TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

TONIGHT'S PREP FOOTBALL MATCHUPS

ADVERTISEMENT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 7, 2008

TONIGHT'S PREP FOOTBALL MATCHUPS

Gulf (8-0, 3-0) at Pasco (7-1, 3-0)

WHEN/WHERE: 7:30 p.m.; W.F. Edwards Stadium, 36850 State Road 52, Dade City

COACHES: Jay Fulmer (Gulf), Tom McHugh (Pasco)

LAST WEEK: Gulf 30, Zephyrhills 14; Pasco 33, Wiregrass Ranch 7

LAST MEETING: Pasco 45, Gulf 34 (2007)

NEED TO KNOW: This is the game both teams have been waiting for. The winner will be crowned 3A-District 8 champ and host the 3A-7 runner-up, while the loser travels to the 3A-7 champ. According to the Orlando Sentinel, if St. Cloud (7-1, 3-0) beats Harmony (4-4, 2-1) and Bishop Moore (5-3, 2-1) wins at Eustis (1-7, 1-2), St. Cloud is the champion and Bishop Moore is the runner-up. If Harmony and Bishop Moore win, it forces a three-way tiebreaker to decide the two berths between St. Cloud, Harmony and Bishop Moore. ... Gulf RB Adrian Golden had his sixth consecutive 200-plus-yard game with 221 against Zephyrhills last week. He has 1,824 yards and needs 365 in the Bucs' final two games to break Ridgewood's Byronell Arline's county rushing record. He is nine TDs behind Arline's county record of 35. ... The Pirates will counter Gulf's offensive power with their own in RB Jamall Haynes (974 rushing yards, 11 TDs), WRs Josh Johnson (306 yards, five TDs), Chaise Dunn (230 yards, three TDs), Hakeeme Ishmar (199 yards, four TDs) as well as QB D.J. Clower. ... Defensively, the Pirates are loaded with players who can fly to the ball, such as Mark Christmas (8.5 sacks), Jarrod Carmody (eight sacks), Zack Faza (four sacks) and LB Dominique Wilson.

Land O' Lakes (6-2, 3-1) at Ridgewood (3-5, 1-3)

WHEN/WHERE: 7:30 p.m.; Rams Booster Stadium, 7650 Orchid Lake Road, New Port Richey

COACHES: John Benedetto (Land O' Lakes), Chris Taylor (Ridgewood)

LAST WEEK: Land O' Lakes 31, River Ridge 14; Springstead 28, Ridgewood 14

LAST MEETING: Land O' Lakes 20, Ridgewood 17 (2007)

NEED TO KNOW: A win by Land O' Lakes coupled with a Springstead win against Tarpon Springs earns Land O' Lakes a runner-up spot in Class 4A-District 8. If the Gators lose and Springstead wins, the Gators will still be the runner-up. ... In the last four games, the Land O' Lakes offense has averaged 30.3 points, while the defense has maintained a steady, productive pace. ... Ridgewood was eliminated from the playoffs with last week's loss to Springstead. ... The Rams will try to avenge last year's loss to the Gators, which snapped an eight-game winning streak and kept them from a district title. ... Rams RB Sterling Ross rushed for 142 yards and a touchdown last week. ... QB Scott Kujak completed 10 of 18 passes for 155 yards.

Wesley Chapel (3-5, 0-2) at Mitchell (4-4, 0-2)

WHEN/WHERE: 7:30 p.m.; Mustang Stadium, 2323 Little Road, Trinity

COACHES: John Castelamare (Wesley Chapel), Scott Schmitz (Mitchell)

LAST WEEK: Wesley Chapel, bye; Clearwater Central Catholic 13, Mitchell 6

LAST MEETING: Mitchell 57, Wesley Chapel 34 (2007)

NEED TO KNOW: Two weeks ago, Wesley Chapel dropped a tough game to Gaither, a game Castelamare thought his team could win. That night, his players committed an uncharacteristically high number of personal fouls. ... In the game against Gaither, Wildcats RBs Hunter Joyer and Keenan Reynolds had 100-plus-yard games (Reynolds 114 and Joyer 102). ... Both teams were eliminated from the 5A-District 5 playoffs two weeks ago. ... This likely will be Mitchell's final game as a 5A-5 member. With the opening of Anclote High in Holiday in 2009, the Mustangs likely will drop to 4A. ... Mustangs FB Ryan Gallagher rushed for a season-best 105 yards last week, while RB Ricky Trinidad was held to 36 yards on eight carries. The sophomore needs 85 yards to reach the 1,000-yard mark.

Zephyrhills (3-5, 2-2) at Hudson (3-5, 2-2)

WHEN/WHERE: 7:30 p.m.; Cobra Stadium, 14410 Cobra Way, Hudson

COACHES: Tom Fisher (Zephyrhills), Mark Nash (Hudson)

LAST WEEK: Gulf 30, Zephyrhills 14; Hudson 37, Sunlake 34 (2OT)

LAST MEETING: Hudson 23, Zephyrhills 17 (2007)

NEED TO KNOW: It has been five years since these teams met in a game without playoff implications, but tonight's 3A-District 8 matchup amounts to just that, and it is essentially to see which team will finish third. ... Fisher and the Bulldogs are 1-4 against Hudson in the past five seasons, Zephyrhills' worst record against any opponent it has played in each of those years. Nash was the offensive coordinator in 2003 before becoming head coach in '04. ... Hudson QB Zack Wynn needs 176 passing yards to reach 2,000 for the first time. He is averaging 228 yards per game. ... Zephyrhills' running game has been solid in recent weeks, led by Michael Peterman and Alex Paniagua, who have averaged more than 100 yards per game combined in the past five outings.

Sunlake (1-7, 0-4) at Wiregrass Ranch (0-8, 0-4)

WHEN/WHERE: 7:30 p.m.; Wiregrass Ranch Stadium, 2909 Mansfield Road, Wesley Chapel

COACHES: Bill Browning (Sunlake), Ricky Thomas (Wiregrass Ranch)

LAST WEEK: Pasco 33, Wiregrass Ranch 7; Hudson 37, Sunlake 34 (2OT)

LAST MEETING: Wiregrass Ranch 40, Sunlake 20 (2007)

NEED TO KNOW: Wiregrass has a knack for being in the game before eventually taking itself out of it with a costly mistake. It happened against Lake Weir, Zephyrhills and Hudson. This Sunlake team won't let the Bulls get away with many of those mishaps. ... The Seahawks had struggled offensively until last week, scoring 21 points in the second half, including 15 in the final 1:03 before losing to Hudson in two overtimes. ... QB Tommy Valez completed 16 of 33 for 235 yards and three touchdowns against Hudson. His previous high this season was 113 against Wesley Chapel. ... Sunlake's loss to Wiregrass last season was the Bulls' only win of 2007 and the only one for the program.

Brooksville Central (3-5, 1-3) at River Ridge (1-7, 1-3)

WHEN/WHERE: 7:30 p.m.; Jim Valentine Athletic Complex, 11646 Town Center Road, New Port Richey

COACHES: Cliff Lohrey (Central), Tim Stevens (River Ridge)

LAST WEEK: Tarpon Springs 44, Central 7; Land O' Lakes 31, River Ridge 14

LAST MEETING: Central 62, River Ridge 27 (2007)

NEED TO KNOW: Though this game has no 4A-8 playoff implications, it is senior night at River Ridge, and a win for the Royal Knights would go a long way toward proving their mammoth upset win against Springstead two weeks ago was no fluke. ... Central lost 49-0 to Springstead on Oct. 10 and has struggled since, losing by at least 25 points in its past two games. ... River Ridge, meanwhile, has continued to improve its running game, as RB Stavros Arianas had his first 100-yard rushing game to go with a touchdown against Land O' Lakes. He and FB Trevor Shoun have combined for 954 rushing yards and seven touchdowns this season, nearly surpassing last year's team rushing total with two games to play.

Mount Dora Bible (4-4) at Bishop McLaughlin (4-4)

WHEN/WHERE: 7 p.m.; Bishop McLaughlin Stadium, 13651 Hays Road, Shady Hills

COACHES: Lonnie Johnson (MDB), Marty Williams (Bishop McLaughlin)

LAST WEEK: MDB 11, Leesburg First Academy 8; Bishop McLaughlin 42, Carrollwood Day 20

LAST MEETING: First meeting

NEED TO KNOW: This is the Hurricanes' home finale, and 15 seniors, including standout RB/LBs Jeff Pope and Bobby Emmino and WR/DBs Nick Hellman and Ryan Beeble, will be honored. ... Since Bishop McLaughlin has locked up the runner-up spot in the Sunshine State Athletic Conference South, it awaits the winner of today's Ocala St. John Lutheran-First Academy game to see who it will play in next Saturday's bowl game. St. John Lutheran will be the Hurricanes' opponent if they win tonight. Otherwise, there is the potential for a three-way tie with Winter Garden Foundation. If you count Bishop McLaughlin's kickoff classic win against St. John Lutheran, the Hurricanes have beaten all three potential opponents this season. ... Led by Division-I college prospect Cornelius Whitehead, Mount Dora Bible is the top team in the North Division and will play Hernando Christian for the conference championship regardless of tonight's outcome. But a victory tonight would make Bishop McLaughlin the de facto second-best team in the league, with only one conference loss (to HCA).

Eddie Daniels, Rick Harmon, Bart O'Connell

TONIGHT'S PREP FOOTBALL MATCHUPS

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT