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Pinellas County Football Capsules: Week 4

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Lee Diekemper

Tribune correspondent

Published: September 24, 2008

Updated: 09/24/2008 10:34 am

Dunedin (3-0) at Countryside (2-1)
Local fans will get an idea of how good Countryside's defense is when it will try to stop Dunedin's star running back Adarius Bellamy who ran for six touchdowns in slightly more than a half of play last week.

Countryside had trouble last week with St. Petersburg's rushing attack in its first loss. It doesn't get any easier with Bellamy in the backfield.

Osceola (0-3) at Bradenton Bayshore (0-3)
How quickly can Osceola rebound a 56-7 loss to Dunedin last week? In a span of eight carries, Adarius Bellamy torched the Warriors for six rushing touchdowns.

Bradenton Bayshore is coached by former Boca Ciega coach, Jean Gordon who is a proponent of pounding the ball on the ground. After watching tapes of what Dunedin (specifically, Bellamy) did to Osceola, look for Gordon and Bayshore to force the Warriors to stop the rush.

Largo (2-0) at St. Petersburg (2-1)
Will Largo suffer its first regular season defeat in nearly two years by looking past St. Petersburg toward Dunedin? The host Green Devils are not a team to take lightly. The Green Devils have a nasty one-two punch in fullback Ben Sams (averaging 5 yards a carry) and halfback Malik Wilson (9 yards a carry).

If Largo's solid defense, specifically its outstanding linebackers, can somehow stop St. Petersburg's rushing attack, it should lock up another win.

Gibbs (1-2) at Dixie Hollins (2-1)
Expected to be one of the top teams in Pinellas County this season, Gibbs has stumbled thus far. Two weeks ago in a sloppy game, the Gladiators defense let them down. Last week the offense didn't show up.

Gibbs will have to have both its defense and offense put together a solid effort to get past a talented Dixie Hollins, which is stinging from a 20-14 loss to Boca Ciega last week. Gibbs will have its hands full trying to find a way to stop Rebels quarterback Josh Brown.

Lakewood (2-1) at Boca Ciega (2-0)
This should be an interesting game in a heated rivalry. The Spartans seemed to have found an offense by racking up 89 points in its last two games. Quarterback Jacquez Jenkins has rung up nearly 500 yards passing.

But lighting up the scoreboard will be a chore this week against the stingy Boca Ciega defense, possibly the best in the county. Boca Ciega has given up two touchdowns each in both of its games against strong offenses (Dunedin and Dixie Hollins).

Which team's strength will win out, Lakewood's offense or Boca Ciega's defense?

Seminole (1-2) at Pinellas Park (0-2)
Will anyone score a touchdown (or two)? In the fourth week of the season, both teams have combined for one offensive touchdown and a total of 15 points combined.

River Ridge (0-3) at Tarpon Springs (2-0)
Will the Spongers still be celebrating their win over bitter rival East Lake from last week? Tarpon Springs has too many weapons to choke this game away unless the Spongers cough up the ball multiple times.

East Lake (1-2) at Clearwater (1-2)
Look for East Lake, with a bad taste in its mouth from letting a win slip through its fingers against Tarpon Springs to even its record against Clearwater.

Don't expect a lot of offense in this game with two teams featuring strong defenses. The only difference is East Lake can put points on the board. Clearwater struggles to move the football, still looking for its first offensive touchdown.

Bradenton Southeast at Northeast
In recent years, the host Vikings have broken a long, long drought against one of the state's powerhouses and actually have a three-game winning streak against Bradenton Southeast.
The Seminoles' lone loss is a two-point defeat last week to another state powerhouse Manatee. Northeast will have its work cut out for them if the streak is to continue.

Clearwater Central Catholic (2-1) at St. Cloud Harmony (2-1)
The Marauders had a rude awaking with a 28-12 loss to Orlando Lake Highland Prep on the road. CCC plays its second of a four straight road games against strong opponents.

After getting shut out to open the season, Harmony's offense has been humming.

Lennard (1-3) at St. Petersburg Catholic (0-3)
The host Barons might rack up their first win as Lennard is having a rough time thus far. If St. Petersburg Catholic wins it will have to get its offense into gear. The Barons have just 22 points in three games.

Shorecrest Prep (2-1) at Admiral Farragut (1-1)
A crossroads game for both teams. Each team has had some success and some failure so far and the outcome of this game will likely determine the direction both teams will go.

Admiral Farragut squeaked out a tough road game last week over Winter Haven All Saints while Shorecrest has been up and down in its new spread option offense.

Northside Christian (0-3) at Fort Meade (3-0)
Simple math is a good barometer on how this game should go: Northside Christian has only two touchdowns this season. Fort Meade, one of the state's top programs over the years, is averaging 37 points a game.

Indian Rocks Christian (3-0) at Lakeland Christian (2-1)
The visiting Golden Eagles are having their best season in years, thanks to a ferocious three-headed monster of a rushing attack. Oh, yeah, Indian Rocks Christian's defense isn't too shabby either as the Golden Eagles have yet to be scored upon.

Canterbury (3-0) at Bishop McLaughlin (0-3)
Canterbury, despite having a young offense, is off to a solid start to the season. It now faces a larger school on the road that is looking for its first win. Could the law of averages finally catch up with Canterbury?

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