Florida Football: Week 9 4A Review
October 30th, 2007 Posted in Florida Sports, Florida, High School Sports, Florida Football, football, High School FootballAt this point, it would go down as an upset if Seffner Armwood, Daytona Beach Seabreeze or Booker T. Washington were to lose before the state quarterfinals. All three are still undefeated. But there are 29 more teams among the 32 that will make the playoffs out of the 16 Class 4A districts. And one shouldn’t forget that Pace and Ridgewood also are undefeated. In any case, here’s a rundown of who’s in, who’s out and who’s still fighting.
District 1
Pace (7-0) is the district champ in this little three-team district. Tate (4-4) and Milton (6-1) decide the runner-up when they meet this Friday. Milton defeated Crestview 25-10 in Week 9. The team’s only loss was a 17-10 road game against Pace. If Pace is as good as its record indicates, then Milton could easily pull off an first-round playoff win. First, though, it will have to make it there. Tate, despite giving up more than 300 yards to a mediocre Escambia team in Week 1, has been the epitome of a .500 team. It only lost 14-7 to Pine Forest, and the team was 4-2 before dropping two straight to Pace and Pensacola.
District 2
Despite dropping to 5-2 with a loss to Choctaw, Fort Walton Beach is the district champion here, having defeated both Navarre and Crestview earlier in the season. Navarre (5-2) lost that matchup 6-3. Fort Walton Beach defeated Crestview 17-0. Why is that important? Well, Navarre faces Crestview (3-4) this Friday to decide which team earns the runner-up spot. Navarre hosts.
District 3
Behind one of the nation’s most talented prep quarterbacks, Tallahassee Lincoln has gone 4-0 in its district to lock up the championship. Lincoln (8-1) is as good as any of the state’s undefeated teams, but the team is certainly surmountable, as Pine Forest showed in that wild triple-overtime game, which Lincoln won 48-47. This Friday’s non-district game with Godby is a big matchup in Tallahassee, and it should provide some additional insight into where Lincoln is at this point.
Even with a game against Leon remaining, Chiles (4-3) has all but secured the runner-up spot. While the team was pounded 52-12 last weekend at Lincoln, it has a 28-14 win against district opponent Mosley (5-3) to assure the tiebreaker. Leon, though, could sneak into the playoffs with a win and a loss by Mosley, but that’s not likely given Leon’s 2-6 record.
District 4
First Coast (6-2) and Forrest (5-3) have secured the city’s two playoff spots after going 3-0 in their first three district games. Forrest is coming off a 49-27 victory against Englewood. First Coast, is coming off a 20-16 win against Wolfson. While the team has won six games, all of them have been close. In fact, the team’s most lopside win was 24-7 against Episcopal. Its 26-11 win against Robert E. Lee was the best scoring output for the team’s offense, and the defense hasn’t had a single shutout. Forrest just might win this one, but it will have to do it on the road, as First Coast hosts.
District 5
Ponte Vedra Beach Nease (8-1) has been a powerhouse all season. Among its wins is a 30-14 visit to Daytona Beach Mainland and a 17-15 win against St. Augustine. A single point decided its only loss, a 15-14 road game against Madison County back on Sept. 14. Perhaps the most important, though, was its Week 9 28-0 win against Columbia. That one secured the district title. Now Columbia (6-2) and Ridgeview (4-4) meet this Friday to determine which team earns the runner-up spot. Ridgeview, coming off a 24-21 win against Middleburg, has struggled to put up points this season. The team only scored a combined 24 points in its four losses. It had a combined 89 in its four wins. Columbia, which hosts, will be looking for a shutout to be sure.
District 6
Gainesville Eastside (7-1) and Leesburg (7-2) are both 4-0 in district games, and both have secured playoff spots. This Friday, they meet at Leesburg to determine the district title. Several weeks ago, most would have given Eastside the win, but now things aren’t as clear. Leesburg has gone 4-0 since starting the year 3-2. Last week, it held its fourth straight opponent to two touchdowns or less in a 26-12 win against Belleview. Eastside, meanwhile, got a 35-3 win against Vanguard to run its winning streak to six games. It’s only loss was a 24-19 home game against Godby.
District 7
Following Week 8’s games, there was some talk about Seabreeze’s weak performance against Rockledge, but don’t be fooled. The Raiders (5-2) are a strong bunch, and the team proved it in Week 9 with a 29-10 victory against Merritt Island. The Raiders have had three shutouts and allowed just a single touchdown in two other games. The most points it has allowed were those Astronaut scored in a 21-14 victory in Week 1. Seabreeze scored just three times in its 20-9 win on Oct. 26. But the Raiders have their hands full this Friday with a home game against Titusville (6-2). Titusville fell into a tough spot after losing 35-21 on Oct. 19 to Merritt Island in this, the state’s best 4A district. There’s the distinct possibility of a three-way tie brewing here, at least that’s how it looks to us. Rockledge defeats Merritt Island, Merritt Island defeats Titusville, Titusville defeats Rockledge. You get the idea. And don’t worry about Seabreeze (8-0). The team’s district title is in hand, and you can expect to see the Sandcrabs in the state semifinals.
District 8
Ridgewood improved to 8-0 in Week 9 with a 27-13 victory against Springstead, but a big one remains. This Friday, the team hooks up with Land O’Lakes (7-1) to decide which of the two is the district champ and which must head to the road for the playoffs. Ridgewood went five straight weeks scoring 40 or more points before being held below that in a 34-28 victory against Tarpon Springs two weeks ago. The team’s 27 points against Sprinstead was its worst output since winning 26-7 against Hudson to open the season. Land O’Lakes is riding a seven-game win streak after defeating River Ridge 31-0. The Gators have three shutouts, but the team’s often one-dimensional offense was held to two touchdowns or less on four occasions. That’s what happens when folks pack the box to stop the run and you don’t show that you can throw the ball. In any case, this should be a classic district title game on Friday. Does the high-scoring team pull it out? Or will Land O’Lakes win with old-fashioned smash-mouth style?
District 9
There’s such a logjam here that it’s almost certain to come down to a tiebreaker. I’m not even sure I can explain this one, but I’ll try. Boca Ciega (6-2) is 3-1 in the district and can wrap up a district title with a win on Friday at home against Bayshore. Lakewood is in the playoffs with a win against Southeast, and it can claim the district title with a win and a Boca Ciega loss.
If Boca loses, though, things get messy. Northeast (5-3) hosts a 2-7 Osceola team this Friday, and Northeast owns the head-to-head against Boca Ciega. So Northeast would be in with a win and a Boca loss if not for the fact that Bayshore defeated Northeast 49-14 in Week 9. That means a three-way tie, I think. But it’s a little confusing. I can recite the quadratic formula, but this tiebreaker stuff is a bit much. Just be aware that things will clear up by Saturday, just like you had hoped your face would before that big date your junior year. Hey, we can’t win them all.
District 10
Perhaps nothing epitomizes the can’t-win-’em-all persona more than H.B. Plant, which started 0-1 before winning seven straight games to sit at 7-1. Plant faces visiting Jefferson Friday night to decide the district championship, and the hosts are on fire after skipping past a good Chamberlain team 29-22. And don’t forget that the season-opening loss was to Armwood and served as the new quarterback’s first start.
District 11
Speaking of Armwood, the boys defeated Hillsborough 17-0 in Week 8 and Freedom 31-9 in Week 9 to clinch the district title and improve to 9-0. Hillsborough (7-2) was cruising along at 7-0 until it lost to Plant and Armwood in consecutive weeks. The team has four shutouts. Now, it must stop Tampa Bay Tech (5-3) this Friday in the battle to determine which team makes the playoffs as the district runner-up. TBT, though, lost 48-22 to Middleton in Week 9 and could forge a three-way tie if it defeats Armwood this Friday in what would be a major upset. Middleton’s playoff hopes would also require Hillsborough to lose.
District 12
Auburndale (4-4) locked up the district title with a surprising 19-17 Week 9 victory against Winter Haven (6-2), which had been on a four-game win streak. Auburndale has silently developed into a good team after starting 0-3 while scoring just six points in those games. Meanwhile, Winter Haven has been somewhat inconsistent, using a dominant defense to keep it in games. A 56-14 win against South Lake back on Sept. 21 now stands tall, as it means that Winter Haven is assured a playoff spot as the runner-up.
District 13
Okeechobee defeated Martin County 49-14 in Week 9 to forge a three-way tie at the top of the district. Okeechobee (5-3), Martin County (5-3) and Westwood (7-2) are all 3-1 in the district with one game left on the slate. Martin County defeated Westwood 13-10 on Oct.4, but Westwood defeated Okeechobee 24-7 on Oct. 19. All three teams are picked to win in Week 10 in games against the three weaker teams in this six-team district. So this could be one of the big tiebreaker affairs.
District 14
Dwyer (6-2) defeated West Boca 9-0 in Week 9 assure itself a playoff spot. Now it faces Boca Raton, which must win and get Olympia Heights (2-6) to defeat West Boca to get a playoff spot. That puts West Boca in the driver’s seat and makes its 14-13 win against Boca Raton stand even bigger than it did back on Sept. 21.
District 15
Barron Collier’s 49-48 victory against Cypress Lake stands big, as the Week 9 win puts the team in a three-way tie for first place with Palmetto Ridge and Gulf Coast. Barron Collier holds the tiebreaker over Ridge thanks to a 28-6 win on Sept. 20, but Gulf Coast holds the tiebreaker over Collier with a 22-14 win on Oct. 5. Of course, Ridge holds the tiebreaker over Gulf Coast thanks to Week 9’s 34-23 win. All three should win this Friday, and that would set up a tiebreaker playoff.
District 16
Booker T. Washington (7-0) locked up the district title with a 49-0 win against Hallandale. Folks, consider that 24-21 win against Carol City a fluke. Washington has allowed just those 21 points all year. That’s right, the team has five straight shutouts. Hallandale (6-2) faces Fort Lauderdale (4-4) on Friday to decide the runner-up spot. The teams appear evenly matched, so it should be a nice battle. If the winner pulls off a first-round playoff win on the road, you can probably pencil in Booker T. as the state champion. In fact, pencil Washington in anyway.
1 Trackback(s)