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Mustangs, Falcons face rough districts

Dunedin will travel - a lot - while Northside Christian might be on the winning side of several blowouts.

By PETE YOUNG

© St. Petersburg Times,
published August 12, 2001

Northside Christian and Dunedin figure to be two of the top teams in Pinellas County, if not the state, next season.

But they have something else in common: less-than-favorable districts, which the Florida High School Activities Association released last week. Dunedin remains in Class 4A, but the only other Pinellas school in 4A-11 is Lakewood. The other four are in Manatee (Palmetto, Bradenton Southeast, Bradenton Bayshore) and Sarasota (Sarasota Booker) counties. That means long trips. Plus, the district tournament likely will be at one of the Manatee schools.

"We're going to be spending a lot of time on the road," Dunedin coach Tom Hilbert said.

Northside was moved down to Class A and placed in a 10-team district. Aside from always-tough Shorecrest, most of the schools in the district are relatively weak. Nonetheless, the Mustangs must schedule each one twice, gobbling up 18 games with largely overmatched foes.

"We're trying to get (the FHSAA) to let us just play (each team) one time," Northside coach Darrell Don said. "To play everyone twice will be brutal. Some of the teams might not show up the second time."

Other anomalies include Osceola, which is the lone Pinellas school in an otherwise all-Hillsborough district (3A-9), and Tarpon Springs, the lone Pinellas team among a passel of Pasco schools in 4A-8.

East Lake and Palm Harbor U. were in a Pasco-dominated district last year but are in an all-Pinellas district this season, 5A-9, with Clearwater, Countryside, Largo and Pinellas Park.

Clearwater Central Catholic and St. Petersburg Catholic were dropped to 2A and play in four-team 2A-12. However, both will have a long road trip to Fort Myers Dunbar, a first-year school.

To help

Anyone interested in helping sponsor Russ Cozart's trip to Switzerland can do so by calling Brandon Wrestling Club coach Bobby Bennett at 685-4182 or 662-2004.

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