The balance of power has shifted. Albeit not a seismic shift, but it is still pretty big.
Tampa Plant, previously ranked No. 2 in the MaxPreps Tampa Bay high school football poll, traveled to Seffner to face Armwood, the dominant team on the Tampa Bay block. The same Armwood team ranked No. 1 in Class 4A in the state and sporting a 43-game home winning streak.
And when it was over, Plant strutted out of Lyle Flagg Stadium with a 17-7 win and renewed status as the better of the top two teams in the area.
Plant quarterback Phillip Ely played his first full game back from a back injury, running back James Wilder Jr. ran for 82 yards and a touchdown and running back T.J. Glover had a dazzling 65-yard reverse for a touchdown as the Panthers beat their rival.
Plant (3-1) and Armwood (3-1) don’t have to worry about each other this year in the playoffs. The defending Class 4A champion, Plant has moved up to 5A. Still, the rivals put on quite a show as the Panthers became the first team in seven seasons to beat the Hawks in Seffner.
Javonte Martin, Plant
File photo by Chad Pilster
Big wins all around
The first week of district play in the bay area saw some big wins by teams making a move toward district titles.
The biggest may have come from Tampa Robinson – which improved to 4-0 while thrashing Tampa Jesuit 50-10 in what amounted to the Class 2A, District 5 title contest. Robinson, which won a total of three games combined during the past two seasons, jumped out alone to first place in the district. In other big wins, Tarpon Springs used the legs of Adrian Golden and Darius Daniels (a combined 287 yards and three touchdowns) to defeat previously unbeaten Largo 28-20.
Also, potent Tampa Bay Tech ran over Tampa Alonso 45-21, Tampa Sickles rebounded from its district loss to Largo with a 36-24 win at Brandon and St. Petersburg Lakewood pulled a mild upset with a 31-20 win against Clearwater Countryside.
Top performers
Tech’s Maurice Hagens, Cludner LaCount and Jonathan Williams each topped 100 yards rushing in the Titans' win against Tampa Alonso. The trio combined for 372 yards and three scores. Sickles running back Carey White ran for 199 yards and two touchdowns in the Gryphons’ win. White, who leads Hillsborough County in rushing, has 840 yards on the season.
St. Petersburg Lakewood running back Bernard Reedy had 106 yards rushing and a touchdown, 69 yards receiving and returned a kick 96 yards for the game-changing fourth-quarter score in Lakewood's 31-20 win against Countryside.
Also, Tampa Jefferson quarterback Quentin Williams completed 15-of-21 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns in the Dragons’ 45-7 beating of Tampa Wharton. ... The Tampa Hillsborough offense rolled up 402 yards of offense and had eight different players score touchdowns in a 68-0 dismantling of Tampa Gaither. ... Tampa Catholic running back Hank McCloud had 118 yards rushing and scored two touchdowns in a 28-0 topping of South Florida Prep.
On deck this week
Key district matchups take place Friday.
Sickles hosts Gulfport Boca Ciega in Class 4A, District 10. With Largo and Boca Ciega already 1-0 in league play, Sickles has to win to keep pace.
Tampa Jefferson plays at St. Petersburg Lakewood. This Class 3A, District 8 matchup features two mirror-image teams: fast offenses, plenty of playmakers and the ability to light up the scoreboard.
Tampa Freedom and Tampa Bay Tech. This Class 5A, District 7 meeting gives talented Freedom the chance to finally break through and move up the food chain. But they’ll have to beat a Titans team that is outscoring teams by an average of three touchdowns per game.
And in a Pinellas County rivalry that goes back decades, St. Petersburg plays at St. Petersburg Gibbs in a meeting of Class 5A, District 9 unbeatens.
The recruiting trail
Heavily recruited Tampa Hillsborough defensive back Terrence Mitchell has narrowed his final list to Florida State, Georgia, South Florida, Tennessee and Ole Miss. Meanwhile, Tampa Catholic quarterback Christian Green is being targeted by FSU, Georgia and USF. Also, Tarpon Springs running back Adrian Golden may take trips to the University of Florida and the University of Miami. And Tampa Catholic running back Hank McCloud has received his first offer from I-AA Towson.
This and that
Tampa Bay football top five: Tampa Plant (3-1), Seffner Armwood (3-1), Tampa Bay Tech (3-1), Riverview Spoto (5-0), Tampa Hillsborough (3-1).
Several bay area volleyball squads had tournament success last week, including Tampa Plant – which has moved up to Class 6A after three straight state titles at 5A. The Panthers (17-1) placed third at the prestigious ASICS Challenge tournament in Chicago. Meanwhile, Tampa Prep is hosting powerhouse Tampa Berkeley Prep, among others, at the Tampa Bay Invitational this week.
Also, Palm Harbor University won the Dig Pink tournament in Orlando, Clearwater Countryside won the Bolles Invitational in Jacksonville and Tampa Gaither captured the crown at the Bayshore Christian Invitational.
