VOTE: Who will be the top football program in Pinellas County (FL) in 2022

TARPON SPRINGS, FL- Pinellas County has its fair share of strong high school programs, though the county as a whole has yet to win a state championship in football. When you look at the lineup of teams for 2022, however, there’s plenty of potential when it comes to talented programs that could make some noise this summer-fall. From all the way north in Tarpon Springs down to south St. Petersburg, we take a look at the programs we have picked out as the top teams and vote on who you think is the top club.

Boca Ciega: After nearly a period of a decade that saw the Pirates meddle around the .500 mark, Boca Ciega has returned to being a perennial winning program. Head coach Matt Gudorf has Boca Ciega in the right direction going into 2022.

Calvary Christian: Don’t look now but Reggie Crume’s bunch has begun trending upward since last season. With plenty of experienced skill players on both sides of the ball, the Warriors are a program to begin to watch heading into the season.

Clearwater: Thor Jozwiak has come to Clearwater with the motto ‘Big things, Big rings’ and he had the Tornadoes at the doorstep of a state semifinal in 2021. The Tornadoes did lose some offensive firepower from last season, but make no mistake about it that this team is very talented.

Clearwater Central Catholic: The Marauders under the guidance of head coach Chris Harvey have been the top private school program in Pinellas County for years and 2022 doesn’t look to be any different. CCC reached a state championship game in 2013 and has the talent to make a run this fall.

East Lake: If you look for consistency, the Eagles have been a team for nearly the past two decades that has seen it’s fair share of winning under head coach Bob Hudson. The program has had stars like Tyler Higbee, George Campbell and Artavis Scott play at East Lake.

Gibbs: The turnaround has begun and the Gladiators made some noise in the 2021 Class 5A playoffs when they upset Zephyrhills. Next step for Gibbs is to make another playoff appearance and aim for a region final bid.

Lakewood: The Spartans continue to pump out strong teams year in and year out, with 2021 being no different. Lakewood went 10-3 and head coach Cory Moore returns another talented squad, featuring Virginia commitment Anthony Colandrea at quarterback.

Largo: If anything else, the Packers have shown some of the best stability when it comes to head coaches with the football program. Between Rick Rodriguez and Marcus Paschal, the program has only seen two head coaches oversee the team since 2001.

Pinellas Park: Longtime lead man Kenny Crawford stepped down as the program’s head coach, but don’t expect the Patriots to be taking any steps backwards. Pinellas Park, which has traditionally always played flexbone football, aims to continue its winning ways under Max Smith.

Andy Villamarzo can be reached at andyvillamarzo@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @Andy_Villamarzo.