Five Interesting District Match-ups:
8A-7 District Match-up: St. Petersburg 6-0 (1-0) at Manatee 6-1 (1-0), Hurricanes were 2013 District Champs, the Green Devils have missed the playoffs for three straight seasons. Winner of this contest will likely be the district champ in 2014. Regardless of the results of this game, St. Pete can still qualify for the playoffs with a win over Riverview (Sarasota) 3-3 (0-1) at home on 10/31.
7A-9 District Match-up: Countryside 6-0 (2-0) at East Lake 6-0 (2-0), Eagles were 2013 District Champs (won 3 straight district title overall) and Cougars have missed the postseason the last two seasons. East Lake beat Countryside 47-3 last season. Hard to get more balanced than the Cougars offense this year with 1626 passing yards and 1670 rushing yards (549 yards per game) although Eagles have shown some balance on offense as well with 941 passing yards and 1068 rushing yards (402 yards per game). Even with the 147 more yards per game the Eagles have still outscored the Cougars 232 to 170 so far in 2014.
7A-7 District Match-up: Sickles 4-2 (2-0) at Gaither 4-2 (1-1), Gryphons were 2013 District Champs, Cowboys were the runner-up. Sickles beat Gaither 48-6 last season. Cowboys hoping this season to extend their post-season streak to 4 straight years while the Gryphons seek their second ever district title.
6A-8 District Match-up: Lennard 6-1 (5-1) at Armwood 6-0 (5-0), a Longhorns’ win would result with the Hawks, Terriers, & Horns all with one district loss and a possible district tie-breaker later in season. Lennard has not had a winning record or made the playoffs in its first 7 varsity seasons but has already clinch a winning season with its 39-34 win over Jefferson Friday. 2014 Hawks’ have beaten its first six opponents by 22 points or more.
6A-7 District Match-up: Venice 7-0 (1-0) at Largo 4-2 (1-0), Packers would need to win this game to be in a position on 10/31 vs Dixie Hollins to extend its district championship streak to 10 years. Last season, Largo won this contest at Venice, 22-21, helping the Packers to 2013 district title, the Indians finished as the district runner-up.
– Don Haggard