BRANDON - There's no doubting which is tonight's game of the week. East Bay hosts Riverview in a game with district implications.
But don't tell that to Newsome coach Floyd Graham.
His Newsome Wolves' game at Sickles may not draw raves from prep football fans, but for Graham it's huge, especially after last week's difficult Friday night.
It started with Graham having to dismiss two Newsome players from the team for disciplinary reasons and then a lengthy bus ride to face Tampa Catholic in a thunderstorm.
The rain let up enough to play until the two-minute warning, when lightning halted the game for an hour. When play resumed, Newsome trailed by a touchdown and got the ball back with a minute and a half remaining. But an interception ended any hope of Newsome's first win.
"It was a tough day," said Graham, who also counted a hand injury to starting quarterback Tim Martin among that day's difficulties. "We obviously wanted to come back out and finish the game, but the conditions made for a tough game. But the kids played tough."
Other games tonight include Tampa Bay Tech hosting Gaither, Armwood playing at Jefferson, Riverview playing at Bloomingdale and Brandon playing at Lakeland. All kickoffs are at 7:30 .
TAMPA BAY TECH (2-1, 1-0 in 3A-10) at GAITHER (2-1, 1-0 in 5A-8)
Last Week: TBT defeated Freedom 28-18; Gaither beat King 30-28.
Last Year: TBT over Gaither 32-0.
The Skinny: Tech trailed briefly last week but rallied to win. Gaither was the real surprise, taming the King Lions. Gaither RB Doc Marshall has been outstanding, gaining 268 yards last week.
The Edge: Marshall will face a tough Tech defense, led by linebacker Maurice Crum. Advantage Tech.
ARMWOOD (3-0, 1-0 in 4A-10) at JEFFERSON (3-0, 0-0 in 3A-10)
Last Week: Armwood over Blake 34-0; Jefferson defeated Brandon 44-14.
Last Year: Armwood over Jefferson 24-0.
The Skinny: Two of the area's best go head to head.
The Edge: Armwood has strength. Jefferson has speed. The Dragons only regular-season loss last year was against the Hawks. Armwood will win again, but expect this one to be a lot closer.
NEWSOME (0-3) at SICKLES (1-2, 0-1 in 5A-8)
Last Week: Newsome lost to Tampa Catholic 27-20; Sickles lost to Chamberlain 35-12.
Last Year: First meeting.
The Skinny: Newsome is getting better each week while the Gryphons seem to be slipping after their opening victory.
The Edge: Conditions would seem to favor Newsome but the Gryphons shouldn't lose this one.
RIVERVIEW (2-1, 1-0 in 5A-7) at BLOOMINGDALE (1-2, 0-1 in 5A-7)
Last Week: Riverview defeated Plant City 42-21; Bloomingdale lost to Durant 55-8.
Last Year: Riverview beat Bloomingdale 21-14.
The Skinny: The Sharks are trying to keep pace in 5A-7 while the Bulls may be slipping back to their old ways.
The Edge: Ever seen a Shark devour a Bull? You will.
BRANDON (2-1, 0-0 in 5A-7) at LAKELAND (2-1, 0-1 in 5A-7)
Last Week: Brandon lost to Jefferson 44-14; Lakeland lost to East Bay 17-14.
Last Year: Didn't play.
The Skinny: The Eagles didn't look good in their loss to Jefferson. Lakeland was better, but not much, in its loss to East Bay.
The Edge: Brandon is opening district play at the wrong time and at the wrong place. Plus, the Dreadnaughts are coming off a loss and aren't looking to repeat.
DURANT (3-0, 1-0 in 5A-7) at EAST BAY (2-1, 1-0 in 5A-7)
Last Week: Durant defeated Bloomingdale 55-8, East Bay beat Lakeland 17-14.
Last Year: Durant over East Bay 49-21.
The Skinny: Durant opened league play with a huge win. East Bay did even better, a huge district win against a Lakeland program it had never beaten before.
The Edge: Why stop all that momentum? An East Bay win in the game of the week.
