By STEVE JACKSON
Competition drives high school football. The young men participating are playing to win, to be the best. The same is true whether you are referring to Pensacola or to Miami or to the five South Shore schools in Hillsborough County: Sumner, Lennard, Spoto, Riverview or East Bay. The five teams do not all compete in the same classification even though a few play regular season games against each other. But you can be sure, the five South Shore teams keep track of who is winning and who is losing. Today, with one week in the official record books, the mythical leader appears overwhelmingly to be the 1-0 Sumner High Stingrays. How long Sumner can hold on to this status remains to be seen as the Stingrays have five or six Friday games with some pretty tough—and competitive—teams over the next few weeks.
A pair of the five South Shore offensive firepowers are ready to battle for the mythical top spot, for now—Lennard High and Spoto High. Their game this season is in Ruskin, Friday evening at 7:30. The biggest question is can the duel make it from beginning to end without weather interruption?
Just last Friday, Lennard’s blowout of Pasco County was halted barely after three quarters by lightning. The game, which was played in Ruskin, ended in a mercifully 38-6 whupping by the Longhorns of their visitors from Dade City.
Meanwhile, Spoto was exhibiting a capacity to match and score more in its 43-35 licking of Davenport High in Spoto last Friday.
Lighting up the Spoto offense to cover Davenport were Spartans quarterback Daniel Pangallo, running back Alando Riggins and star wide receiver Jesse Harden. Pangallo threw for 158 yards and four touchdowns, while Riggins rushed for 165 yards while picking up 9.7 yards per carry. Riggins romped for one sprint for 65 yards. A large portion of Pangallo’s connections with Harden were for 110 yards in the air. Spoto was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 277 rushing yards, the most rushing yards Spoto has piled up since September of 2024.
The winner in this Friday evening’s game at Ruskin, between 6A Lennard and 5A Spoto, won’t take away a crown but will certainly establish itself as a close second in the South Shore 5 to the predominant Sumner squad if Sumner can top Armwood, a team that beat Sumner last season. If Armwood wins again, then look for Leanard or Spoto, whoever triumphs this Friday, to assume top priority in the South Shore 5 for now.
In East Bay’s opening loss, the Indians were never in the game at Dover, dropping a 26-6 game to Strawberry Crest. Strawberry Crest jumped out to a 10-0 first stanza lead and pushed it to 16-0 at halftime. Neither team scored in the third quarter. SC added 10 in the fourth quarter and EB tacked on its six.
In other grid action around the South Shore 5 this Friday, East Bay attempts to bounce back from its first loss of the season in last week’s road opener defeat to Strawberry Crest, 26-6. The Indians tangle at home with 0-1 Hillsborough County High, Friday at 7:30 p.m.
The 1-0 Riverview Sharks, of head coach Tony Rodriquez, received a 37-yard field goal in OT from junior Jack Campsey to gain a hard-fought win over Hillsborough last week. The Sharks offensive firepower was provided primarily by the rushing of senior Jordyn Bailey with a pair of TDs on 87 yards rushing and a 90-yard kickoff return. Bailey also hauled in four passes for 35 yards from Sharks QB junior Aiden Airgoodd, who threw six of 15 for 52 yards and rushed eight times for 34 yards and a TD. Four senior Sharks, including J. Robinson, Jeremay Bass, Damian Pauliin and Javin Gason, made several key defensive stops. Riverview this week hosts the Riverview Rams of Sarasota on Friday night.
Another dominant game by the Horns at home against Pasco County was canceled at the end of the 3rd quarter due to lighting. Longhorns senior QB Jacob Mobley passed 14 of 18 for 196 yards and three TDs. Among those grabbing TD aerials were senior London Green for 15 yards and senior Thomas Shine from 60 yards out. Shine also added five catches for 108 yards and another score and receiver junior Al’Quan Smith from 35 yards out.
Sophomore Terrance O’Neal-Leathers caught a 20-yard TD pass from backup QB Johntel Gibson to end the 3rd quarter. On the ground, senior running back Ronnie Willson found the end zone while racking up 54 yards on the ground and 25 yards in the air, all in two quarters work.
The Horns defense again was dominate, led by junior Bryce Hearld (six tackles/two TFL/ one sack and one pass deflection). Junior Sta’Shaun Gage racked up seven total tackles. Senior edge rusher Devain Barnette contributed with an amazing twisting interception. New place kicker Zaine Lateef proved his worth by knocking in 5 of 5 PATs and connecting on a 41-yard field goal. Lateef is a junior transfer from Bell Creek Academy, a small charter school in Riverview.
The 1-0 Longhorns host the 1-0 Spoto Spartans of head coach Keith Chattin in a SouthShore showdown at Ruskin, Aug. 29 with a 7:30 p.m. start.