Lakeland 27, Lake Gibson 6
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Probably the biggest game (highest profile) along the I-4 corridor this weekend with exception of either Winter Haven vs. Columbus or West Orange at Osceola. The biggest factor for BOTH teams will be to stay oblivious to the circus atmosphere in-place and just play football. Lakeland won this game 28-18 last season and Lake Gibson wants to prove they’re better than #3 in their own county…even though #3 in Polk this season all classes = a top 10 team in all classes. The reaction to this game will obviously be focused on the play in the trenches. THIS is the season that Lake Gibson (or any other team in Polk for that matter) has the horses up front to match the ‘Naughts, but matching them for four quarters is the hard part.
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After the Braves went down the field successfully on Lakeland in the first quarter,the ‘Naughts Defense went to work shutting down Lake Gibson and absolutely manhandling them the final three quarters. Not even jersey’s were safe as Hunter Orem finished with #43 courtesy of future FIU teammate Matt Kramer’s seek-and-destroy mission on Orem’s #7 jersey. AJ Davis went off, so did Lakeland’s offense gaining 200 of their 300 total yards in the final two quarters.

Robinson 36, Pinellas Park 21
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Test of wills in this game. Both teams have high aspirations this season and they both need to sort out their own issues before the season starts. Robinson has a district they can be very successful in, but they MUST protect QB Malik Tyson or this season is a wash. The Patriots are in THE toughest district in Pinellas County with St. Petersburg, Countryside, East Lake and Seminole so they’ll be playing an “SEC WEST-type” win-or-go-home style of schedule all season. They rely heavy on the run, so if Robinson gets an early lead we may see a test of their offensive resolve. Expect them to hit and hit-hard on defense and play ball control offense which is always a recipe for success.
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The Patriots succeeded in the first half with their ball control and their defense limiting Robinson in all ways. Then halftime happened and the Knights got their acts together. Malik Tyson and Iyan Mitchell also happened with Tyson finishing with over 200 yards passing on just seven completions. Mitchell was red-hot with five catches for 157 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also rushed for 35 yards and had an interception. Robinson put up over 300 yards of offense in the second half.

Clearwater 42, Indian Rocks Christian 14
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The Tornadoes have received all the love this offseason for the air-raid style of offense with Garrison Bryant at the helm and Jacquez Jones on the receiving end. What people don’t realize is they’ve got HUGE lines on the offensive and defensive side of the ball and can pound the ball with Adarius Lemons. IRC is playing with a chip on their shoulders the size of Tampa Bay and are trying to erase the sting of their destruction at the hands of Victory Christian.
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Well, Clearwater made us look good in our pre-game notes from Friday since they finished with 249 yards on the ground and Lemons leading thew way with 130 yards on eleven carries. The Tornadoes got the kind of performance they’d hoped from both sides of the ball and guys like Garrison Bryant, Kendrick Harvey, Kane Taylor and Jacquez Jones all contributed in a big way. IRC’s Zeke McGuaghy finished with a solid performance of 99 yards on eight carries and a touchdown. IRC will look to take their frustrations out on a Tampa Catholic team they thumped last season and it will be on primetime on BHSN.

Manatee 44, Largo 6
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Largo was out to prove their better than the 6-5 record from last season indicated. The Packers have had an AMAZING run of district titles and playoff appearances. They’ve got a young-but-unproven QB Isaiah Bellamy that’s just a sophomore but needs reps. The biggest problem for Largo is that they subscribe to the Cocoa-method of roster size and with questions at depth, that puts a TON of pressure on their studs to stay healthy, productive and out of trouble. High risk/reward. Manatee has had their fair share of drama since John Booth took over, but they shook that off last season with a deep run. They’ve got a really nice looking QB (AJ Cologiovanni) and studs at DE (Kwanzi Jackson) and TE (Garrett Ware). They might mash the gas pedal and not let up versus Largo since they’ve got a week one trip to Hoover against a team they can beat and will want to make sure they’ve got all their ducks-in-a-row.
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It was all about Manatee’s Defense and Kavious Price on offense and special teams. The 5-foot-7, 160-pound senior was a one-man wrecking crew scoring three touchdowns in three different methods. He caught a 36-yard TD pass from AJ Colagiovanni, rushed for a 15-yard TD as a QB lined up in the wildcat, and then returned the opening kickoff from the second half for a 90-yard touchdown. Manatee’s Defense forced two interceptions and two fumbles. The ‘Canes are now off to Hoover, Alabama for huge week one match-up against the Buccaneers.

Hillsborough 7, Armwood 0
East Bay 15, Hillsborough 13
Armwood 13, East Bay 0
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Normally, a three team jamboree for the fall preseason would be cause for banging your head against a brick wall. There’s not much you can get, if at all–from ONE half of football. This season, there’s intrigue since if you want a shot at beating Armwood, this is the season to do it since the Hawks are likely not to lose for the next two seasons following this one. The Hawks have a stiff test against Plant City for their week one opponents and they’ll want to start fast against both of these teams. Hillsborough needs to figure out how they’re going to score, but they may keep several of their opponents from scoring many points this season as the Terriers have one of the stoutest defenses in the county. East Bay is a sexy pick along with Lennard to come out of District 7A-9 so these two opponents should give a good indicator of what the Indians are working with.
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East Bay dominated Armwood…on paper even though it was the Hawks that were victorious on the scoreboard and were a model of efficiency against the Indians racking up just a few yards shy of 200 on three plays while East Bay ran 41 plays in the first half, but couldn’t put points on the board. EBHS’ Anthony Hollingshed finished with 104 of their 144 yards on the ground. Hillsborough’s D was as good as advertised against the Hawks forcing two turnovers on downs and two punts to end drives. The Terriers got some much need production from Lawrence Dawsey Jr. on the night, but couldn’t get the job done against East Bay in the final half of the night.

Winter Haven 25, Columbus 24
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The Blue Devils are the clear #2 in Polk County based on the fact they bring back the vast majority of their roster that thumped Lake Gibson 28-7 and by virtue of “only” losing to Lakeland 20-0. This season Lakeland and Winter Haven share a district, but they’re good enough to hang with Lakeland and even pull of the upset. As far as their game with Columbus goes, the Explorers return a dozen starters from their 8A Finals squad and have the firepower on offense to put Winter Haven behind the 8-ball if they jump to an early lead. WH’s William Tate (HC’s son) ail have the keys to the Ferrari this year without a curfew and he’s just a junior so big BIG things could be on the horizon and the expectations only skyrocket if they show well versus a highly-functioning Dade County team.
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Tate got those keys and he was trusted not to crash that high-performance ride. The Blue Devils showed their moxie and resiliency against a Columbus team that’s clearly full of intentions of getting back to Orlando, but it was Tate’s sneak with three seconds left capping off a 58 yard scoring drive into the end zone that put the cheery on the cake for Winter Haven.

Braden River 21, River Ridge 19
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“Styles make fights” to borrow a boxing cliche regarding this game. River Ridge’s Chris Schwarz is the main draw, but Braden River Jacob Huesman (QB) is the signal-caller that’s unfairly forgotten because of the shadow Jack Allison casts from Palmetto. Huesman out-dueled Allison last season and simply ran up against an East Lake team that was chocked-full o’ stars. This season could see the Pirates going MUCH deeper if they keep their high-flying offense afloat.
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Huesman had a very nice game and made some throws that impressed, but it was the Pirates quick-strike in their ground game that kept the Royal Knights off balance. Chris Schwarz did what he normally does, this time averaging nearly nine yards per carry finishing with 158 yards on 18 carries. The Royal Knights now host Mitchell in a week one game that we can guarantee will be full of bad-blood and for bragging rights for West Pasco.

East Lake 34, Sunlake 19
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The Seahawks have had this game circled since it was announced and are treating it like it’s a midseason game. The strengths of both teams come from two things: their OL’s and their team chemistry. You will be hard-pressed to find two squads with better camaraderie and the willingness to play for each other which makes a huge difference. Both teams have some transitions to make, with East Lake having the biggest in-theory because of the loss of George Campbell. They will still be able to do what they want to do and should win this game despite those questions and despite the momentum Sunlake has going into this contest from the offseason.
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Sunlake fumbles on their first play from scrimmage and East Lake scores on the very next play. That’s the preseason and that’s not how you want to start if your the ‘Hawks, but there’s plenty that both teams would like to work on before they get cranked up in the regular season. East Lake had three drives that ended in fumbles and Head Coach Bob Hudson knows he’s got to get his youth movement aged sooner rather than later. And in a show of absolute class and camaraderie, the Eagles wore #42 on their helmets in honor of and to help raise money in the treatment for Sunlake’s Xavier Johnson who was severely injured during the summer in a tubing accident. Now that’s a display of human decency that is in postseason form, forget the preseason.