By STEVE JACKSON
Four of the five South Shore high school football teams posted a 2-2 mark last week. East Bay ran its season record to 5-2, holding off Wharton High 34-27. The Spoto Spartans registered win number four against three losses, thumping 1-5 Freedom High 48-7. Lennard fell resoundingly from the ranks of the unbeaten. The 6-1 Longhorns were clobbered in Plant City 55-7. Sumner High was also a victim. The Stingrays record dropped to 3-4 with a 28-0 shutout loss to the 6-0 Lakeland Dreadnaughts.
All five South Shore grid squads are scheduled for games this Thursday evening, Oct. 10, due to the Oct. 11 school district holiday. However, the imminent threat of Milton, the hurricane rambling strong in the Tampa Bay area, could force postponements much as Helene did Sept. 27.
Coach Keith Chattin and his Spoto Spartans have a Thursday date at 7 p.m. in Tampa with cupcake 0-6 Leto High. The East Bay Indians of Coach Mike Gottman host a tough District 8 match at 7 p.m. versus 4-2 Tampa Bay Tech. Coach Tony Rodriquez’ 1-5 Riverview High, after a bye week, hosts 5-2 Bartow High at 7 p.m. Sumner High hopes to get back on the winning trail as Coach George Selvie greets venerable Coach Earl Garcia Jr. and his 3-3 Hillsborough Terriers at 7:30 p.m.
The Lennard Longhorns have a bye this week. Coach KB Belton has his hands full preparing for a District 11 showdown with up-and-coming newcomer 5-1 Parrish High in Ruskin, Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m.
When Spoto plays a sub-par or weak team like Freedom, the Spartans unleash a devastating offensive trio that consists of junior quarterback Nathan Richardson, receiver junior Jesse Harden and superb runner/receiver Z’orey Cotton. This was the basis for the smashing Spartan win over Freedom last week and is expected to be the same formula for a big Spoto win over hapless Leto this Thursday. In the Freedom trouncing, Spoto got a 13 for 19 passing performance from Richardson for 275 passing yards and three TDs with no interceptions. Cotton totalled 135 yards rushing on 12 carries. The swift senior Cotton also grabbed a pair of passes for 83 yards and a TD. Cotton totalled 28 points by adding five 2-point conversions to his three TDs.
Harden posted a TD and a 2-point conversion with his seven receptions for 109 yards. Senior Spoto running back Jeayden Cartwright contributed 114 yards on the ground with nine totes and had a TD. Senior Dylan Yates reeled in three tosses for 72 yards and a TD. The Spoto defense was led by its stalwart Rome Freeman in tackles and by Nasir Foster who is averaging about a sack a game.
The Spartans jumped out to a 16-7 first quarter lead and bumped that to 32-7 by halftime. By the end of the third quarter, Spoto had a running clock and a 41-7 lead en route to the easy win over Freedom amid the Patriots’ homecoming, which was delayed by lightning and rain.
East Bay received another steady, if not spectacular, game from quarterback Rocco Boyd. The senior hit 5 of 8 passes for 104 yards and a TD along with a 2-point conversion. Boyd tallied the first EB TD on a 1-yard run. Wharton responded with a field goal and a passing score to go up 10-6 in the opening quarter. The see-saw game continued as EB’s Thomas Rieger put the Indians back in front with a 4-yard TD run. Zarius Lemons added another 4-yard run for EB, but Wharton retaliated with a 55-yard TD bomb. EB bounced back with QB Boyd’s 10-yard scoring pass to Carlos Lemons. Jaxson Frachione’s PAT boot made it 27-17 for the Indians at the half. Wharton did not fold. The Wildcats scored on a 32-yard pass in the third quarter and a 36-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to knot the game at 27 each in the 4th stanza. East Bay’s Dravyn Oblak recognized the urgency and scampered 55-yards for the winning TD. On defense, a second-quarter interception by Oblak and another later by Jaeryn Millerd, along with fumble recoveries by EB’s Cedric Smpson and Justin Cornish, sealed the narrow victory for the Indians.
Lennard met its match and then some in the Horns’ fatal visit to Plant City. Left-handed senior quarterback Chris Denson and the now 5-2 Raiders exploded for a 48-0 halftime lead in the non-district game. The Longhorns added a meaningless TD with nine minutes in the fourth quarter to end the massacre at 55-7. Lennard has a bye week to get ready for another tough opponent. In a big district match, 5-1 Parrish Community High comes to Ruskin for an Oct. 18 clash. Another tough game follows Oct 25 as district leader 6-0 Palmetto High hosts Lennard at 7 p.m. The Longhorns conclude this regular season Nov. 1 at Ruskin against Chamberlain for Homecoming.
For further coverage of Sumner High football see article and photos by Francis Fedor in this issue of The Observer News and in the digital version at ObserverNews.net.