By FRANCIS FEDOR
Lennard Longhorns (6-0) 35 Lakewood Ranch Mustangs (2-3) 0
The Longhorns continued their undefeated season with a win over struggling Lakewood Ranch in a district match-up.
Lennard is tied with Palmetto with two wins each at the top of the 6A District 11 standings, and the teams will meet in Ruskin on Oct. 24.
The star of the game for the Longhorns was Ronnie Wilson and his 130 yard rushing game while scoring three TDs for the winners. The rushing offense combined for 209 yards. Jacob Mobley tossed a TD and was intercepted once but added 187 yards to push his career total to over 4K yards. Thomas Shine was the recipient of the TD toss, a 55-yard connection.
The defense continues to shine and hasn’t given up points in the past three games. Ian Malone led all tacklers with nine, five solos and two tackles-for-loss. Three other defenders had seven tackles each. The defense also forced a couple of fumbles, one each by Jaiden Jones and Bryce Herald.
Up Next:
The KB Belton-led Longhorns turn their attention to an Oct. 10 home match-up v Plant City Raiders who saw their undefeated streak broken in a loss to South Shore Five rival Sumner on Friday night.
Spoto Spartans (3-3) 7 Tampa Bay Tech Titans (4-2) 50
The Spartans opened a three-game homestand with a tough district loss against the Tampa Bay Tech Titans and fell back to .500 on the season.
The Spoto Spartans (2-2) came together on both sides of the ball for a big win over the King Lions to get back into the win column. Senior QB Jesse Harden tossed three TDs, connecting with Michael Grider twice and Levert Sims for the other TD. Harden also ran the ball for two TDs. The offense got a huge boost from RB Quayshawn Harvey, who rushed for 175 yards on 17 carries. Alando Riggins was called in near the goal line to get two short yardage scores.
It was a much needed win for the Keith Chattin-led Spartans after losing two road games against a couple of undefeated squads, Lennard and Plant City.
The Lions are still searching for their first win.
Up Next:
The Spartans continue their homestand on Oct. 3 welcoming the Freedom Patriots, followed by the Leto Falcons the following week.
East Bay Indians (3-3) 57 Leto Falcons (0-5) 0
East Bay rebounded after a tough home loss to Blake with a rout of undefeated district opponent Leto in Gibsonton. The Falcons were coming off a 53-0 loss against Lennard and are struggling. The Indians returned to .500 just a game past the midway of the season. East Bay is tied with Tampa Bay Tech in the 5A District 8 standings.
The Indians took the field and never looked back, racking up 423 yards of offense. Three QBs combined for 259 yards and six TDs. Richard McClary tossed three; Trey Alexander, typically a WR, threw two; and Omar Germany joined the fun with the other TD. Trey Alexander, a junior, rushed for 157 yards, breaking one of the runs for a 60-yard gain. Gavin Altman was on the other end of two of the TDs.
It was the first shutout for head coach DeAndra Simmons and the East Bay defense, who, outside of the Blake game, where the Indians gave up 21 as a team, has been stingy, holding teams under two TDs. Malik Boyd was the star of the defense, leading the unit with seven tackles, five of them solo. Dorian Edwards pressured the Falcon QB and got to him for two sacks.
Aric Person picked off a pass to round out the defensive efforts.
Up Next:
The Indians now become road warriors with a three-game road trip, starting on Oct. 3 with games at Wharton, TB Tech (a key district match-up) and Riverview before returning home to play Spoto.
Riverview Sharks (3-3) 21 Durant Cougars (2-4) 22
The Sharks returned home and lost a heartbreaker to Durant, traveling to Riverview from Plant City, in the first district tilt for either team. Durant holds the edge atop the 6A District 7 standings with the win.
Sophomore QB Carter Peternell played a solid game for the Sharks, completing 13 of 18 passes for 181 yards and a TD. He also called his own name and carried the ball for 12 yards on two attempts. The Cougars kept the Shark rushing attack quiet, with senior Jordyn Bailey picking up 45 yards and scoring a TD. Jason Greenwell also contributed a rushing TD. Bailey caught the only passing TD and finished his night with 83 yards in the receiving game, with one of those going for a 34-yard gain.
Up Next:
The Sharks return to the road and head nearly an hour to the east to play the Bartow Yellow Jackets.