By: Ross Van De Griek
With the high school football season approaching, I would like to countdown what I think will be the 10 best games to watch this upcoming season.
10. Zephyrhills at River Ridge- October 18 @ 7:30PM
This Week 9 matchup between these two Pasco county schools could be a factor with who wins the District 5A-11 regular season title. Zephyrhills has won the previous 3 meetings, all by an average of 3 points. Zephyrhills will be led this season by sophomore quarterback TJ Jackson, after their starting quarterback Nick Novo is no longer with the team. River Ridge will be led by senior quarterback Trenton Hawks, who will be taking over for graduate DJ Mann. The Royal Knights are also led by 9th year head coach Ryan Benjamin.
9. Clearwater Central Catholic at Clearwater- September 27 @ 7:30PM
Despite these 2 teams being 4 miles apart from each other, this will be the 1st all time meeting between the schools. Clearwater Central Catholic returns a bulk of their roster from last season, led by Rutgers commit Jack Del Rio & defensive lineman Jerzahn Newton from last year's 12-1 squad. The Tornadoes are led by Lafayette commit Rent Montie at the quarterback position, as well as running back Keedrik Murray.
8. Tampa Bay Tech at Plant- September 13 @ 7:30PM
These two Hillsborough schools have not played each other since 2014, where Plant thumped Tampa Bay Tech, 44-7, where former Plant & Southern Miss running back Patrick Brooks went onto rush for 295 yards & had 5 rushing touchdowns. Tampa Bay Tech is led by junior quarterback David Wright, two-way athlete Greg Gaines III, as they have a very young secondary. Plant is expected to be led by Georgia Tech commit Tucker Gleason & senior running back Christian Carvajal.
7. Armwood at Bloomingdale- September 6 @ 7:30PM
This week 3 matchup between two Hillsborough county teams might be an underrated matchup in this year's top slate of games. Armwood has the same expectations every year & that is to win the state championship. Armwood has a new trio of key transfers that have high expectations this season, featuring Noah Biglow, Hunter Helton & Charles Montgomery. Bloomingdale who is entering 1st year head coach Jake Coulson, after previous coach Max Warner left after 3 seasons to take a job at Bowling Green. The Bulls are led by senior quarterback Lance Alderson, who threw for 1485 passing yards & led Bloomingdale to an 11-2 season in 2018.
6. Gaither at Chamberlain- October 4 @ 7:30PM
This week 7 matchup between the Gaither Cowboys & Chamberlain Chiefs could be a featured matchup in a game of the week. Gaither is coming off an 8-4 season in 2018, but want to improve from that. The Cowboys are led by senior quarterback Tony Bartolo & with USF commit Chance Coleman leading the defense. Chamberlain will have to lead their focus on a different leader, as their recent quarterback Tyler Riddell is now playing at East Tennessee State. Chamberlain is expected to go with Bruce Jackson as their new starting quarterback, according to head coach Jason Lane.
5. Tampa Bay Tech at Wiregrass Ranch- October 25 @ 7:30PM
This week 10 matchup between two District 7A-8 schools could very well decide who will finishes behind district favorite Armwood. Tampa Bay Tech is led by 9th year head coach Jayson Roberts & will have a challenging schedule this season. These two schools have not faced each other since the 2014 season, where Wiregrass Ranch won 13-0 in a sloppy game that featured 13 combined turnovers. Wiregrass Ranch is led by 5th year head coach Mark Kantor & the Bulls will have a lot of turmoil to face after losing a couple of key players due to transfers.
4. Berkeley Prep at Calvary Christian- August 30 @ 7:30PM
After a 7-4 season in 2018, Berkeley Prep has much better expectations for this year's squad. The Buccaneers however did lose playmaker Joshua Youngblood, who is now playing at Kansas State, but do return junior quarterback Gavin Rupp, junior wide receiver RJ Garcia & also have a sensational running back Xavier Townsend who is just a sophomore. Calvary Christian is led by senior quarterback Harold Cook, junior wide receiver Richie Iliarraza & junior cornerback Kai Martin. The Warriors went 6-6 last season, but have better expectations for the 2019 season.
3. Armwood at Gaither- November 1 @ 7:30PM
Armwood once again is loaded with talent, that features junior wide receiver Agiye Hall who has offers from Arizona State, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Tennessee & Texas A&M & that is just to name a few. Armwood also is led by junior quarterback Cam'ron Ransom, senior running back Eric Wilson, senior defensive back Aamaris Brown & new transfer Charles Montgomery. Gaither is led by 3rd year head coach Kirk Karsen. Gaither has a couple of underrated prospects that include junior defensive back Jordan Oladokun & strong safety Sammie Lee.
2. Tampa Catholic at Jesuit- November 1 @ 7:30PM
The oldest rivalry in the Tampa Bay Area hits another chapter, as this rivalry Jesuit has won the previous 19 meetings which is the longest winning streak by one side in the rivalry history. Tampa Catholic is under 2nd year head coach Jeris McIntyre & are expected to start senior Dylan McCain at the quarterback position. The Crusaders are also led by Arizona State commit DJ Taylor, senior wide receiver Marcellus Crunchfield & incoming freshman Lewis Carter. Jesuit is led by 7th year head coach Matt Thompson & are led by junior quarterback Kiael Kelly, Stanford commit Connor McLaughlin, junior running back Ricky Parks & senior linebacker Brett Gerena.
1. Plant at Armwood- August 23 @ 7:30PM
Plant will be Plant once again. This team is full of hardworking players, according to head coach Robert Weiner. The Panthers are led by Georgia Tech commit Tucker Gleason & have versatile weapons at the running back position, featuring Hayden Reed & Christian Carvajal. The Panthers enter the first week of the season, ranked 3rd in the Tampa Bay Area & will be tested right out of the gate. Armwood has won 3 of the previous 5 meetings vs their in-county rival & are an 11 point favorite coming into this week's meeting, according to Joe Pinkos' game forecast.
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