Today's Pinellas Park-Dixie Hollins game should decide Countryside's PCAC foe Friday.
By LAURA LEE
Published April 22, 2004
Boca Ciega coach Mary Drayton isn't sure whether her loss to Northeast Wednesday night matters.
Her Pirates had previously beaten Northeast in a contest that, as far as she knew, counted for the district and conference. But Northeast coach Holli Yates was under the impression that with the Vikings' 1-0 win over Bogie, her team still would be in the hunt for a berth in Friday's Pinellas County Athletic Championship.
The pursuit for the South Division representative in the county title game is a muddled one. Boca Ciega, Northeast, Osceola and Pinellas Park all seemed to be contenders at some point. But the matter won't be settled for sure until after today's Pinellas Park-Dixie Hollins game. If the Patriots win, they would secure a trip to Friday's game to play the No. 1 ranked Class 5A team, Countryside. If Pinellas Park loses, Northeast could be playing in its fourth consecutive county championship.
Countryside is one of two definites in the lone game marked on the county's master softball schedule, followed by a note that reads "Game Site TBA." The game will definitely be played at a south county site, but because the team has yet to emerge, the Cougars haven't been able to plan for the contest. No bus has been reserved, and depending on the team, it could be an afternoon or evening game.
The play in the south this season has been balanced, to say the least. Every team seems to have a chance to beat the other, making the drama of simply knowing who's playing in the PCAC game drawn out to the very end.
Many thought Osceola would emerge as the top team in the south. The Warriors didn't play enough conference games to be eligible to play in the PCAC last season, and this year coach Bill Rasmussen was hoping they'd have a shot. But despite losing only 2-0 to Seminole and 1-0 to Palm Harbor University, the Warriors also lost to weaker Northeast and Pinellas Park, shrinking their chances for being the south county representative.
"I don't know," Rasmussen said, trying to figure out how his team played so well against two of the best teams in the county but couldn't do the same against conference competition. "The only thing I can think of is the way high school athletics is so unpredictable."
Drayton, who has been coaching since 1986, said she has never seen a South Division race so close. She attributes the parity to the youth of the teams. Like her squad, with two seniors, many teams are low on experience.
"I would say the south county has more equal teams, is more equal in talent," Northeast's Yates said.
The Vikings demonstrated that parity last week when they beat Pinellas Park 7-5, then lost to them Monday 7-4. Wednesday, the Vikings pulled out the win in the sixth after losing 10-2 to the Pirates in March.
Pinellas Park could end speculation with a win today over Dixie, which won't necessarily be easy. The Patriots have split their meetings with the Rebels. Pinellas Park coach Shane DeMartino is excited about the prospect of playing in the championship game. The Patriots had a losing record last season and could finish above .500 this one.
"We haven't been this close in years," DeMartino said.
As far as Drayton is concerned, Bogie will practice regardless if it's for the PCAC or next week's district, and she'll leave the county athletic offices to sort through the confusion.
