John C. Cotey's Top 10

John C. Cotey ranks the best of the past week.

By JOHN C. COTEY, High Schools Columnist
Published December 2, 2007

1. Armwood's defense

Are you kidding me? Seriously. The Hawks held Plant to a measly 114 yards and one score, which the Panthers usually get on one drive. Yeah, I know, technically that's impossible, but if you ever watched the Panthers, it certainly felt that way.

2. Christian Green

Archbishop Carroll had a running back headed to Auburn and a Division I wide receiver, but that was no match for the 15-year-old sophomore quarterback at Tampa Catholic. Green was perfect in the first half (6-for-6), and his two touchdown runs and one pass have Tampa Catholic in the state championship game for the first time.

3. Armwood's defense

I'm not one for hyperbole, but I'm going to go ahead and say it: This is the best defense in the history of the whole universe.

4. Brynn Harvey

USF coach Jim Leavitt showed up at Largo on Friday nattily attired in a black pinstripe suit to do some recruiting. He wasn't there to watch Harvey, but after the senior back had a 77-run TD run, barrelled in for another 16-yard score and sealed the win with a third touchdown run, he couldn't help himself.

5. Armwood's defense

I need to apologize. In retrospect, calling Armwood's defense the best in the whole universe is a bit much. Besides, I completely forgot about the 1985 Chicago Bears. My bad.

6. The Breakfast Club

I thought Emilio Estevez and Judd Nelson were great in the original, and shoot, I'll even confess to having a little crush on Ally Sheedy back in the day. But Armwood's remake - with QB Mywan Jackson and DBs Justin Williams and Aaron Duncan playing the roles of football players suspended for choosing hotcakes over class on that fateful morning but finding atonement in the biggest game of the season - was pretty good, too.

7. Dan Wright

The Lakewood boys basketball coach picked up his 600th win this week. The local legend has averaged 20 wins a season for 30 years, but what he really wants is a third state title.

8. Ryne Giddins

The Armwood standout predicted his Hawks would shut out Plant, the highest scoring team in Tampa Bay. We wondered if maybe the kid had bumped his head or something, or was just a little, you know, goofy. Armwood didn't get that shutout, but holding them to one touchdown is good enough for us to say: Bravo, Ryne Giddins, bravo.

9. Sweet Polly Purebred

Someone call Underdog! Tampa Catholic has never played for state title, but Saturday's opponent Madison County has been to five state championship games in 10 years, with one title to show for it. And Largo will be playing in its first state semifinal, while Friday's opponent Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas has been in the past three Class 5A state championship games, 10 overall since 1991, and has won three state titles.

10. Big-time quarterbacks

Who needs running backs when you have quarterbacks with 100-yard rushing potential like the three remaining - Jackson, Green and Largo's Leonard Johnson.

Times prep columnist John C. Cotey can be reached at 813-909-4612 or johncotey@gmail.com.

[Last modified December 1, 2007, 20:06:19]