BRANDON - If anybody thought the Class 5A, District 7 race was over a few weeks ago when Durant defeated East Bay, stay tuned. It's about to get more interesting.
The Cougars, who jumped into this week's Class 5A state poll at No. 10, remain atop the district at 5-0 overall and 3-0 in league play. Durant has played the best football and should be in first place. But looking over their shoulders, the Cougars can count two squads right behind them and two more within striking distance.
East Bay and Riverview are both 2-1 in the district, powerhouse Lakeland, which is suffering a down year, is still hanging around at 1-1. And Bloomingdale (1-2) can still count itself in the mix after it defeated Plant City last week. Speaking of the Raiders, they are currently out of the mix, along with Brandon at 0-2.
Things could tighten up even more after tonight.
Durant will stay unbeaten in the district, because it faces nondistrict opponent Wharton. But with Riverview and East Bay facing district foes, those two could gain ground. Riverview is playing at Lakeland while Bloomingdale is at East Bay.
Yet, the district title is far from settled. Consider: Durant starts a string of three district games next week; East Bay still has games against cellar dwellers Plant City and Brandon; and Riverview has leader Durant at home on Halloween night.
In other games tonight, Tampa Bay Tech hosts Chamberlain, Armwood hosts King, Plant City is at Brandon, Newsome plays at North Port. All kickoffs are at 7:30 p.m.
DURANT (5-0, 3-0 in 5A-7) at WHARTON (2-3, 1-1 in 5A-8)
Last Week: Durant defeated Brandon 49-6; Wharton over King 36-10.
Last Year: Wharton defeated Durant 20-14 in the Class 5A playoffs.
The Skinny: Durant gets better every week, but Wharton finally showed some of the offensive fireworks that were commonplace last season. The lone question is can Wharton prevail?
The Edge: Not tonight. Wharton will see why Durant - and its rushing attack - is one of the county's best. Plus, do you really think Durant has forgotten about last season's loss to the Wildcats?
KING (2-3, 0-2 in 5A-8) at ARMWOOD (5-0, 2-0 in 4A-10)
Last Week: King lost to Wharton 36-10; Armwood defeated Leto 72-0.
Last Year: Armwood over King 52-6.
The Skinny: The Lions are coming off a 26-point loss to Wharton and get rewarded with a trip to Armwood. The same Armwood team that just scored 72 points in one game.
The Edge: The Hawks may not put up 72 again, but they'll score plenty.
BLOOMINGDALE (2-3, 1-2 in 5A-7) at EAST BAY (3-2, 2-1 in 5A-7)
Last Week: Bloomingdale defeated Plant City 21-10; East Bay over Riverview 17-14.
Last Year: East Bay beat Bloomingdale 41-3.
The Skinny: Is Bloomingdale better than it has shown or is Plant City worse? Perhaps a little of both. The Bulls played solid football last in rallying for their win.
The Edge: Too bad for them East Bay is coming off a huge rivalry, district win and is pumped for another tonight.
PLANT CITY (1-4, 0-2 in 5A-7) at BRANDON (2-3, 0-2 in 5A-7)
Last Week: Plant City lost to Bloomingdale 21-10; Brandon lost to Durant 49-6.
Last Year: Didn't play.
The Skinny: Plant City had no answers for the Bulls last week and have sunk to the Class 5A-7 district basement. Brandon is not much better off.
The Edge: In a game of who-wants-it-more, go with the home team - Brandon.
NEWSOME (0-5) at NORTH PORT (1-4, 0-1 in 3A-12)
Last Week: Newsome lost to Lakeland Evangel Christian 31-6; North Port lost to Lemon Bay 49-22.
Last Year: First meeting.
The Skinny: Five down, five to go for the first-year Wolves.
The Edge: Newsome is looking pretty good to North Port right now, after its 27-point spanking by Lemon Bay last week.
RIVERVIEW (3-2, 2-1 in 5A-7) at LAKELAND (3-2, 1-1 in 5A-7)
Last Week: Riverview lost to East Bay 17-14; Lakeland lost to Lakeland George Jenkins 17-12.
Last Year: Lakeland defeated Riverview 40-28.
The Skinny: Four teams are vying for second place in the Class 5A-7 district race, and these are two of them. Lakeland continues to be plagued by inconsistent play; Riverview won three of its last four before slipping up last week.
The Edge: Riverview, still eyeing a possible shot at the district title and its showdown with Durant in three weeks, has more to gain. Riverview should pull this one out.
CHAMBERLAIN (2-3, 1-1 in 5A-8) at TAMPA BAY TECH (2-3, 1-1 in 3A-10)
Last Week: Chamberlain lost to Hillsborough 20-6; TBT lost to Robinson 35-7.
Last Year: Didn't play.
The Skinny: This nondistrict matchup finds both squads coming off difficult district losses.
