The Rank and File: The BCP Coverage area is well-represented in this week’s statewide rankings courtesy of FloridaHSFootball.com and we’ve got the breakdown: In two of the classes (2A/7A) the coverage area has 40% of the entire T-10, while 3 of our teams (Lakeland, Armwood, and Venice) comprise the T-11 in the composites, while a total of 5 teams (add: Lake Wales and Tampa Bay Tech) make up 20% of the overall rankings. In 8A, Steinbrenner made it to the “First 5 Out” while 50% of the 7A ranks contain Lakeland (#1), Armwood (#4), Venice (#5), and Tampa Bay Tech (#8) with Wiregrass Ranch making the first 5 out. Class 6A contains the largest number of teams both ranked and in the first five with Gaither at #4, Palmetto at #6, Lake Gibson at #9, Charlotte at #10, with Springstead, Largo, and Clearwater waiting in the wings. Class 5A sees Lake Wales and their gaudy offensive production sitting at 4th, with Dunnellon cracking the T-10 at #8 after their huge district win over Ocala Vanguard, and Jesuit sneaking back into the T-10 at #9 with nobody waiting in the wings in the first five out. Class 4A has Lakewood at #7, with South Sumter at #10 after the Raiders took it on the chin to Trinity Catholic. Waiting in the wings to take their spots are The Villages and Tampa Catholic. Class 3A has Berkeley Prep at #3 as the Bucs are in the poll position for the #1 spot in the region, while CCC gets back into the fray at #9, and with their huge win over Class 3A finalists King’s Academy from West Palm Beach, it’s Lakeland Christian waiting in the wings in the first five out. Class 2A’s representation from the Bay Area has Victory Christian at #1, undefeated Cambridge Christian at #5, Zephyrhills Christian at #8, and Admiral Farragut at #9, and with Fort Meade and Wildwood being a combined 2-6 thus far, no representation from our Class 1A schools. For the rest of the positioning throughout the state, checkout the link: https://floridahsfootball.com/2019/09/16/rankings-week-5-florida-top-25-classification-rankings/
It Was a Freaky Friday: Last week, Joe Pinkos forecast was spot-on in some cases, but it was an otherwise brutal performance with regards to other results. Now, we had Friday the 13th along with the Full Harvest Moon to blame for the madness, but this week everything is back to its normal spot in terms of the universe. Let’s find out together who is–and who isn’t–expected to do big things this weekend: https://floridahsfootball.com/2019/09/16/joe-pinkos-joe-pinkos-week-5-statewide-game-forecast/
Must-See Games: We’ve got five suggestions for you this week. There’s 23 teams on a bye this week, so not as heavy a load to process. The first suggestion is River Ridge (2-1) at Wiregrass Ranch (4-0). If that doesn’t do it for you, then head over to Pinellas County for two gems. First, Braden River (2-2) comes to Lakewood (4-0). The Spartans host Madison County next week as well, and have yet to surrender a point. Palmetto (4-0) will be right up the street as they take on Largo (3-1). If you can’t make there, then head down to Sarasota as the 4-0 Sailors host (3-1) Port Charlotte. If you want to stay super-local, then head up to Lutz and checkout Big Red as (2-1) Hillsborough takes on (4-0) Steinbrenner.
These Numbers are silly: The scoring differential between Lake Wales (268 total points scored) and Tarpon Springs (203 points surrendered) is a difference of 471 points and we are not even halfway through the season. The Highlanders are averaging 67 points on offense, while Tarpon is giving up 67 points per game on defense. Meanwhile…..the following five teams are a combined 18-1: Dunedin, Dunnellon, Gaither, Lakewood Ranch, and Sarasota. The following five teams are a combined 3-15: Plant City, Kathleen, Manatee, Plant, and Zephyrhills. This is what we call a weird season.
