With just a few Tampa Bay-area teams having already wrapped up playoff spots, practically all of the remaining district title and runner-up positions will be settled this week.
Among those who have wrapped up district titles are Tampa Jefferson, Clearwater Countryside, St. Petersburg Gibbs, Dade City Pasco Largo, Tampa Robinson and Tarpon Springs. St. Petersburg Admiral Farragut and Tampa Sickles have secured postseason berths as district runner-up teams.
This week, heavyweights Tampa Plant, Seffner Armwood, Tampa Bay Tech, Tampa Hillsborough and Tampa Catholic should have their playoff tickets officially punched.
Why the delay in securing spots?
Blame it on four-team districts, which several Tampa teams are in, that seemingly always go down to the next-to-last week of the season to finally settle just who goes where in the playoffs, and who doesn't go to the playoffs at all.
So here’s what area fans can look forward to on the first Friday night of November:
Previously mentioned Plant, Armwood, Tech and Hillsborough, along with Tampa Catholic, will find out their playoff destinations. But there are other squads still scrapping for playoff positions.
Plant City Durant plays at Lithia Newsome. Durant must win to force a three-way tiebreaker with Newsome and Plant City in Class 5A, District 6.
The same goes in 2A-5, with Tampa Jesuit hosting St. Petersburg Catholic. Jesuit has to win to wrap up the district runner-up spot. A Jesuit loss sends them to a three-way tiebreaker with St. Pete Catholic and Tampa Middleton.
Meanwhile, St. Petersburg Lakewood and Riverview Spoto fight it out for the second playoff spot in Class 3A, District 8 while Wesley Chapel Wiregrass Ranch and Hudson do the same in Class 4A, District 6. The meeting for the Class 3A-7 second postseason berth comes down to two 8-1 teams: Land O’ Lakes and New Port Richey Mitchell. The two just happen to play Friday night.
Also, in Class 3A-6, Brooksville Nature Coast needs a win and a Crystal River loss to claim the runner-up playoff spot.
Top performers last week included Sickles running back Cary White, who dashed for 188 yards and four touchdowns in the playoff-bound Gryphons’ big 41-21 win Tampa Alonso.
Other big rushing performances were turned in by Tampa Cambridge’s Chris Brown (259 yards, 4 touchdowns), Plant City’s Daz Patterson (229 yards, 2 TDs), Brooksville Nature Coast’s Tevin Drake (218 yards, 3 TDs), Wesley Chapel’s Jon Mahan (225 yards, 3 TDs) and Tarpon Springs East Lake RB Jamaal Wilburn, who tallied 232 yards and three scores in his team’s loss to Clearwater Countryside.
