The Station
The Series
Jefferson leads Leto 16-10-1 | Last game 2008 50-7 Jefferson
Jesuit leads Gibbs 2-0 | Last game 1974 34-0 Jesuit
Robinson vs. Lakewood | first meeting
Durant leads East Bay 9-7 | Last game 2010 21-14 Durant
Hillsborough leads King 30-15 | Last game 2010 27-26 Hillsborough
Tampa Catholic vs. Alonso | first meeting
Lennard vs. Spoto 1-1* | Last game 2008 46-16* Spoto *=(Lennard awarded win via forfeit)
Largo vs. Lakewood Ranch first meeting
Chamberlain leads 23-5 | Last game 2010 17-15 Chamberlain
Armwood leads Plant 15-7
Callahan vs. Weiner
| Callahan’s Wins | Weiner’s Wins | ||
|
2004 49-0 Armwood
2005 24-6 Armwood* 2007 26-7 Armwood 2007 36-7 Armwood* 2008 9-2 Armwood 2010 17-0 Armwood |
@ Armwood @ Armwood @ Armwood @ Armwood @ Plant @ Plant |
2006 38-20 Plant*
2008 17-14 Plant* 2009 17-7 Plant |
@ Plant @ Plant @ Armwood |
*= Playoffs
Armwood leads 15-7
the home team is 10-12 in the series
the playoff series is tied 2-2
Don’s Desk
Is home field really an advantage?
Diving into the numbers for the first eight weeks of the prep football season for all Hillsborough and Pinellas games showed some diverse data.
– In five of the eight weeks the home teams actually won less than 50% of the games (Weeks 2, 3, 5, 7, 8 )
– In three of the eight weeks the home teams won exactly 60% of the games (Weeks 1, 4, and 6)
– Lowest home winning percentage was 41.4% (Week 2)
Below is a week by week breakdown of home winning percentages:
| Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 |
| 60% | 41.4% | 42.9% | 60% | 48.3% | 60% | 46.2% | 48.4 |
The overall home winning percentage through the first eight weeks is 51.3% for a slight home field advantage.
Pugh’s Room (Armwood/Plant)
Keys to success
When Armwood has the ball (Armwood’s Perspective):
Keep the clock moving by winning the battle up front and win the time of possession category. Keep the penalties at a minimum. Holding calls the negate 20 yard runs against the likes of Leto or Strawberry Crest are one thing, but that isn’t going to cut it in a game like this. Darryl Richardson will need to play within himself and not try to get caught up in the hype. The Bishop Gorman trip was one thing; this is an entirely different beast. Let your playmakers make plays (i.e., Matt Jones, Alvin Bailey, et. al)
When Armwood has the ball (Plant’s Perspective):
Win the battle of field position. Create turnovers and don’t let yourself get into a situation where you’re in bend-but-don’t-break mode. Especially early! Don’t give up the big plays. It’s understandable that they’d be keying on Jones and Bailey, but guys like Keionne Baines and Javonte Sneed can turn the knife slowly even if you’ve managed to shutdown the big guns. Assignment football! It’s as simple as that.
When Plant has the ball (Plant’s Perspective):
Get James Few going early whether in the short game to a guy like Wesley Bullock or vertical with Austin Aikens. If Robinson is the most underrated 6-1 team in the county, then Few may be the most underrated QB. It’s not exactly a secret that Armwood’s Defense is historically good, but that doesn’t mean they’re invincible. Balance. The Panthers must keep track of where guys like Jarvis McCall, Eric Striker, and Leon McQuay III are at all times. Make sure the blocking assignments are executed perfectly or one missed block could turn into a sack & fumble that could make or break the outcome. Put a hat on a hat. Come with an attitude in the trenches.
When Plant has the ball (Armwood’s Perspective):
Pressure, pressure, pressure. The only way to beat good QB’s that can sling it is to make them uncomfortable all night. Create 3-and-out’s on Plant’s first 3-4 possessions and try to break their spirit which will be just as hard as it will for Plant to score. Keep them in long down and distance situations. Guys in addition to the DB’s and the LB’s like DT Allen Covington could wreak havoc in the backfield.
Chris G’s Zone (St. Pete/Clearwater)
Keys to success
For St. Petersburg: Simple. Get David Jones the ball. It doesn’t matter if the 6-foot-2 senior lines up at quarterback, running back or wide receiver, the emerging star needs to have the ball in his hands if St. Petersburg wants to keep its playoff hopes alive. Jones has scored six touchdowns over his last six games, five coming out of the backfield on rushes. In the Green Devils’ comeback win over Seminole last Friday, Jones had 166 rushing yards on nine carries and 113 receiving yards on six receptions.
For Clearwater: It may not be simple, but it’s clear. If the Tornadoes want to beat the Green Devils, they need to focus on Jones and make sure he doesn’t instantly put points on the board. St. Petersburg has the numbers and the talent to keep Clearwater from scoring like they did against Osceola and Seminole in the Tornadoes’ only wins of the season, so it is imperative to keep Jones from blitzing them for points.
Kyle’s Cribb (Brandon/Plant City)
Keys to Success:
For the Raiders there is one aspect – one key if you will – of the game they need to worry about. His name: Tyrell Garner. The Eagles’ back is already over 1,000 yards rushing on the year and has been tallying over 140 yards per game. Brandon has not yet shown a formidable passing attack (30 yards per game) so Plant City will look to put all of their bodies in the box.
The Eagles have an extremely tough task at hand. The Raiders have a very balanced attack that is scoring 38 points per game. Bennie Coney is passing for nearly 230 yards per game while Plant City is also racking up 160 yards on the ground per game – led by the 100+ yards per game by Dazmond Patterson. Can the Jesse Chestnut-led-Eagle defense slow down the Raiders attack? That will be answered Friday.
Eric’s Room
Possible Upsets
Lemon Bay over CCC
Why?: CCC might be reeling after an embarrassing loss to Berkeley Prep that exposed their weaknesses and lack of a passing game. If CCC doesn’t play inspired ball in a game that does not count for district standings they could find themselves in a pickle here.
Tampa Catholic over Alonso
Why? Well TC maybe a smaller private school but they are not your normal small private school. Their offensive line is probably bigger than Alonso’s and they have skill players to match. Also, Alonso is coming of 2 straight losses and one was a very embarrassing 48-6 loss to Plant.
Brandon over Plant City
Why? Brandon has a dominate running game much like East Bay who was able to put up 36 points against Plant City. If they give up that type of rushing effort again it will spell trouble for the Raiders.
Pinellas Park over Countryside
Why? Pinellas Park has only gotten better since getting drilled by Largo 20-0 and they have 2 dominate Division 1 prospects in Jeremy Powell and Iman Smith. They will give any team fits including the Cougars.
Armwood BIG over Plant
Okay, so technically Plant winning this game would be an upset to some but not to everyone. I think the bigger surprise here is if Armwood were to win over Plant by 3 scores or more. Is it possible? Yes definitely Armwood is considered one of the best teams in the nation and they have many division one prospects to boot against a no name disciplined team like Plant. Anything is possible.
Jeff’s Stable (Steinbrenner leading the charge with its ground attack)
Over the course of the season, one statistic has stood out: The ground game.
Led by junior Kendall Pearcey and sophomore Jake Carroll, before an injury ended his season, the offense feeds on its rushing attack. Last week against a feisty Tampa Bay Tech defense, Pearcey found the holes to rush for 127 yards and compile three total touchdowns. One key to the success of the running backs, is the offensive line. Anchored by senior Alex Vega, the blockers up front have turned from subpar in 2009 (the schools inaugural season) to one of the biggest and baddest in 2011 and that is the biggest reason for the turnaround. Another reason, is the speed and physical skill of each halfback. The players each pride themselves on getting bigger, faster and stronger each and every week. The weight room hasn’t been vacant during the course of the season, and likely won’t be after the year concludes. Since his freshman year, Pearcey has seen his numbers nearly triple on the ground. And as he progresses into a senior in 2012, the attack could be good enough to top the district, the county and maybe more. It will all depend on who fills the holes left behind with four senior departures on the O-line after this season.
Derrick’s Domain – “Impact Players I have seen this year” :
1. Berkeley Prep Sr. ATH Nelson Agholor- Very explosive and exciting to watch.
2. Wharton Jr. DB/WR Vernon Hargreaves – An outstanding playmaker, always active in all three phases of the game.
3. Wharton Sr. RB Darius Page- Hard runner, true workhorse, and a leader.
4.Plant City Sr. RB Dazmond Patterson- An elusive all-purpose back, dangerous in the open field.
5. Lakewood Jr. WR Rodney Adams- Deep threat, nice hands and runs good routes.
6. Middleton Jr. ATH Richard Benjamin- Playmaking ability and great speed.
7. Plant City Sr. QB Bennie Coney- Very poised in the pocket and great arm.
8. Chamberlain Jr. RB Xavier Johnson- Can run inside or outside, very quick.
9. Wharton Jr. QB Chase Litton- Very Athletic and nice mechanics.
10. Bloomingdale Jr. RB Eugene Baker- Hard Runner with nice vision.
11. Freedom Sr. RB Tyler Nunn- Athletic and plays hard for 4 quarters.
Hanna’s Home – “Impact Players I have seen this year”
1. Dazmond Patterson, RB, Plant City – Kid might not have the “perfect size” but he’s got everything you could ever want in a player – the heart and passion and the drive.
2. Jamarlon Hamilton, HB, Durant – One of the biggest surprises to come out of the Eastern part of the county and the best thing for the Durant offense right now.
3. Karel Hamilton, WR, Strawberry Crest – This player could compete at any level and doesn’t give up, even when his team is down.
4. Bentley Easley, DL, Newsome – One of the best defensive players I’ve seen all year, he keeps on the opponent’s offense constantly.
5. Greg Windham, QB, King – Best quarterback IMO; he carries the weight of his team on his shoulders.
6. Leon McQuay III, DB, Armwood – He’s only going to get better as he gets older.
Last Bite
2000 14-9 Gaither
2001 38-17 Chamberlain
2002 41-0 Chamberlain
2003 17-7 Chamberlain
2004 35-11 Chamberlain
2005 12-10 Chamberlain
2006 10-9 Chamberlain
2007 41-17 Chamberlain
2007 24-8 Chamberlain Playoffs
2008 45-13 Chamberlain
2008 54-6 Chamberlain Playoffs
2009 13-6 Chamberlain
2010 17-15 Chamberlain
Chamberlain leads 23-5 including 2-0 in the playoffs. Chamberlain has won 12 in a row.