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FOOTBALL: Hillsborough Previews Week 7

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By ADAM ADKINS, KATHERINE SMITH AND NICK WILLIAMS/The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 12, 2007

Alonso at Gaither
Where: At Cowboy Stadium
Records: Alonso 5-1; Gaither 4-2
Outlook: Both teams eeked out victories last week. Alonso survived a scare from King with a 3-0 victory, while Gaither won their first district game against Mitchell. Gaither's Jarvis Giles, Hillsborough County's leading rusher, was limited with an ankle injury, but should be OK. He'll be tested by an Alonso defense that has recorded back-to-back shutouts.

Bloomingdale at Leto
Where: Mahin-Hoffman Stadium
Records: Bloomingdale 1-4; Leto 2-4
Outlook: The Bulls have scored just six points in their last two games. Bloomingdale's offense won't get any help from a stingy Leto defense. Leto is seeking their first home victory during Coach Hugh Dehnert's two-year tenure.

Middleton at Wharton
Where: Wharton Field
Records: Middleton 3-2; Wharton 4-2
Outlook: Middleton is coming off a bye, which was preceded by a 40-0 drubbing of Blake. Wharton has posted back-to-back victories, including last week's 31-7 district road win over Wesley Chapel, since their disappointing loss to Sickles. Middleton quarterback DeAndre Pressley will be tested by a tough Wharton defense.

King at Robinson
Where: Jack Peters Stadium
Records: King 1-4; Robinson 0-6
Outlook: King is seeking its first victory since the regular season opener, while Robinson is seeking its first victory period. Against two dominating defenses the past two weeks, King's offense all but disappeared. Robinson is home for the first time in two weeks.

Berkeley Prep at Winter Park Trinity Prep
Where: Hubbard Field
Records: Berkeley Prep 3-2; Winter Park Trinity Prep 2-4
Outlook: After beginning the season with three consecutive victories, the Buccaneers are trying to regroup after back-to-back losses. Berkeley Prep's offense averaged just 13 1/2 points in those losses. Trinity Prep is coming off a 21-7 loss to Wildwood. In their four losses this season, Trinity Prep's offense averaged 11 1/2 points per game.

Armwood at Plant City
Where: Raider Stadium
Records: Armwood 6-0; Plant City 4-2
Outlook: Armwood, ranked No. 23 nationally by Rivals.com, enters this non-district game on a county-best 11-game winning streak dating to last season. The Hawks are coming off a shutout win over district foe Tampa Bay Tech, the first shutout this season for the team's vaunted defense. Hawks quarterback Mywan Jackson and running back Eric Smith combined for 243 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the win. The Raiders picked up a big victory last week against district rival East Bay, getting strong performances from running backs Sirchauncey Holloway (84 yards rushing, one touchdown) and Keith Dawson (151 yards rushing, two touchdowns). Plant City has won five consecutive regular season home games dating to last season. Armwood won this matchup 39-0 last season.

Brandon at Blake
Where: Big Jim Williams Stadium
Records: Brandon 4-2; Blake 0-6
Outlook: The Eagles are coming off their biggest win of the season, a 34-0 shutout of district rival Newsome. Running backs Samir Baker and Marquel Gilmore each eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark for the second consecutive game, while Brandon's defense tallied five sacks, forced five turnovers and scored two touchdowns; one on a fumble return by Baker, the other on an interception return by linebacker Wale Agbede. The Yellow Jackets remained winless with a blowout loss against Plant last week. Davis Myron scored the team's lone touchdown on a late 55-yard run. Blake's offense has struggled all year, with the unit averaging a mere 4.8 points per game. This is a non-district game.

Freedom at Durant
Where: Ron Frost Athletic Complex
Records: Freedom 0-5; Durant 2-4
Outlook: The Cougars are coming off a heart-breaking home loss to district rival Sarasota, and to make matters worse they're on a short week since the game against the Sailors, suspended at the half on Friday because of inclement weather, was completed Monday. Durant RB Ryan Rice, among Hillsborough County's rushing leaders with 837 yards, continues to lead offense. Rice ran for more than 210 yards in the loss to Sarasota. Freedom has managed just six points on offense all season, and that lone score came nearly a month ago. The Patriots just can't seem to get anything going offensively, with their scoreless streak standing at 13 quarters entering this game. This is a non-district matchup and the first meeting between the two schools.

Newsome at Riverview
Where: J. Vince Thompson Stadium
Records: Newsome 4-2; Riverview 1-4
Outlook: Both teams are coming off tough district losses and are looking to get back on track in this non-district matchup. The Wolves are coming off a shutout loss to Brandon, the first time they failed to score a point since a shutout loss to Freedom on Sept. 30, 2005. Fullback Conner Powers had 95 yards rushing in the loss, but the rest of the Newsome offense struggled. Riverview had an early 14-point lead against Sarasota Riverview thanks to a John Green touchdown run and a Colby Fairfax touchdown pass to Orson Charles, but the Sharks yielded 21 unanswered points in the second half to drop its third consecutive game. Riverview won this non-district matchup 28-7 last season.

Chamberlain at Jefferson
Where: At Sam Horton Field
Records: Chamberlain 4-2; Jefferson 2-3
Outlook: The Dragons got a needed district win over Leto last week and after a 1-3 start, is finally playing in sync. Senior quarterback Zack Grossi threw for three touchdowns to three receivers and combined with a hard-fought effort against Armwood in Week 5, confidence is high at the Jefferson camp right now. Chamberlain is on a two-game win streak, its' longest of the season, and is also coming off a needed district win, defeating Sickles 35-0. In the win, junior running back Kenny Allen rushed 12 times for 141 yards and two touchdowns while quarterback Dontae Aycock rushed for two more scores. Jefferson defeated Chamberlain 35-0 in last year's match up.

Plant at Hillsborough
Where: At Chelo Huerta Field
Records: Plant 4-1; Hillsborough 6-0
Outlook: Plant's spread offense will go up against arguably the best defense in Hillsborough County, which has posted four shutouts this season. Plant quarterback Aaron Murray threw six touchdown passes last week against Blake while Lindsey Lamar and Iziah Wyche each rushed for over 100 yards in the Terriers' shutout victory over Freedom. Plant won last year's meeting, 28-21.

Lennard at Tampa Bay Tech
Where: At Titan Stadium
Records: Lennard 0-6; Tampa Bay Tech 4-2
Outlook: Lennard played its closest contest of the season, a 30-20 district loss to Fort Myers Bishop Verot last week, but has failed to win a game this season. Despite being winless, receiver Blake Kennedy has emerged as one the top receivers in Hillsborough County with 575 yards receiving and six touchdowns. After starting the season 4-0, the Titans have dropped two consecutive games. Still, Tech possesses one of the best fullbacks in the area with sophomore Maurice Hagens. Because this is Lennard's first varsity season, the two teams did not meet last season.

Sickles at Spoto
Where: At Spoto Stadium
Records: Sickles 4-2; Spoto 3-2
Outlook: Not many expected either team to be over .500 by Week 7, which makes both programs the surprise of the season. Spoto's special teams and defensive squad were invaluable in the Spartan's upset of Tampa Bay Tech last week while Sickles' spread offense proves to cause trouble for most defenses. The Gryphons were unable to put any points on the scoreboard last week against Chamberlain, but running back Josh Mendez is capable of finding the end zone on any play. Although this is Spoto's first varsity season, the junior varsity program went 9-0 last season.

Tampa Catholic at Jacksonville Trinity Christian
Where: At Trinity Christian
Records: Tampa Catholic 4-1; Trinity Christian 4-1
Outlook: Tampa Catholic's last two wins have been shutout district victories. Last week against rival St. Petersburg Catholic, senior running back Drew Zink rushed for 103 yards and one touchdown while the defense recorded four interceptions, one which was returned for a touchdown by Ralph Grover. The Crusaders are sacked the opposing quarterback four times. The Conquerors have outscored their opponents 155-7 in the last three games. The two teams did not meet last season.

Saturday
Bishop McLaughlin at Cambridge Christian
Where: Sam Horton Field (Jefferson High School), Saturday, 4 p.m.
Records: Bishop McLaughlin 1-4, 0-2 1B-6; Cambridge Christian 3-3, 1-2 1B-6
Outlook: The Lancers saved their season last week with a big district victory against Sarasota Out-of-Door Academy, and they'll need to post another win over the Hurricanes this week to keep their playoff hopes alive. Cambridge Christian got the ground game going again last week, rushing for 253 yards as a team in the win. Senior running back Taylor Cabral had 237 yards, including a 71-yard touchdown run. The Hurricanes are coming of their first win of the season against first-year program Academy at the Lakes. Bishop McLaughlin scored nearly six times has many points (41) as it had through its first four games (seven) in the victory. Ryan Beeble and Trae Williams led the Hurricanes, combining five touchdowns in the win. Bishop McLaughlin won this district matchup 20-13 in 2006.

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