Teams playing tonight in round 3 of the FHSAA playoffs: Armwood, Clearwater Central Catholic, East Lake, Pasco, Newsome and Robinson. Here are few reason why each team has a realistic chance of advancing to the next round. stats acquired by maxpreps

1 CLEARWATER CENTRAL CATHOLIC: CCC S Mike Stevenson will play vs University. Did not play vs Tampa Catholic.

2 EAST LAKE:  You already know…Dinovo (Pete Dinovo, East Lake 2013 QB).  Can’t deny the heart of a champion.

3 PASCO: The Pirate defense will be the toughest defense Robinson has seen all year.

4 NEWSOME: Osceola allowed 28 points to Ridge last week who averages 138 yards rushing per game. Newsome averages 285.5 rushing yards per game.

5 ROBINSON: Pasco has not seen a playmaking QB like Robinson QB, Zain Gilmore this year.

6 ARMWOOD: Anytime Alvin Bailey has the ball in his hands, Armwood has a chance to win!

7 CLEARWATER CENTRAL CATHOLIC: CCC is only allowing 6.5 points per game and has allowed 20 plus points to an opponent only twice this season.

8 EAST LAKE: Pete Dinovo has completed better than 59% of his passes in each playoff game this year.

9 PASCO: Pirates have rushed for 200 yards or more 8 times this season.

10 NEWSOME: Newsome is 5-1 vs teams who average less than 100 yards passing per game. Osceola averages 46 yards passing per game.

11 ROBINSON: Robinson’s playmaking, scoring defense which has scored 13 defensive TDs and forced 31 turnovers.

12 ARMWOOD: A defense that will get after the QB.  Hawks have 32 sacks on the season and had 7 versus Hillsborough last game (10 sacks in the playoffs).

13 CLEARWATER CENTRAL CATHOLIC: Shutout Frostproof in round 1 (averaged 21 points per game) and limited Tampa Catholic to just 7 points (averaged 24 points per game).

14 EAST LAKE: Defense has come up big in the playoffs.  4 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries and 2 interceptions.

15 PASCO: Pirates are averaging 4 sacks a game and have 48 sacks on the season.

16 NEWSOME: Will Worth, QB/LB anytime on the field, Newsome has a chance to win.

17 ROBINSON: Is tied for 10th in the state with 15 interceptions. Averaging 1.5 Ints per game.

18 ARMWOOD: Ball Hawking secondary.  Hawks have generated at least 1 interception every game this year except one.

19 CLEARWATER CENTRAL CATHOLIC: Solid play by QB, Blake Gomez. 9 TD passes vs 2 INTs.

20 EAST LAKE: WR Artavis Scott has returned with a vengeance after an early season ankle injury.  In his last five games, Scott is averaging 6.4 catches for 107 yards.

21 PASCO: 6-3/195 DL, Morgan Flournory has 22.5 sacks on the season and leads the state in sacks.

22 NEWSOME: Wolves end each half strong. Average 13.1 points in the second quarter and 7.9 points in the 4th quarter.

23 ROBINSON: Stingy secondary which has 15 interceptions and 17 PBUs. It’s tough to pass on the Knights defense.

24 ARMWOOD: Armwood’s punt and kickoff teams have created favorable field position for the defense. K/P Kick Feely has 17 punts inside the 20 and 28 touchbacks of 55 kicks.

25 CLEARWATER CENTRAL CATHOLIC: CCC is undefeated at home this season.

26 EAST LAKE: East Lake’s skill players pose a bigger threat to Dr. Phillips vs. Plant.  The combo of George Campbell and Artavis Scott will force the Panther secondary to expand, opening up the interior of the field.

27 PASCO: Pirates have been pretty good with ball security this season. They have only lost 8 fumbles this year and that will be key vs Robinson that has recovered 16 fumbles and caused 13 fumbles.

28 NEWSOME: Wolves have a 5-2 record on the road. Lost to 9-2 Hillsborough and 11-1 Durant.

29 ROBINSON: The last few weeks of the season, Robinson has been battle tested. Both Lakewood games and the thriller vs Plant has shown Robinson how to compete late in the game.

30 ARMWOOD: Leon McQuay and Kyle Gibson are arguably the best safety combo in Tampa Bay.  107 tackles and 7 INTs between the two players.

31 CLEARWATER CENTRAL CATHOLIC: Marauders are averaging just under 4 sacks per game. Getting to the QB twice as often as University (1.8 sacks per game).

32 EAST LAKE: Eagles start the game fast.  They are posting an average of 19.3 points in the first half.  If they get up on Dr. Phillips (averaging 14 points in the 1st half), they defense should hold.

33 PASCO: Pirates are averaging 48 points per game and have scored 50 or more points in 6 different games.

34 NEWSOME: Wolves have 6 games passing for over 100 yards. The pass is a big part of their offensive success.

35 ROBINSON: Knights have only been held under 20 points one time this year.

36 ARMWOOD: Champions know how to win in the playoffs.

37 CLEARWATER CENTRAL CATHOLIC: Big Play Tre Larry. 570 offensive yards, 464 punt return yards (26 yards per return) and 17 PBUs.

38 EAST LAKE: Last year!  Eagles have gotten over the 3rd round loss to Plant last year, but have not forgotten the feeling.  Motivation!

39 PASCO: Joey Ive will move around and command plenty of attention. His play will be crucial in order to free up teammates and neutralize the Robinson attack.

40 NEWSOME: Wolves have only allowed 21 total points in 8 quarters of playoff football this year.

41 ROBINSON: The zone read offensive scheme by Robinson has been tough for opponents to stop all season long.

42 ARMWOOD: Playoff tested.  Hawks have played 5 playoff teams this year and have allowed an average of just 14 points each game.

43 CLEARWATER CENTRAL CATHOLIC: Marauders have not been shutout all season while producing 6 shutouts of their own.

44 EAST LAKE: Eagles are undefeated when playing on the road.  They know how to win when they travel.

45 PASCO: Janarion Grant is one of the area’s biggest playmakers. He, combined with the rush attack of Emmanuel and McClinton is deadly.

46 NEWSOME: Underrated offensive line that has been creating big holes all season.

47 ROBINSON: Knights have a really impressive football environment and the home field advantage does exist.

48 ARMWOOD: Hawk defense has caused 8 turnovers in the playoffs. defense is the key!