It’s been an intense weekend of football with Week Ten matchups deciding district placement for the playoffs and then we had two district tiebreakers on Friday, in which, we found out who would represent Class 7A-District 7 and Class 6A-District 6 in the playoffs that begin on Nov. 11. There were a lot of clutch performances from players from all over the Bay Area, but here are ten of the more notable ones from Week Ten Friday night action.
Devan Barrett, 2017 RB, Tampa Catholic:
We were wondering how Barrett would perform in his final district game of his high school career, and he certainly didn’t disappoint. Barrett had 325 rushing yards on 32 carries and five rushing touchdowns in the Crusaders victory over Lakeland Christian on Thursday night. His performance helped knock the Vikings out of the hunt and give the Crusaders another playoff spot in Class 3A.
Whop Philyor, 2017 WR, Plant:
Plant secured their 13th District Championship in a row, and Philyor was a huge part in doing so. The senior hauled in eight passes and took them 130 yards and he scored a touchdown. He added 48 more yards through kick returns to compiled 178 all-purpose yards in their win against Wiregrass Ranch.
Dane Frantzen, 2017 QB, Plant:
Whats a wide receiver without his quarterback? Frantzen continues to get it done week after week, and he had another fantastic game last Friday. Against Wiregrass Ranch, he was 17-for-29 with 270 passing yards and two passing touchdowns. On the ground, he had 184 rushing yards on 21 carries with a pair of scores.
AJ Colagiovanni, 2017 QB, Manatee:
Manatee secured their playoff spot with a high-scoring game against Newsome on Friday night, and again Colagiovanni shredded a secondary. This week, he was 24-33 with 377 passing yards and five touchdowns. It was the second week in a row where Colagiovanni had five scores through the air. Manatee will travel to Orlando Dr. Phillips to try and avenge their loss from last season.
Duran Bell, 2017 ATH, Hillsborough:
The USF-commit has had a great season thus far, proving he deserves the attention he’s gotten from major schools. Against Armwood, he had 228 all-purpose yards, including a 76-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. The Terriers will travel to Lake Gibson for the first round of the playoffs in two weeks.
Zack Reddin, 2017 LB, Riverview:
Riverview may have been knocked out of the playoffs weeks ago, but Reddin has certainly been a strong point for the Sharks. Against Palm Harbor University, Reddin had 21 tackles (9 solo), which was his second 20-plus tackle game on the a season. He has 128 on the season, which leads Hillsborough County.
MJ Link, 2017 WR, Lake Gibson:
The Braves are undefeated and are looking forward to their tangle with Hillsborough in two weeks, but let’s focus on their 21-0 victory against Sebring. Link had 112 receiving yards on five receptions, two of them went for touchdowns. With the win, Lake Gibson won their district in the first year of the Doug DeMyer era.
Braxton Johnson, 2017 RB, Anclote:
The Sharks couldn’t put anything together in the later stages of the year to grab a playoff spot, but Johnson has been a solid part of their offense in 2016. Against Zephyrhills last Friday, he ran for 181 yards on 30 carries and he added a rushing touchdown. It’ll be a battle of the running backs when Anclote travels to Brooksville Central and faces star RB De’Vonta Smith.
J’Kobi Reddick, 2017 UTL, Cambridge Christian:
Reddick has continued to be a major part of the Lancers run for their second straight state title game appearance, and they started that run with their second straight district title after defeating Carrollwood Day. Reddick had two big interceptions to thwart Patriot drives, and he returned both for touchdowns.
Dale Foster, 2017 RB, Pinellas Park:
The Patriots’ game against Seminole didn’t mean much except for pride, but the Patriots’ backs had a great night. Foster ran for three touchdowns with 179 yards on 14 carries in sharing time with freshman back Lawrance Toafili.