Alonso at Durant – Durant putting up killer numbers in their first showing and Alonso getting edged out in their first game. Alonso has the weapons, but Durant has their own Big Guns. Brandon Hawkins will make the Ravens GO! This game could be a battle of the RBs. Alonso’s Ish Witter vs. Durant’s Jamarlon Hamilton.
American Heritage (Delray Beach) at Armwood – Flat out dog fight. Don’t let the small school Heritage fool you. They have a bunch of athletes and will test “The Wood.” Defensive game! Darryl Richardson’s play is the biggest factor for an Armwoood win.
Blake at Lakewood – Blake is playing with a chip on their shoulder. Confident football team under new management. Lakewood doesn’t care, nor do they feel any sympathy for the Jackets. DeAndre James has to carry the team for Blake to win and Lakewood must be able to run the ball. Blake has the athletes to cover the pass.
East Lake at Countryside – The Pinellas dog fight! East Lake leads the series 12-11, but the Eagles have not beaten Countryside since 2007. Two of the area’s top QBs, Pete Dinovo (East Lake) and Christian Strong (Countryside). Mike Love has to provide a pass rush on Dinovo and East Lake has to stuff the run to beat Countryside.
Fivay at Springstead – Fivay enters this big match-up averaging 149 yards rushing and 211 yards passing. Tyler Degan was 12/18 against River Ridge completing nearly 70 percent of his passes. Springstead has an above average offensive line, anchored by BCS prospect Eric Allen. QB Tyler Mahla finished last week’s contest 9/12 and 201 yards and 3 TD passes.
Jefferson at Newsome – Such an important game here, even though it is not a district game. Jefferson’s season will not be determined by this game, but a loss could be damaging to the teams confidence. Newsome will scrap and claw and definitely will not be intimidated. Polar opposite teams in regards to school location, demographics and style of play. Doesn’t matter! The best team doesn’t win. The best team “TONIGHT” night will come out victorious!
Land O’ Lakes at Pasco – Pasco will play their first game of the season tonight and it’s a big one. Two of Pasco County’s traditional powerhouses will square off at the home of the Pirates. Pasco has multiple division 1 prospects including Florida commit, DT Joey Ivie, RB David Emmanuel and RB Janarion Grant. The Land O’ Lakes Gators will travel strong to Pasco high riding a one game winning streak on the back of a high powered offense. Harrison Wood carried the ball 22 times in his season debut for 140 yards.
Pinellas Park at Largo – Rivalry game! Schools that are just miles apart and pull for the same kids, just don’t share much love. Juwan Brown is surfacing as one of the area’s premier athletes. Not just a really good player, but premier athletes. Tyree Graves, Pinellas Park ATH will need a monster game on defense in order to help slow down a talented Largo offense.
Plant at John Curtis Christian (La.) – Similar teams. Disciplined, run first, sound defense and well coached. This game will likely, NOT be a barn burner on the scoreboard. But, what will be evident is quality football. X-factor, QB play of Aaron Banks!
Robinson at Dunedin – Knights totaled 340 total yards in their first game. Hold on, Dunedin racked up 300 total yards their first game. Both team stacked with talent. Robinson’s duo of RBs vs Dunedin’s duo will be fun to watch. Defense will win this game for either team. If this game becomes a shootout, we may see overtime.
Sickles at Wharton – Quietly the best game on Friday Night. Lots of stars on both sides of the field. However, the stars won’t win this game. The role players will! Rocky Enos needs to play Big and Ray Ray McCloud has to be unstoppable. Offensive Line play will also be a huge factor. Both teams depend on the running game and both offensive lines need to be aggressive and play with limited mistakes.
Strawberry Crest at Bloomingdale – Wow! I know it’s early and Tampa Bay is jumping on the Strawberry Crest train. Deservedly so, they were not expected to beat Freedom or Plant city in the fashion they did. Eyes wide open on “The Crest” now. Bloomingdale lost their first meeting, but were very balanced producing over 300 yards of total offense. Bulls have steadily improved as a program the last three years. Hungriest team wins here.
Tampa Bay Technical at King – Good old fashion street fight. Two teams within walking distance of each other. King is better on defense than the score of their last game indicated. Tampa Bay Tech is good on both sides of the ball and arguably has the #1 or #2 top D in Tampa Bay. Throw all that out the window when these two teams play. Lots of emotion and excitement.
Tampa Catholic at Zephyrhills – Zephyrhills was defeated by Land O’ Lakes last week, but very competitive. With the loss, Zephyrhills drops to 0-1 on the campaign. The Bulldogs led by youth, fresh coaching staff and will look to grab a home win vs. the visiting Crusaders who are averaging 179 yards on the ground and 149 yards in the air. TJ Harrell leads the team in rushing, 73 yards and Kyle Ploucher is off to a great start with 142 yards passing.