The Tampa Bay-area prep football season is just three weeks old, but make-or-break time has already arrived. Several key matchups across the region this week will go a long way towards deciding, or in some cases flat out decide, who will still be playing come late November.
The biggest of these contests will be in Largo, where defending Class 4A, District 10 champ
Largo hosts Tampa Sickles. The host Packers are 2-1 and will face a 3-0 Sickles team with two nicked-up running backs.
Both squads are likely headed to the postseason out of this four-team district but Sickles wants the win, wants to open the playoffs at home and wants to make up for two turnovers late in last year's meeting that helped Largo take the game and the league crown.
Other key meetings across the Bay area include:
* A Class 5A, District 8 matchup of quarterbacks when Ryan Hagen leads undefeated
Clearwater (3-0) against 2-1
East Lake (Tarpon Springs) and sophomore quarterback
Peter Dinovo.
* Plant City (2-1) will tangle with a solid
Newsome (Lithia) team, despite its 1-2 record. Newsome running back
Conner Powers has 3,082 career yards after a 129-yard effort last week.
* The pecking order in Class 3A, District 7 will start to shake out after two games.
Gulf (New Port Richey) (3-0) plays at surprising 2-0
Sunlake (Land O'Lakes), in just its second year at the varsity level. And 2-0 Dade City Pasco hosts 2-1
Wesley Chapel.
* In Class A, District 6, Clearwater Central Catholic (3-0) will try to corral 2-1
Berkeley Prep (Tampa) and its offensive star
Nelson Agholor.
BEST OF THE BAY AREA Armwood (Seffner) 2-0 – Undisputed No. 1 after a 38-6 dismantling of a very good Tampa Bay Tech team. Hosting Tampa Wharton next.
Jefferson (Tampa) 3-0 – The Dragons just keep on clicking, evidenced by their 47-13 win against Palm Bay Bayside. No trouble this week with winless Seminole of Osceola.
Robinson (Tampa) 2-0 – The Knights pounded King (Tampa) 35-14 to prep for district play this week against a winless but scrappy Middleton (Tampa) squad.
Plant (Tampa) 2-1 – Plant allowed a rare second-half rally in its nationally televised 27-17 loss at Abilene (Texas). Off this week.
St. Petersburg 3-0 – One of the surprises of the Bay area prep season. The Green Devils blasted Dixie Hollins 34-0 last week. At Seminole Friday night.
Sickles (Tampa), 3-0 – Despite ankle injuries to backs
Carey White and
Brieann Dollard, Gryphons continue to roll after beating Tampa Freedom 31-0. Opens district play this week in showdown with Largo.
Countryside (Clearwater) 3-0 – Stomped Osceola (Seminole) with 35 first-half points in 48-21 win. At Dunedin this week.
Land O'Lakes 2-0 – The Gators pounded Springstead (Spring Hill) 34-15 and host Zephyrhills this week.
Brandon 3-0 – Another surprising Bay area team, the Eagles are off and running, most recently topping Plant City 31-20. Next up is Gibsonton East Bay.
Jesuit (Tampa) 3-0 – Shut out Plant City Durant 16-0 to keep new coach James Harrell unbeaten. At winless Steinbrenner (Lutz) this week.
Right there:Pasco (Dade City) 2-0,
Plant City 2-1,
Clearwater Central Catholic 3-0,
Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville) 3-0,
Tampa Bay Tech 1-2.
RECRUITING NEWS Standout
Berkeley Prep (Tampa) volleyball player
MacKenzie Dagostino has verbally committed to the University of Maryland.
Dagostino, a junior setter and right side hitter, helped lead the Buccaneers to the Class 3A state championship last season. She is the daughter of longtime Berkeley Prep coach Randy Dagostino, who has guided the Buccaneers to an undefeated start in 2010 and the MaxPreps national no. 1 ranking.
Meanwhile,
Steinbrenner (Lutz) golfer Alex Milan has verbally committed to Florida State. A district and regional individual champ last season as a sophomore, Milan shot an event-low 69 at last season's state tournament, where she finished ninth.
Also,
Oldsmar Christian basketball player Tim Dixon has verbally committed to Georgia. Dixon, who averaged 15 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks per game at Columbus (Ga.) last season before transferring in the spring to Oldsmar Christian, is a 6-foot-10, 220-pound center.
Other college announcements include
East Lake (Tarpon Springs) softball pitcher Kristen Berlo verbally committing to the University of California Santa Barbara and
Middleton (Tampa) football player
Demetree Taylor committing to Eastern Illinois.
Berlo was 9-1 last season as a freshman last season. Taylor, a 6-foot-3, 220-pound defensive end, had 11 sacks and 73 tackles last season as a junior.
