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Friday Night Rewind

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 7, 2007

Well, we're midway through the season (or we would have been if not for all the rain Friday night), so it's time for a midseason report.

Let's take a look back at who has made plays, who has been a surprise (good and bad), who has made good choices and who has made bad ones through the first half of the 2007 season.

OFFENSIVE MVP

Plant QB Aaron Murray - The Panthers' junior signal-caller entered his first season under center with more hype than anyone, but he has lived up to the expectations. Not counting his seven-touchdown performance (six passing, one rushing) against Blake this week, Murray had accounted for more than 1,500 yards of offense and 15 touchdowns in four games.

Honorable mention: Brandon RB Samir Baker - The Eagles' little big man is a danger to reach the end zone every time he touches the ball, evidenced by six-touchdown and four-touchdown performances this season. Gaither RB Jarvis Giles - Hillsborough County's rushing leader is a big reason the Cowboys have won four straight; he has scored 11 touchdowns during that stretch.

DEFENSIVE MVP

Armwood DE Ryne Giddins - The junior has been a mainstay of the county's top defense and led the Hawks' vaunted line with nine sacks entering Friday's game against Tampa Bay Tech.

Honorable mention: Chamberlain DB/LB Justin Bell - The Chiefs' do-everything defensive stalwart is among the county's leading tacklers. Alonso DE Jamal Crook - One of the area's most ferocious pass rushers on one of the most surprising defenses.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Spoto - It would have been a stretch to think the Spartans would get three wins in their first varsity season, let alone three in the first five games. However, Scott Palmer's squad is 3-2 with a few more winnable games on the schedule.

Honorable mention: Sickles and Tampa Bay Tech - Both were coming off winless seasons in 2006 (TBT also was winless in 2005), but both have four wins through six games.

BIGGEST

DISAPPOINTMENT

Riverview - To the Sharks' credit, they have lost to two of the county's toughest teams in Plant and Hillsborough. However, they've also lost to an East Bay squad that in all likelihood will be 1-5 on Monday, and to a Sarasota Riverview team that was winless before Friday.

Honorable mention: Robinson - None of us expected Mike DePue's squad to win a state championship, but none of us expected the Knights to be winless through six games, either.

BEST INDIVIDUAL

PERFORMANCE

Samir Baker vs. King in Week 2 - Baker racked up 276 total yards (144 rushing on 12 carries; 132 receiving on five catches) and scored six touchdowns in the win.

Honorable mention: Tampa Bay Tech FB Maurice Hagens vs. Sickles in Week 3 - 259 rushing yards and a touchdown in win. Plant City RB Sirchauncey Holloway vs. Bloomingdale in Week 4 - 255 rushing yards, three touchdowns in win. Plant WR Cornelius Gallon vs. Riverview in Week 4 - eight receptions, 173 yards, three touchdowns in win.

BEST GAME

Middleton at Hillsborough in Week 4 - This neighborhood rivalry went back and forth before Terriers sophomore quarterback Tarean Austin found receiver Terrence Mitchell for a 27-yard touchdown with 1:40 left to give Hillsborough a big 35-32 district victory.

Honorable mention: Plant at Armwood in Week 1 - In a rematch of the 2006 Class 4A region final, Hawks running back Eric Smith blew open a close game with three second-half scoring runs as Armwood won 26-7.

GUTSIEST CALL

Armwood coach Sean Callahan against Plant in Week 1 - This was a game Armwood had been waiting on for months, but on the morning before the game eight players skipped a class. The Hawks' longtime coach took a stand against the behavior and benched all eight - five starters - for the season opener.

Honorable mention: Wharton's David Mitchell in Week 5 against Plant City - Mitchell said his team had nothing to lose, but calling for a 2-point conversion in OT on the road takes a little something extra. The Wildcats converted and won 15-14.

WE TAKE IT BACK

Picking Wharton over Sickles - All of us thought the Gryphons had been brought back to Earth after Tampa Bay Tech drubbed them the week before, so all of us chose the Wildcats as our pick in this Week 4 matchup. Well, we were all wrong. Sickles bounced back tremendously and posted a 21-14 victory.

Honorable mention: Picking Robinson over Leto - Again, we all had the Knights getting their first win of the season at home, but Carlos Perdomo's late field goal gave the Falcons their first win in this Week 3 matchup.

FRIDAY NIGHT REWIND

Reporters Adam Adkins, Nick Williams and Katherine Smith contributed to this report.

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