but appears to need a victory against Mariner (5-2) on Nov. 2.
In 5A-11, Manatee kept its sparkle with a 54-3 victory against North Port. Manatee (8-0) hosts Venice next Friday for the district championship. Venice (5-2) won 29-7 against Charlotte on Friday. Charlotte (4-3) is seemingly, if not literally, eliminated from its playoff hopes despite only losing by a single point to Manatee a few weeks ago.
In 5A-10, there’s stopping Largo and running back Brynn Harvey. He rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns Friday in a 28-9 victory against Dixie Hollins. Largo (7-0) has the district title all but wrapped up. St. Pete Gibbs (5-2) defeated Seminole 35-0 to stay in the runner-up lead, but Gibbs could win the district if it defeats Largo on Nov. 2.
In District 5A-8, Dunedin improved to 3-0—5-3 overall—to stake a claim to the district title with a 35-20 victory against East Lake, which fell to 4-3 and 1-1 in District 8. East Lake’s loss opened the door for Countryside, which has the week off. Countryside (5-2) hosts East Lake on Nov. 2 in a game that probably decides which squad makes the playoffs.
In Tampa proper, Chamberlain defeated Alonso 41-0 on Thursday to clinch the district title. Chasing Chamberlain (6-2) are Alonso and Sickles, a 17-13 winner against Tampa King on Thursday. Alonso and Sickles are both 1-1 in the district and face off at Sickles on Nov. 2 to decide which team notches a playoff berth.
In 5A-5, Gaither keeps on rolling with its sixth straight win after an 0-2 start. Gaither all but (6-2) wrapped up a district title with a 34-9 victory against Wesley Chapel. The team hasn’t lost since opening the year with back-to-back defeats at the hands of Chamberlain and Plant. Wharton defeated Mitchell 27-14 to improve to 2-0 in District 5. That might get them a playoff spot, but they’ll need a road win at Gaither on Nov. 2 to secure the district championship.
That Nov. 2 date just keeps popping up, and it’s the date that will be circled on Plant City’s calendar. A week after losing 14-10 to Armwood, Plant City defeated Newsome 17-0 on Friday to improve to 5-3 overall and 3-0 in District 7. But the team hosts Brandon (5-2) on Nov. 2, and Brandon is also 3-0 in district games. That means it’ll be a district championship on the line that night. Since Brandon had the week off, I’d imagine the boys were at that Plant City game, but I could be wrong.
In 4A, Hillsborough suffered its first loss of the season on Thursday. Armwood (8-0) won 17-0 to take the lead in District 4A-11. A Nov. 2 game with Tampa Bay Tech (5-2) could decide whether Hillsborough (7-1) reachs the playoffs as the district runner-up. In District 10, Plant defeated Leto 54-7, and Jefferson defeated Blake 40-0. Plant and Jefferson meet to decide the district championship on, you guessed it, Nov. 2.
In District 4A-9, Bayshore upset St. Pete Northeast, which fell to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in the district after its second loss in as many weeks. Boca Ciega defeated Bradenton Southeast to improve to 2-1 in the district and 5-2 overall. Lakewood, also 2-1 in the district, faces Northeast this Friday. Lakewood (4-3) could move into the lead for the district title with a win. Bayshore, though, is also 2-1 in the district and travels to Boca Ciega on Nov. 2.
Life isn’t quite as cloudy for Ridgewood, which improved to 7-0 Thursday with a 34-28 victory against District 4A-8 rival Tarpon Springs. Land O’Lakes is still in the running for the district title, which will be decided when it faces Ridgewood on, ahem, Nov. 2.
In 3A, Lely improved to 2-1 in District 14 ahead of a Nov. 2 matchup with district leader Naples, one of the state’s best 3A squads. Golden Gate defeated Immokalee 14-13 on Friday to improve to 1-1 in the district. Golden Gate travels to Naples on Friday and finishes the season at home against Estero. Golden Gate defeated Lely 18-17 earlier this season, so it wins the tiebreaker if it comes to that.
In 3A-12, Desoto County defeated Sebring 34-6 to improve to 6-0. The team faces Hardee, a 42-7 winner against Braden River, in two weeks in what probably decides the district championship. In District 11, Palmetto defeated Cardinal Mooney 21-17 to improve to 6-0. Booker (5-1) defeated Spoto 55-0 to stay in the race for that district title. Booker faces Palmetto on Nov. 2. Imagine that.
In 2B, Frostproof (6-1) won its fifth straight game to take control in District 6 with a 47-7 victory over Clearwater Central Catholic.
That should wrap up things for Tampa/St. Pete/Naples/Bradenton/Fort Myers and such. If you didn’t see the score you want, check in Sunday for our complete scoreboard of Week 8 games.
