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Hillsborough County football preview: Week 10

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TBO.com

Published: November 5, 2009

ARMWOOD (7-1) AT EAST BAY (5-4)

NEED TO KNOW: This game will decide the Class 4A-District 9 title.

The Hawks, who have won four straight, are seeking their sixth district title this decade. Armwood quarterback Josh Grady threw a season-high three touchdowns in last week's win over Gaither.

East Bay has bounced back with consecutive wins to again climb above .500 on the season. Aaron Mills had three touchdown runs over the past two games.

The teams last met in 2006, with Armwood winning, 44-14.

DURANT (6-2) AT NEWSOME (5-3)

NEED TO KNOW: The Cougars are fighting for their playoff lives while the Wolves have a chance to wrap up their second consecutive district title with a win in this Class 5A-District 6 matchup.

Durant will be eliminated from playoff contention with a loss. A Cougars win will force a three-way tiebreaker with Newsome and Plant City on Monday to decide the district champion and runner-up. If Newsome wins, the Wolves earn the district title and Plant City will be the runner-up.

Cougars quarterback Je'Twan Smith is coming off one of his most productive games in the loss to Plant City, accounting for 239 total yards of offense and throwing for a score. Receiver David Claypool had played big over the last three games, with 12 receptions for 241 yards and two touchdowns during that stretch.

Vince Pennington, who took over for the injured Conner Powers as the Wolves' starting fullback, topped the 100-yard mark for the second consecutive game in last week's win over Riverview.

The teams have met annually since 2005. Newsome is 4-0 all-time against Durant.

GAITHER (1-7) AT ALONSO (3-5)

NEED TO KNOW: Alonso can wrap up the Class 5A-District 5 runner-up spot with a victory. A loss would force a tiebreaker game. It seems like every week Alonso has had to deal with some type of adversity and this week is no different. Running back/wide receiver Jesse Anaya quit the team, leaving the Ravens without one of their top offensive players and team's second-leading receiver. Coach Mike Heldt expects several players to step up in Anaya's absence.

The Cowboys are averaging only five points a game and have been outscored, 255-26, in their seven losses, including four shutouts. This has been a rebuilding year for Gaither. Although the schedule hasn't been kind, they have still had good moments, especially on defense with defensive back Jamal Allen and lineman Demetrius Best.

INDIAN ROCKS CHRISTIAN (6-2) AT BERKELEY PREP (5-2)

NEED TO KNOW: The Class 1A-District 6 runner-up spot is Berkeley's with a victory. The Bucs recorded their second shutout of the season with a 21-0 victory against Winter Park Trinity Prep last week. Running back Nelson Agholor rushed for his fifth 100-plus yard game this season. The offense was also aided with a 101 rushing yards from Chris Williams. Getting production out of others on the offense is vital because in each of the Bucs two losses this season, opponents have keyed on Agholor and held him to under 20 rushing yards.

Indian Rocks Christian is coming off a 17-10 overtime victory against Northside Christian. The Eagles have a balanced offensive attack, averaging more than 175 on the ground and 125 in the air per game this season.

ST. PETE CATHOLIC (5-3) AT JESUIT (7-1)

NEED TO KNOW: Jesuit can secure its first postseason spot in two years with a victory. And its balanced offense is just what they need to do that. With more than 200 rushing yards against Middleton last week, Jesuit proved it has a strong running game to go along with its passing attack. Running back Robby Garcia rushed for more than 150 yards against Middleton and is up against a St. Pete Catholic defense that gave up more than 350 rushing yards to the same team.

The Barons were off last week, giving them two weeks of preparation for Jesuit. It also gave them an extra week to stew over their 35-14 loss to Middleton – a game they led, 6-2, at halftime and then seemingly lost control of in the second half.

BRANDON (2-6) AT FREEDOM (5-2)

NEED TO KNOW: Brandon picked up its second win of the season last week with a 6-0 victory over Chamberlain.

Quarterback Alan Knippel has thrown for 733 passing yards with seven touchdowns and six interceptions. Senior receiver Sean Watson has been his top target with 23 catches for 441 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Watson is also a playmaker on special teams with 642 kick return yards and 232 punt return yards. Running back Darius Lee has amassed 461 yards on the ground with three touchdowns. Shawn Council has been a playmaker on defense with a team-high nine sacks. Watson leads the secondary with five interceptions.

Freedom is coming off a 39-0 win over Leto, its first shutout victory of the season. Senior quarterback Tyler Guy has thrown for 1,136 yards and eight touchdowns while running back Amonty Delisca leads the rushing attack with 472 yards and four touchdowns. Defensively, junior linebacker Anthony Harrell leads the team in tackles with 82 along with five sacks.

With a win and a Tampa Bay Tech win over Wharton, Freedom will clinch a playoff berth as district runner up. If Brandon wins, it will force a three-way tie with Freedom and Wharton for district runner up. If Wharton and Freedom win, Tampa Bay Tech, Wharton and Freedom will play a three-way tiebreaker to determine district champ and runner-up. Lastly, if Brandon and Wharton win, Wharton is the district champion and Tech is the runner-up.

LAKEWOOD (6-2) AT SPOTO (6-2)

NEED TO KNOW: Lakewood defeated Blake last week, 46-0, to inch one step closer to reaching the postseason. The Spartans are led by quarterback Jermiel Douse (368 yards, 5 TDs, 337 rushing yards, 2 TDs) and speedy running back Bernard Reedy (652 yards, 11 TDs).

Spoto ended a two-game losing skid with a 43-7 win over Seminole Osceola last week. Jamar Burns leads the offense with 787 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Junior linebacker Rodney Williams controls the defense with 93 tackles. Stopping Reedy and Douse will be key to a victory for Spoto.

With a win, either team will secure a playoff berth as district runner up. Spoto made the playoffs for the first time in program history last season.

KING (3-4) AT HILLSBOROUGH (5-2)

NEED TO KNOW: Coming off an open week, Hillsborough needs to knock off the Lions at home tonight in order to assure themselves of second place in the district and a spot in the postseason. A loss, coupled with a victory by Armwood over East Bay, would force a three-way tie breaker for the runner-up spot.

With those stakes, Terriers coach Earl Garcia says he is not taking King lightly. The Lions are coming off arguably their most impressive performance of the season, a 42-14 victory over Bloomingdale. In that game, junior quarterback Reese Sturgis, who took over the spot when usual starter Greg Windham went down with an injury, rushed for 102 yards and three touchdowns. King running back Derrick Johnson also had a big game for the Lions, rushing for 159 yards and two TDs on 21 carries.

Nonetheless, Hillsborough, will be the heavy favorite in this contest. Despite losing to Armwood, 34-21, two weeks ago, the Terriers' offense produced more than 400 yards against the Hawks and appear to be clicking as the regular season winds down. Senior quarterback Tarean Austin has produced 1,576 yards and 16 TDs through the air, with his No. 1 target being junior receiver Charles Lovett, who has 32 catches for 828 yards and seven TDs. On the ground, running backs Rodney Johnson, Antonio Chow and Jamie Knott have combined for nearly 1,000 yards rushing. If the Terriers can avoid turnovers, they should book their spot in the playoffs with this game.

WHARTON (2-6) at TAMPA BAY TECH (6-1)

NEED TO KNOW: Although the Titans are 2-0 in their district and coming off a much-needed bye week, they still need to defeat Wharton (1-1) in order to take the title outright and, more importantly, avoid any tie-breaker scenarios. The problem, says TBT coach C.C. Culpepper, is he is unsure "which Wharton team will show up" in this game.

Despite their losing record, the Wildcats are a team with talent -- enough to have made things very close in their nine-point loss to Freedom three weeks ago. Wharton's biggest problem has been an inconsistent offense and a defense that has given up big plays. If they do the same against TBT, the Wildcats are in trouble because that's exactly what the Titans have plenty of -- players capable of breakaway scores.

The target of Wharton's defense will be, of course, TBT fullback Maurice Hagens (125 carries, 864 yards and 8 TDs). But the Titans' option offense also features fleet-footed Cludner Le Count (28 carries, 210 yards and 7 TDs) and quarterback Johnathan Williams, who has accounted for more than 1,000 yards passing and rushing. LeCount, just a sophomore, also has nearly 300 yards receiving and wide out C.J. Jackson has 228 yards on eight catches, an average of nearly 30 yards per reception.

PLANT (6-1) AT CHAMBERLAIN (1-8)

NEED TO KNOW: Plant is coming off a 57-21 win over Alonso which secured a playoff berth. The Panthers can wrap up a district title with a win over Chamberlain.

Junior quarterback Phillip Ely leads the offense with 727 passing yards and seven touchdowns. Running back TJ Glover has been a playmaker out of the backfield and as a slot receiver with a team-best 410 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, along with 148 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Defensively, linebacker Mike Mirabella owns a team-high 72 tackles and 10 sacks while junior defensive end James Wilder has 64 tackles and 10 sacks.

Although this is a home game, the Chiefs have played better on the road, as they have scored 19 of their total 48 points this season on their home field.

JEFFERSON (6-1) AT BLAKE (1-7)

NEED TO KNOW: The Dragons clinched the district title with a win last week and they're hoping to complete a perfect run in district play with a road victory against the Yellow Jackets.

Jefferson quarterback Quentin Williams leads Hillsborough County with 2,029 passing yards and 22 touchdown passes, and he's coming off a 304-yard, four-touchdown performance in a blowout win over Dixie Hollins last week.

While Blake is 1-2 over its last three games, both of the losses were shutouts to Lakewood and Hillsborough by a combined score of 95-0. Yellow Jackets quarterback Eugene Davenport has been the team's top offensive threat this season, with 1,084 total yards of offense and four touchdowns.

BLOOMINGDALE (0-8) AT RIVERVIEW (2-6)

NEED TO KNOW: While this is a late-season district matchup, both the Bulls and Sharks have been eliminated from postseason contention.

Bloomingdale, still searching for its first win under Coach John Booth, has gotten big games the past two weeks from running back Derrick Johnson. Johnson had 161 rushing yards and one touchdown in a loss to Newsome, and followed it up with 159 rushing yards and two touchdowns last week against King.

Riverview senior running back Ronnie Johnson has the opportunity to put the stamp on his first career 1,000-yard season. Johnson enters the game with 949 rushing yards. But the Sharks offense has struggled recently, managing just one touchdown over the last two games.

LAKELAND VICTORY CHRISTIAN (8-1) AT CAMBRIDGE CHRISTIAN (4-4)

NEED TO KNOW: The Lancers host the team that knocked them out of postseason contention last week. When Victory Christian defeated Admiral Farragut last week, which clinched the Class 1B-District 5 title, it officially eliminated Cambridge Christian from the playoff race.

The Lancers rolled to a 43-0 win over Winter Haven All Saints' in their last game. Senior running back Chris Brown rushed for 259 yards and four touchdowns in the win.

Victory Christian is ranked No. 4 in the latest Class 1B state football poll.

The teams last met in 2006, with Victory Christian winning, 58-0.

CANTERBURY (7-1) AT CARROLLWOOD DAY (8-0)

NEED TO KNOW: This should be the toughest test this season for the Patriots, who are playing their regular-season finale.

Carrollwood Day running back Darius Bing, who is averaging 106 rushing yards per game, could reach the 1,000-yard mark on the season with a big game. Bing has 854 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on the season, and 521 rushing yards and nine touchdowns over his last three games.

Canterbury hasn't lost since a 20-6 setback to Northside Christian in its season-opener.

STRAWBERRY CREST (1-4) AT ROBINSON (7-1)

NEED TO KNOW: The Knights wrapped up their first district title since 1977 with a win last week against first-year program Steinbrenner, and Robinson has the chance to finish off a perfect district slate with a win this week against the first-year Chargers.

Strawberry Crest quarterback Brandon Reaves has three rushing touchdowns and a touchdown pass combined over his past two games. Running back Tomas Herrera leads the team with 437 rushing yards, and he has 164 rushing yards and a touchdown combined over his last two games.

Robinson quarterback Blake Rice has thrown for four touchdowns in each of his past two games and ranks among the county's leaders with 19 touchdown passes this season. His main targets, juniors Ruben Garcia and Frankie Williams, each have had solid seasons. Garcia has 29 receptions for 483 yards and seven touchdowns this season, while Williams has 24 catches for 402 yards and six scores.

MIDDLETON (5-3) AT LETO (1-7)

NEED TO KNOW: Leto's been in a nine-quarter slump. That's how long it's been since they've scored any points. The last time the Falcons put points on the scoreboard was their Oct. 16 20-3 loss to Newsome when they kicked a field goal in the third quarter. Running back Jeremy Deering can take advantage of a Middleton defense that gave up more than 200 rushing yards in last week's loss to Jesuit.

The Tigers didn't have an answer for Jesuit's running game, but Leto doesn't have the physical offensive line unit like Jesuit. Middleton will also have to be more consistent offensively. In last week's loss, the Tigers managed more punting yards than they did offensive yards.

STEINBRENNER (0-5) AT LENNARD (2-6)

NEED TO KNOW: Steinbrenner is looking to snap a five-game losing streak dating back to its district opener to Jesuit on Sept 25. The Warriors are averaging 18 points per game this season and just over 100 yards rushing per game.

Lennard snapped a five-game losing streak last week with a 37-14 win over Strawberry Crest. Junior Eric Porter leads the offense with 806 passing yards and seven touchdowns along with 312 rushing yards and three touchdowns. De'Myco Winston is the team's leading receiver with 346 yards and five touchdowns. Tevin Abney has been a force at running back with 446 yards and four touchdowns.

AVON PARK (3-5) AT TAMPA CATHOLIC (7-0)

NEED TO KNOW: Although the state-ranked Crusaders have already locked up their district title, coach Bob Henriquez says he wants to avoid any late-season stumbles in this one. And with this being homecoming week at TC, he knows it can happen. Also on his mind is next week's showdown with Jesuit, which he says shouldn't be considered a "rivalry game" any longer since his squad has lost eight straight to the Tigers.

The good news for the Crusaders is they are healthy and have some serious momentum heading into this district finale with Avon Park, which has been eliminated from the playoffs. Aside from what Henriquez called some "mental breakdowns" in last week's 24-14 win over Mulberry, TC has been superb this season. Under the direction of senior quarterback Christian Green (469 yards rushing on 47 carries, 27 of 59 passing for 346 yards), the Crusaders' offense has been productive all year, averaging more than 30 points per game. Running back Hank McCloud has enjoyed another solid year and is closing in on another 1,000-yard season. With 918 yards to his credit, McCloud should reach that mark tonight.

TC's defense has also been solid, allowing less than nine points per outing and keeping teams under 200 yards total offense per game. Four TC players -- Brandon Mendoza, Carson Bomar, Chris Lundy and Tyler Robb -- have more than solo 30 tackles each and as a unit, the defense has produced 13 sackasa and 13 interceptions. If the Crusaders keep focused on the game -- not the festivties or next week's game -- they should take this one comfortably.

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

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