Jordan Prestwood does not appear to be headed to South Bend, Ind.
Plant City High's Jordan Prestwood.
Photo by Tom Lemming
Ranked among the top 50 linemen in Florida, the
Plant City offensive tackle Prestwood de-committed from Notre Dame last week. During the weekend he was in Gainesville visiting Florida during their game against Mississippi State. He has plans to visit Florida State Nov. 6 and has not ruled out taking his official visit to the Fighting Irish.
"The past couple weeks I’ve been having second thoughts about it,’" Prestwood told the St. Petersburg Times. "I just felt like I rushed into it and I really didn't think things out. Maybe I got caught up in the moment when I was up there. It’s nothing against Notre Dame. Notre Dame is an awesome place. I still love it there.
"One’s two hours away (Gainesville) and the other is four hours (Tallahassee). My family could come see me whenever they wanted to."
A 6-foot-6, 277-pounder versatile enough to also play tight end for Plant City, Prestwood sat out the Raiders' 20-7 loss to Gaither (Tampa) after suffering a concussion in practice last week.
BEST OF THE BAY AREA 1. Armwood (Seffner) 6-0 – The Hawks kept the foot on the pedal, routing Chamberlain 52-0 last week. Armwood can move closer to its fourth straight district title this week with a win at Hillsborough (Tampa).
2. Jefferson (Tampa) 6-0 – Off last week, the Dragons play at Spoto (Riverview) in a game that likely will decide the 3A-8 district champ.
3. St. Petersburg 6-0 – The
Rashad Lewis show continues: 255 yards and five touchdowns in a 42-26 win against Boca Ciega (St. Petersburg). Up next: at Northeast (St. Petersburg).
4. Brandon 6-0 – The unbeaten Eagles have had two weeks to prepare for their game at Tampa Bay Tech. This matchup will go a long way towards determining the 5A-7 champ.
5. Jesuit (Tampa) 6-0 – The Tigers stayed perfect with a 28-7 win against Strawberry Crest (Dover). Off this week.
6. Plant (Tampa) 5-2 – Don’t write off the state champs just yet. Plant topped Spoto (Riverview) 36-20 and can all but nail down the 5A-5 district crown this week at Alonso (Tampa).
7. Robinson (Tampa) 5-1 – The Knights topped their 44-points-per-game average with a 69-0 crushing of St. Petersburg Catholic. Robinson plays at Lennard (Ruskin) this week.
8. Pasco (Dade City) 6-0 – After crushing Anclote (Holiday) 61-0, Pasco travels to Land O’ lakes with the Class 3A-7 crown on the line.
9. Land O'Lakes 6-0 – Quarterback Stephen Weatherford threw four touchdown passes and ran for another as LOL beat Wesley Chapel 49-3. Showdown at home against Pasco is this Friday.
10. Countryside (Clearwater) 7-0 – Cougars got it done but struggled in 17-13 win against Tarpon Springs. At Palm Harbor University Friday.
Right there: Hillsborough (Tampa) 5-2, King (Tampa) 5-2, Largo 5-1, Berkeley Prep (Tampa) 5-1, East Lake (Tarpon Springs) 6-1, Sunlake (Land O'Lakes) 6-0.
SHOWDOWN FRIDAY
Teams are jockeying for playoff berths and games across the Bay area will solidify some races and tangle up others. Here’s a look at some of those district matchups:
CLASS 5A-7: Tampa Bay Tech (4-3), coming off a shocking loss to King (Tampa) hosts unbeaten (6-0) Brandon. Both are 1-0 in league play.
CLASS 4A-10: District front-runner Largo (5-1, 2-0) tries to nail down its second straight league crown against a Boca Ciega (Gulfport) (2-4, 1-1) team much better than its record.
CLASS 4A-9: At 5-2, Hillsborough (Tampa) has rebounded from early-season losses and hosts 6-0 Armwood (Seffner) to make a claim on the district championship.
CLASS 3A-8: Jefferson (Tampa) plays at Spoto (Riverview) in a pure meeting of offense vs. defense. Jefferson is 6-0 and 2-0 in league play, Spoto is 5-2, 2-0.
CLASS 3A-7: A clash of the titans just north of the Tampa metro area. Both 6-0 and 4-0 in the district, Pasco (Dade City) plays at Land O’ Lakes.
CLASS 2A-5: Two teams playing their first full seasons at the varsity level, Steinbrenner (Lutz) and Strawberry Crest (Dover) had made great strides. Both 3-3, the winner moves into a tie for second place in league play.
CLASS A-6: Berkeley Prep (Tampa) coach Dominick Ciao coached Jesuit (Tampa) to the state finals in 1992. He’s looking for a signature win for Berkeley (5-1, 2-0) as it travels to Fort Meade (7-0, 2-0).
