THE DIFFERENCE: Alonso was up 17-7 with 8:35 left in the second quarter when the Ravens punted the ball on fourth down after failing to convert on third-and-long. Leto wide receiver Antwan Howard attempted to field the punt but he fumbled the ball and the Ravens' Jordan Unsell recovered the ball. Alonso had great field position at the Falcons' 17-yard line, however after two penalties and a costly sack, the Ravens were faced with second-and-long from their own 44. Then quarterback C.J. Bennett hit wide receiver Evan Jones for a 53-yard pass that gave the Ravens first-and-goal from the 3-yard line. Bennett rushed up the gut for a 3-yard touchdown and the Ravens went up 23-7 and never looked back. ...more

September 27, 2008

Dunedin is venturing away from its friendly confines for the first time this season while Countryside is the last team in Pinellas County to finally get a home game. ...more

September 25, 2008

THE DIFFERENCE: After being shut out in the first half, Robinson (1-2) scored all of its points in the second, capitalizing on good field position while holding Leto (1-2) to one offensive touchdown, which didn't come until late in the fourth quarter. ...more

September 20, 2008

More at TBO.com ...more

September 19, 2008

CHAMBERLAIN (2-0) at HILLSBOROUGH (2-0) Hillsborough has won five-consecutive games in this matchup. This year's game will highlight the Chiefs' triple-option threat and the Terriers speed, arguably the fastest in the county. Chamberlain has dominated its first two opponents with a pick-your-poison pairing of quarterback Dontae Aycock and backs Kenny Allen and Lamond Scott. In their first two victories, Chamberlain has outscored opponents, 80-27. ...more

September 18, 2008

TAMPA -- Wharton volleyball coach Nicole Weeden saw her team mature before her eyes on Thursday night. ...more

September 18, 2008

You would have sworn he was talking about Jeff Garcia. After all, his initial assessment of quarterback Brian Griese's first start was, word for word, precisely the same. ...more

September 15, 2008

Falcons coach Mike Smith needed only three plays to make his first rookie mistake Sunday. On a third-and-15 play from his own 18-yard line, Smith allowed his play-caller (we assume it was coordinator Mike Mularkey) to call for a pass play against the Bucs' nickel defense. The play wouldn't have worked even if its intended receiver, Harry Douglas, had caught the ball. When Douglas let the ball slip through his hands, though, the Falcons became married to the disaster they courted on that play. Rookie Aqib Talib only ran 2 yards after recording his first NFL interception but that was enough to set up the Bucs' first touchdown. ...more

September 15, 2008

If you go by dressing time before media interviews - and some of us factor that in - Brian Griese gets our nod over Jeff Garcia as Bucs starting quarterback. Garcia always put his suit on before his postgame. Griese, still wearing his Bucs uniform, stepped to the podium. ...more

September 15, 2008

On a sultry afternoon when Sabby Piscitelli and Aqib Talib posted their first NFL interceptions, fellow defensive back Tanard Jackson made the kind of game-turning play often buried in the stat sheet. ...more

September 15, 2008