By Tamas Mondovics
Facing some of the toughest games yet, several local high school football teams are enjoying a great first half of the 2015 fall season.
Ending with game six, and so far undefeated, Armwood, under the direction of program Head Coach Sean Callahan, is unsurprisingly leading the greater Brandon area pack with a 6-0, 2-0 record. Local teams such as the Brandon Eagles, Durant Cougars and the Plant City Raiders are not far behind posting some impressive numbers.
Losing only to Plant City in a non-conference home game the Eagles, led by Coach Dean Eychner, expanded their Class 6A District 7 record to 5-1, 2-0 after defeating Spoto 29-2 in game six.
Unfortunately, the games that really count were yet to come for Brandon starting with facing the Hawks at Armwood High School.
As for Plant City (6-1, 3-0) and Durant High (6-1, 3-1) just a couple of miles down the road, the chance of clenching the district title clearly on the table.
In game six the Raiders defeated Bloomingdale 14-0, while the Cougars bagged Strawberry Crest 27-14 setting up for a game of the season showdown.
Sadly, and perhaps one of the most disappointing outcomes of the season so far, is watching Bloomingdale, which has lost seven consecutive games after last year’s school record with nine regular-season victories.
Perhaps the nicest surprise in game six came by means of East Bay’s ability to play until the last drop and never give up.
The Indians (4-3, 1-2) under Coach Frank LaRosa have been struggling all year, but that did not stop them to bring the Lennard Longhorns (5-1, 2-1) to their knees with a 26-14 victory, undoubtedly giving the program a huge boost and a chance to reach the playoffs ahead of facing Bloomingdale (0-6, 0-3), Strawberry Crest (0-7, 04) and Tampa Bay Tech (3-4, 2-1).
As is the case every year and what makes high school sports, especially football, exciting is that anything can happen. The first six games of the season are usually there to get the teams ready for the games that actually count.
For more information about local teams, visit www.maxpreps.com.
