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Hillsborough County Football Capsules: Week 4

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TBO.com staff

Published: September 25, 2008

ARMWOOD (3-0) at NEWSOME (2-1)
After being held to just one touchdown in a season-opening win over Plant, Armwood has scored 92 points combined in its last two victories.

Hawks senior QB Mywan Jackson has been one of the biggest reasons. Jackson has accounted for nine touchdowns in the last two wins (five passing, four rushing).

Newsome made a few changes to its offense last week and it led to the Wolves' doubling their touchdown production on the season in picking up their first win. However, the Wolves will be tested this week against Armwood's stout defense, which has yielded just one touchdown through three games.

Armwood won the only previous meeting between the two schools last season, 42-3.

BRANDON (1-2) at EAST BAY (2-1)
Brandon was in the same spot through three games last season, and the Eagles are hoping for the same type of turnaround they had in 2007 when they went on to win the Class 5A-District 7 title. But it won't be an easy task against East Bay, which is considered the favorite in the district this season.

Brandon had a rough time offensively last week against Armwood, and Coach John Lima said the goal this week is to get that unit untracked. QB Josh Celerin continues to improve, and the Eagles likely will turn to the ground game with RB DeAndre Bowers to get things going early.

East Bay lost its first game of the season last week on the road to Wharton, and the Indians' vaunted wishbone attack struggled in that loss, gaining only 164 yards on 34 carries, with most of that total coming in the fourth quarter.

Brandon is 3-0 all-time against East Bay under Lima, which includes the Eagles' 17-16 victory last season.

CAMBRIDGE CHRISTIAN (0-3) at BRADENTON PREP (2-1)
The Lancers finally got their first points of the season last week, but it wasn't enough to avoid their third consecutive loss. The task will be mighty against this week as Cambridge Christian, off to its worst start in program history, faces a Bradenton Prep that made the state semifinals last season and is coming off a convincing win over Northside Christian.

This is Cambridge Christian's second Class 1B-District 6 game of the season, and a loss here would be detrimental to the Lancers' playoff hopes.

The teams have split two previous meetings. Bradenton Prep won 28-0 in 2007.

CARROLLWOOD DAY (1-2) at HERNANDO CHRISTIAN (3-0)
Carrollwood Day has dropped two straight since winning its season opener but will look to rebound in its Sunshine Conference opener.

The Patriots didn't have much success offensively last week against Moore Haven and were shutout for the first time this season, but Coach Lane McLaughlin is confident his group can rebound this week.

Shoring up the defense may be CDS Prep's biggest concern, as the unit has yielded an average of 37 points per game this season.

KING (1-2) at DURANT (1-2)
Both the Lions and Cougars have each dropped two straight after posting season-opening wins.

Durant has managed just nine points combined in its last two games after putting up 25 in Week 1. King, meanwhile, has managed just two touchdowns combined in its last two games after scoring three in Week 1.

The Cougars are making a switch at quarterback. Coach Mike Gottman is handing the ball to senior Daniel Coan in favor of sophomore Je'Twan Smith, who has struggled the past two weeks.

The Lions got a big game last week from RB Donovan Celerin (114 rushing yards, one touchdown), and they'll need Celerin and QB Keith Graham to play well this week to pull out a road win.

PLANT CITY (2-1) at BLOOMINGDALE (2-1)
The Raiders have rebounded from a tough season-opening loss with consecutive wins, though those wins have been anything but pretty.

Plant City's offense continues to struggle. The Raiders have scored just three offensive touchdowns all season (one in each game), and they have been outscored 34-26 this season. However, the Raiders defense has continued its stellar play, and the unit has allowed just one touchdown combined in the last two games.

First-year Bloomingdale coach Jason Stokes picked up his first win the last time out against King (and the Bulls got a second win this week due to a forfeit by Spoto), but the coach said the offense is still struggling with execution. The good thing is the Bulls defense has played very well the last two weeks, yielding an average of just 9.5 points per game during that stretch.

Plant City has won the last two meetings in this Class 5A-District 7 matchup, both by shutout.

GAITHER (1-2) at JEFFERSON (1-1)
Jefferson had a week off to celebrate its first win of the season, a 27-7 victory over Robinson, and get ready for the Cowboys. The Dragons' duel threat backs, Mark Winters and Terence Dotson, have been one of the strengths of the offense. The other, of course, is sophomore quarterback Quentin Williams. They have the ability to really push and exploit Gaither's young defense.

Good news for the Cowboys is they get starting tailback Jarvis Giles back for the first time in the regular season. Giles has been sidelined the past three games with a strained abductor muscle, and though not 100 percent, he'll be a welcome addition to the offense, which as struggled in his absence. The Cowboys got their first win of the season last week, a squeaker against Freedom, and hope to pull to .500 with another this week.

LETO (1-2) at ALONSO (2-1)
Alonso easily handled Blake last week with a smothering defense and efficient offensive game plan. Led by quarterback C.J. Bennett, the Ravens have thrown for more than 600 yards in three games, which is more than half of what they threw for all last season. Defensive tackle Demonte McAllister leads the team, and the county, with seven sacks.

That's not good for Leto, with a smallish and suspect offensive line. The Falcons have struggled to find any consistency in their offense. Defensively, Leto's speed and a good pass rush will make it difficult for Alonso. This game will feature the McAllister brothers pitted against each other for the first time. Demonte's brother Kenny is Leto's starting defensive end.

PLANT (2-1) at RIVERVIEW (0-2)
Plant quarterback Aaron Murray threw for seven touchdowns in one half of action last week against Middleton. Imagine what he can do against a team that turned the ball over seven times in a 12-9 loss to Plant City last week. Panthers' receivers Allen Sampson and Orson Charles are proven go-to guys for Murray. Murray and Sampson lead the county.

The Sharks are seeking their first victory and some sort of identity on offense. That will prove to be difficult against a Plant defense that has limited opponents to an average of seven points per game. Charles, a transfer, will be playing against his former team for the first time.

SICKLES (0-3) at WHARTON (1-2)
Neither team's season is going quite according to plan. Fresh off its first playoff appearance in school history, Sickles is struggling to sustain any sort of momentum. The Gryphons have gone ahead in each of their three games, but have been unable to hold on for a victory.

Wharton upset East Bay last week for its first victory of the season and can get to .500 with a second straight win. The Wildcats discovered an offense, putting up 213 yards against East Bay, compared to the combined 197 total offensive yards in its first two games. That gave Wharton a much needed shot of confidence, something they lacked it its first two losses.

BLAKE (0-3) at CHAMBERLAIN (3-0)
Blake is coming off a 26-10 loss to Alonso, but despite their record, the Yellow Jackets are more competitive then they were in 2007.

Chamberlain is coming off its biggest win in nearly five years, defeating longtime rival Hillsborough, 48-21.

The Chiefs offense has been nearly unstoppable, using the triple option to keep the ball in the hands of its best playmaker, senior quarterback Dontae Aycock.

FAITH BAPTIST CHRISTIAN (2-1) at PROVIDENCE CHRISTIAN (2-1)
Faith Baptist is coming off a 42-12 win over Heritage Christian while Providence lost to Indian Rocks Christian, 70-0.

Faith Baptist quarterback Aaron Despaw was responsible for all five touchdowns and has scored nine this season.

This is the first meeting between the teams and is a Florida Christian Conference game.

HILLSBOROUGH (2-1) at MIDDLETON (1-2)
Both teams are coming off double-digit losses, Middleton having lost to Plant, 56-14.

Hillsborough's passing attack should be successful against Middleton, which gave up 378 yards and seven touchdowns to Plant quarterback Aaron Murray in one half of football.

Middleton's running attack, however, showed promise, with junior Rodney Johnson and fullback Greg Hickman.

Hillsborough held on to win a thriller in last year's meeting, 35-32.

LENNARD (2-1) at ST. PETE CATHOLIC (0-3)
Lennard lost to Spoto, 46-16, last week, but Spoto had to forfeit the game after learning it had used an ineligible player.

The Barons fell to Jesuit last week, 56-7.

Lennard quarterback Andrew Burdick is one of the top passers in the county this season with 487 yards and five touchdowns.

St. Pete Catholic won last year's meeting, 35-21.

SPOTO (0-3) at PALMETTO (2-1)
Spoto is 3-0 on the field, but the Spartans had to forfeit each of their victories this week for using an ineligible player in those games.

Palmetto is coming off a 31-0 win over Lakewood Ranch and Spoto's running game will face a challenge in blocking defensive tackle Kedric Johnson.

This is a Class 3A-District 11 game, which Palmetto won 40-0.

ROBINSON (1-2) at JESUIT (3-0)
One of the area's most improved teams this fall, undefeated Jesuit will be looking to take control of the Class 3A-District 11 race with this league opener against Robinson.

The Tigers have won the last two meetings by a combined score of 68-36 but in 2005, Robinson clobbered Jesuit, 42-3, to hand the Tigers one of their two losses that season. The Knights only got into the win column last week with a 20-16 victory over Leto but they have the type of team speed that can sometimes give Jesuit difficulty.

Players Jesuit will need to key on include two sophomores, tight end/running back Robert Smith, who scored Robinson's first two TDs against Leto, and quarterback Ruben Gonzalez, who put the game away with a fourth-quarter TD run. He's also passed for 232 yards and 1 TD this season.

Robinson will have to contend with Jesuit's sometimes tricky field turf, as well as running back Robby Garcia (46 carries, 308 yards and six TDs) and receiver Erick McGriff (13 receptions, 241 yards and two TDs).

TAMPA BAY TECH (3-0) at FREEDOM (1-1)
This is a Class 4A-District 11 showdown of major importance. It might only be the district opener for both schools, but the loser is going to face a tough road to reach the playoffs. That's because state powers Armwood and Hillsborough are also members of 4A-11.

The big question mark for TBT is its star fullback, Maurice Hagens. He suffered a sprained MCL in his left knee in last week's win over Sickles and could be forced to sit this one out. He's rushed for more than 400 yards in three games but hasn't practiced all week. Without him, the Titans will have to rely heavily on quarterback Angel Rodriguez.

Freedom may not match up size-wise with TBT and the Patriots don't have as much depth. But they do have equitable speed, size at certain positions and a sophomore quarterback, Josh Grady, who has been impressive in his first two outings. If Freedom can avoid turnovers and giving up the big play, they'll give the favored Titans all they can handle.

TAMPA CATHOLIC (1-2) at LAKE PLACID (1-1)
Tampa Catholic registered its first victory last week against Sarasota Cardinal Mooney and the 31-7 romp couldn't have come at a better time. A Class 2A state finalist last year, the Crusaders were in a funk and were dealing with injuries to several key players, including quarterback Christian Green.

Although his ankle sprain had not completely healed, Green played much of the Mooney game and saw his most action since TC's season-opening loss to Ocala Trinity Catholic. TC coach Bob Henriquez says Green is still not 100 percent but this is the Crusaders' 2A-5 opener and will have to play, sore ankle or not. After this game, TC will have two weeks before its next game.

Lake Placid is coming off an open date and two weeks ago won its first game of the season, 29-10 over Celebration. Henriquez says what the Dragons might lack in size is made up with breakaway speed. Last season, TC won this game 46-0.

Compiled by Adam Adkins, Katherine Smith, Bill Ward and Nick Williams.

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