More than 200,000 students in Hillsborough County, many of whom are also ready to make their athletic talents and skills in a variety of sports, once again make their way back to the classrooms this fall.
It is safe to say, however, that the fall high school football season, commencing with its traditional non-conference kickoff classic, scheduled this year for Friday, August 21, seems to take center stage.
Football power house Armwood, along with Plant, continues to get the attention a bit more than the rest, but as it is the case in all high school sports, one never knows what each season will bring.
Local teams of interest (noted here with their last season’s overall record) include the Brandon Eagles, Bloomingdale Bulls (9-2), Spoto Spartans (8-4), Durant Cougars (5-7), East Bay Indians (4-6), Riverview Sharks (2-8), Lennard Longhorns (8-3) and Newsome Wolves (5-5).
The Brandon Eagles are in for another tough 6A District 7 line up, facing Armwood, Hillsborough, Chamberlain, Blake and King. The Eagles led by program Head Coach, Dean Eychner, ended last year with a pretty decent 7-3 overall record, as well as the promise of doing better next time.
Bloomingdale, led by Brian Surcy is hoping to keep the winning momentum going, while facing 7A District 9 conference rivals Plant City, Lennard, Durant, East Bay, Strawberry Crest and Tampa Bay Tech.
Newsome—the Bulls neighboring rival team—led by program Head Coach Kenneth Hiscock, is ready for its 8A District 6 schedule to face off conference rivals Alonso, Palm Harbor U, Riverview (Sarasota), Riverview (Riverview), Manatee and Steinbrenner.
As for Durant, last year’s 28-7 regular season final home game victory against East Bay, secured a playoff spot as Class 7A District 8 champions. Cougars Head Coach Mike Gottman can be confident of another season success as he once again takes the helm of a regularly winning program.
While Riverview area teams such as the East Bay and Riverview are still seeking a winning season, Spoto (5A District 10) and Lennard High have every reason to expect nothing less. For more information, visit www.maxpreps.com.
