By Eduardo A. Encina, Laura Keeley and Joey Knight, Times Staff Writers
Saturday, September 10, 2011
What we learned
1. There's still a wide gap in the county's oldest rivalry.
Plant coach Robert Weiner may still have a bum knee, but Hillsborough coach Earl Garcia is the one pulling out his hair after his team committed four turnovers in Plant's 36-6 win, the Panthers' fifth consecutive victory over Big Red. We've seen enough of Plant to know you can't hand the Panthers gimmes. Oh, and it also helps when you have a receiver such as Austin Aikens who can pluck any ball out of the sky.
2. The district of doom got a bit gloomier
Courtesy of Sickles. After consecutive convincing wins against Steinbrenner and Wharton, coach Brian Turner's squad has to be deemed a bona fide contender for the 6A-8 runnerup spot behind Armwood. At this point, does anyone really believe the Gryphons can't topple Hillsborough or Jefferson on a given night?
3. Some 0-2 teams are in trouble.
There are six 0-2 teams in the county — Wharton, Freedom, Strawberry Crest, Leto, Middleton and Lennard — but two have already reached red-alert status. For Strawberry Crest, which has been outscored 102-12, and Leto, which is on the short side of a combined 98-3 score, we could be waiting until they meet on Oct. 20 for either team to get its first win.
Looking ahead:
Jesuit (1-1) at Robinson (2-0)
These teams will likely see each other down the road come playoff time, but since becoming district foes they've developed a nice rivalry. Although they're in a nine-team district, we think this game will decide the district winner.
Plant (2-0) vs. Bergen (N.J) Catholic (0-0) at Bradenton Manatee
The Panthers don't back down from an out-of-state challenge. This game is half of a Florida vs. New Jersey showcase. Bergen Catholic, which opened its season Saturday, is ranked the fourth-best team in New Jersey by MaxPreps.
Hillsborough (1-1) at Newsome (1-1)
Both teams suffered tough losses this week. Can the Big Red stage a big rebound? Which power running game can come out on top?
Tampa Bay Tech (1-1) at Armwood (2-0)
The Hawks have dominated the Titans, but Tampa Bay Tech comes to Seffner riding high after a big win over King, so it's still an intriguing matchup.
Game balls
RB Nelson Agholor, Berkeley Prep: The bay area's top recruit didn't disappoint, scoring three touchdowns — two rushing, one receiving — in the Bucs' 38-12 win over Lakeland Victory. Agholor totaled 145 yards, including 120 on the ground.
RB Cludner Lacount, Tampa Bay Tech: Lacount anchored a truly Titan attack — TBT ran for 246 yards in its 35-28 win over King — accounting for 183 yards of offense (95 rushing, 88 receiving).
WR Chris Murray, King: You can't argue with Murray's 228 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the Lions' 35-28 setback to Tampa Bay Tech. He also ran in a two-point conversion for good measure.
RB Dazmond Patterson, Plant City: The Raiders all-purpose back tallied 224 total yards (106 rushing, 118 receiving) and three touchdowns on just 13 touches in a 29-7 win over Freedom. For those of you who aren't math majors, that's 17.2 yards a touch.
QB Deiondre Porter, Jefferson: With 224 total yards and two touchdowns, Porter used his arm and his legs to propel the 22-21 come-from-behind victory over Newsome.
FB Keller Powers, Newsome: The featured back in the Wolves' run-first, wing-T offense ran for 79 yards and one touchdown on 21 carries, and he also caught two passes for 36 yards and another score.
WR Bilal Salat, Sickles: The lanky Gryphon had TD catches of 74 and 11 yards from QB Nate Mills in his team's 38-21 win against Wharton.
By the numbers
4
Possession changes in the final 5:39 of the Jefferson-Newsome game. When the final horn sounded, Jefferson was on top 22-21.
1
Nonpenalty first downs by Hillsborough in the final three quarters of its 36-6 loss to Plant.
26
Points Seffner Christian scored in the fourth quarter of its 53-14 rout of Kissimmee Life Christian
248
Total yards (unofficially) by Sickles junior QB Nate Mills, who began the season as the backup, in the Gryphons' 38-21 romp of Wharton.
Audibles
"It was a hump to get over to get his first victory. I've been preaching about it to him forever, this whole summer, that we want him to have a winning record for his first season."
Tyriq McCord, Jefferson defensive lineman/wide receiver, on Jeremey Earle's first career win as a head coach
"You know, when we came in, Hillsborough had won 17 in a row, so we've got a little while to go till we catch up with what they've been doing. I think they're probably still leading the series by quite a bit. So for all the Panthers out there, we're going to keep trying to get it closer to .500."
Robert Weiner, Plant coach, after a 36-6 win over Hillsborough, its fifth straight, further putting a dent in the Terriers' 41-29-7 series edge in Hillsborough County's longest high school football rivalry