Defending Florida state champ Plant struggles in opening win

If there were any lingering concerns about the ability of Plant (Tampa) to pursue a third straight state championship after its blowout preseason loss at Manatee (Bradenton), there is good news and not-so good news.

The good news is that the Panthers rebounded with a regular-season opening victory against a rugged Tampa Bay Tech (Tampa) squad.

The not-so-good news?

It was not an easy win for Plant. Tech stood toe-to-toe in a slugfest of a game that ended with the Panthers owning a hard-earned 10-0 win.



Plant's defense was stellar in shutting down the Titans' offense, which runs a triple option.

Quarterback Phillip Ely, nursing a sore lower right leg, scored the game's lone touchdown on a short run in the first quarter. Plant added a late field goal and solid defense, including two late-game sacks from James Wilder to preserve to win.

More showy wins came from Jefferson (Tampa) and Armwood (Seffner). Powerhouses making their own state championship pursuits, Jefferson routed rival Hillsborough (Tampa) 30-14 while Armwood blasted Newsome (Lithia) 42-7.

Jefferson quarterback Quentin Williams threw for 258 yards and three touchdowns while linebacker Ramik Wilson led the Dragons' defensive effort.

Armwood got running and passing touchdowns from quarterback Josh Grady and three rushing scores from running back Matt Jones in their victory.

BEST OF THE BAY AREA
1. Armwood (Seffner) (1-0) - No wide receiver A.J. King? No problem. Standout King is expected back for the Hawks' next contest in two weeks.



2. Jefferson (Tampa) (1-0) – QB Quentin Williams already appears in mid-season form.

3. Plant (Tampa) (1-0) – Don’t write off the slow-starting Panthers just yet.

4. Robinson (Tampa) (1-0) – A good start, with 407 yards of offense and 50 points in the first half on opening night in 57-0 rout of Leto (Tampa).

5. St. Petersburg (1-0) – Green Devils off and running with touchdown runs from A.J. Harris, David Jones and Calvin Robinson in 36-13 win against East Lake (Tarpon Springs).

6. Sickles (Tampa) (1-0) – Three-headed backfield of quarterback John Hendrick and running backs Carey White and Brieann Dollard totaled 300-plus yards in 38-7 rout of Gaither (Tampa).

7. Tampa Bay Tech (Tampa, Fla.) (0-1) – The best one-loss team in the Tampa Bay area.

8. Land O'Lakes (1-0) – University of South Florida oral commit and quarterback Stephen Weatherford opens season with 388 passing yards and three touchdowns in 49-6 win vs. Ridgewood (New Port Richey).

9. Jesuit (Tampa) (1-0) – Huge 14-7 win at Kathleen (Lakeland) in coach James Harrell's debut.

10. Countryside (Clearwater) (1-0) – Tighter than the Cougars would have liked but a solid 21-20 win against Boca Ciega (Gulfport).



Right around the corner…Largo (1-0), Spoto (Riverview) (1-0), Plant City (1-0), Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville) (1-0), Pasco (Dade City) (0-0).

RECRUITING NEWS
The flurry of summertime recruiting moves appears to have taken a back seat to actual games right now as recruits in other sports make decisions around the Tampa Bay area.

Most notably, standout senior Plant (Tampa) basketball player Michael Frazier, a guard, committed to the University of Florida.

Other commitments include Blake (Tampa) basketball player Andre Smith committing to Division I Winthrop University. Also, Osceola (Seminole) baseball pitcher Taylor Layner committed to Florida State.

Also, standout Plant tennis player Amber Li will play college tennis for Yale University. And Armwood (Seffner) and Gaither (Tampa) baseball players Josh Spano (C/P) and Alex Milne (LHP) committed to High Point University in North Carolina and University of Central Florida, respectively.

OTHER HAPPENINGS
Bay area schools also opened golf and volleyball season during the past week.



Tampa Jesuit’s boys blew past the field in the season-opening East Lake Invitational at Cypress Run Golf Club in Tarpon Springs, enjoying an 11-stroke victory. All four of the Tigers’ golfers shot in the 70s, including Chet Ghioto, who fired a 2-over-par 74 to place second overall.

Meanwhile, several of the Bay area's top volleyball squads competed at the Gator Town Classic in Gainesville. Despite two-time defending event champion Plant being in the field, it was Clearwater that had the best showing of the Bay area teams.

Clearwater topped Durant (Plant City) and then Plant (Tampa) – surprisingly in three straight games. Clearwater placed fifth in the event, which was won by Venice.

In addition to Clearwater, Plant and Durant, Bay area squads Tampa Prep and Steinbrenner (Lutz) also competed.