Hillsborough & Pinellas Week 9 Roundup & Top performances
The final two weeks of the regular season throughout the state of Florida are upon us, as the Week 8 slate came and went with a lot of excitement throughout the Tampa Bay region.
Three games that really highlighted the week between Hillsborough and Pinellas counties was Jesuit-Tampa Bay Tech, Clearwater Central Catholic-Carrollwood Day School and Lakewood-Largo.
The top game was the Tigers being to slightly upset the Titans, who were coming off a tumultuous week in which they had to forfeit a game due to an ineligible player after a big win over Wharton. Jesuit behind a solid performance from freshman quarterback Will Griffin was able to pickup the win.
Clearwater Central Catholic was able to flex its proverbial muscle over Carrollwood Day School, in a game that was never really close from the outset. With over 260 rushing yards, the Marauders controlled the ground game. Lakewood upended previously undefeated Largo, in a contest that featured a lot of tenacious hits. The Spartans picked up what might’ve been their biggest win of 2022.
We’ve got the rest of the results from Week 9 and top performances down below so check them out as we head into Week 10.
Jesuit starting to look more like the team that won a state championship a year ago
Photo courtesy of Jesuit Tigers Football
Week 9 Hillsborough & Pinellas scores
Jesuit 24, Tampa Bay Tech 21
Lakewood 20, Largo 18
Lakeland 44, Clearwater Academy International 6
Plant 47, Steinbrenner 14
Cornerstone Charter 29, Keswick Christian 0
Berkeley Prep 14, East Bay 0
Riverview 40, Strawberry Crest 14
Blake 21, Chamberlain 8
St. Petersburg Catholic 46, Bishop McLaughlin 14
Northside Christian 47, Indian Rocks Christian 7
Hillsborough 49, Newsome 14
Tampa Catholic 70, Robinson 35
Cambridge Christian 41, Dixie County 6
Clearwater Central Catholic 31, Carrollwood Day School 6
Middleton 50, Sickles 15
St. Petersburg 24, Countryside 9
Armwood 40, Plant City 0
East Lake 68, Clearwater 42
Osceola 22, DeSoto County 15
Wharton 35, Bloomingdale 8
Calvary Christian 41, Lakeland Christian 14
Spoto 27, Brandon 8
Gaither 41, Durant 35
Dunedin 3, Tarpon Springs 0 (OT)
Lakewood Ranch 34, Gibbs 18
Week 9 Hillsborough & Pinellas Top performances
Lewis Carter, Tampa Catholic, running back/linebacker. The Oklahoma commitment can do more than just play some linebacker. Carter played running back against Robinson and rushed for 212 yards on nine carries and scored five touchdowns. Also added seven tackles.
Sam Haertle, Dunedin, linebacker: Haertle had 25 total tackles (13 solo tackles, 12 assisted) and brought his season total to 110.
Jaquez Kindell, Plant, wide receiver: Plant took another step towards winning a district championship and being back in the postseason as Kindell caught 10 passes for 128 yards, two touchdowns in Plant’s win over Steinbrenner.
Waltez Clark, Plant, running back/linebacker: Clark was literally all over the field last week and it helped the Panthers take the next step. The sophomore rushed for 88 yards and scored three times on offense. On defense, Clark had 10 tackles, a sack and forced a fumble.
Lenwood Sapp, Clearwater Central Catholic, running back: Sapp rushed for 167 yards and scored a touchdown in the Marauders’ blowout victory over Carrollwood Day School.
Eugene Wilson III, Gaither, wide receiver: Wilson III caught nine passes for 243 yards and scored three touchdowns and also picked off a pass in Gaither’s 41-35 win over Durant.
Jayce Nixon, Gaither, quarterback: The southpaw threw for 409 yards on 23-of-29 completions and five touchdowns in Gaither’s 41-35 win over Durant.
Antonio Henley, Gaither, defensive tackle: The super sophomore went off against Durant’s offensive line, racking up six sacks and nine tackles.
Luke Yoder, East Lake, running back: The senior rushed for 191 yards and scored four times in the Eagles’ win over Clearwater.
Caleb Coburn, East Lake, quarterback/linebacker: Coburn played both quarterback and running back for East Lake in their win over Clearwater. Coburn rushed 133 yards on 17 touches and scored three times. Also added 40 yards passing and nine tackles.
Nikita Rinios, Tarpon Springs, running back: Despite the Spongers losing in a shutout loss, the sophomore Rinios had himself a solid night on the ground. Rinios rushed for 187 yards on 40 attempts.
Will Griffin, Jesuit, quarterback: The freshman had his best overall game to date, completing 12-of-15 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns in the huge win over Tampa Bay Tech.
Caleb Goodloe, Calvary Christian, wide receiver: The junior had another strong game through the air, catching eight passes for 115 yards and a touchdown.
Jacob Drackett, Calvary Christian, quarterback: Drackett has been one of the top passers in Pinellas County, with the signal caller completing 21-of-27 passes for 275 yards, touchdown versus Lakeland Christian.
Gerard Pringle, Armwood, running back: Pringle helped lead the Hawks into the win column, rushing for 141 yards on 11 attempts and scored twice.
Andy Villamarzo can be reached at andyvillamarzo@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @Andy_Villamarzo.
