Alonso at Countryside
When most-if-not-all things are created equal, the onus falls on execution in every phase, on every play making every snap a premium and this match-up a primetime worthy affair. It’s one of the best games on the schedule in our eyes and one that if you’re in the area you don’t want to miss. Alonso’s 3-7 record juxtaposed with Countryside’s 7-3 season in 2014 is about where the opposites stop. Both teams bring physical defenses as well as skill players on offense that have the potential to break one to the house at any moment. Alonso Head Coach Brian Emanuel believes this is his best defense at Alonso in the five years he’s been in Westchase. The Ravens also return 4 starters on the offensive line that has their coaches raving. Countryside’s Trent Chmelik sets up behind one of the Cougars’ biggest strength which is their o-line and he has the ability to get the ball to C-Side’s dynamic playmakers either on the ground or the air. Whether the game is a shootout or a ground-and-pound slobberknocker, it’s a game that will produce some fireworks.
St. Petersburg at Northeast
That poor scoreboard won’t even know what hit it. The bulbs are being checked to make sure they’re working properly at Northeast in preparation for what could be the region’s highest scoring affair. Sure, they both have quality defenses that will make their marks during the season, but in this preseason affair we expect the offenses to be in midseason form as the Green Devils gave up more than 30 points four times last season and Northeast hit the 61-point mark versus Dixie Hollins and will have just as powerful an offense. St. Pete runs the wing-t, but they can put up more points via the ground the most spread teams so put all of that together along with this being a local rivalry and you’ve got the recipe for pyrotechnics.
Lake Gibson at Lakeland
Don’t need to add much to the hype in this one, especially if you’re a resident of Polk County since this is as quality a match-up as you’ll find throughout the I-4 corridor. The atmosphere should resemble the circus scenes from the “WLOCP” aka the Florida-Georgia game with fans descending upon Bryant Stadium by the thousands for a game that won’t count on the schedule, but might as well be for the state championship. Lakeland won last year’s preseason meeting 28-18, but with Lake Gibson significantly upgraded as well as Lakeland’s roster loaded with talent as usual this game is once again at the forefront of everyone’s attention.
Columbus at Winter Haven
If you watched the Blue Devils dismantle Lake Gibson last season and take into account they’ve got the vast majority of that team back, then it’s easy to see why Winter Haven is the number two team in Polk County at this point until proven otherwise. They’ll host the Class 8A runners-up at Denison Stadium and an Explorers team that brings back several of their playmakers from 2014. The amount of speed and size on the field Friday night will have some believing they’ve showed up to a college football game by mistake, but sit down and grab yourselves a cold Coca-Cola and some nachos for this game that will have not only folks in this region occupied, but a large contingency of the Dade County media will be watching with eyes wide open since Columbus sits atop the rankings on one of the major polls and is expected to be back in Orlando.
Clearwater at Indian Rocks Christian
Let’s face it. If this game was scheduled say, two-three years ago we would have been laughed out of the blog world. Now, this match-up is all primetime. Indian Rocks boasts one of the regions’ most formidable rushing attack and Clearwater is an air-raid offense with running capabilities. Points could be at a premium or they could be racked up like an Arena League game. Either way, we all win as long as you aren’t a fan of either one of these squads, then you may need blood pressure medication to go with some of the fine concessions that will be served.
