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Chamberlain an exception in this less-than-pretty year
By RICK GERSHMAN
© St. Petersburg Times, Last week's Chamberlain-Hillsborough preview indicated the team that gutted it out in the fourth quarter would win. What we intended to say, it turns out, was the last quarter. Because it wasn't until the fourth overtime period that Chamberlain pulled out its jaw-dropping Class 5A, District 6 title win over a team the Chiefs had not beaten in almost a decade. The 26-23 win was Chamberlain's seventh consecutive victory and it clinched the Chiefs' first district title since 1989. Chamberlain swept the highly competitive district with a 6-0 record, earning a state playoff berth. The Chiefs go on to the post-season, hosting a playoff game next Friday against a district runner-up. For north Tampa's other football teams, the season ends tonight. It hasn't been the prettiest of years. Alonso opened and learned how hard it is for a first-year team with no seniors to play a varsity schedule. The Ravens still are looking for their first win, though they passed a landmark recently by earning their first offensive touchdown. Sickles, which went 2-8 in 2000 and never has had a winning season, likely will finish with one win in 2001. Tonight, the Gryphons visit Leto, which is 2-7 after a 0-10 campaign the previous year. Gaither, which capped a three-year run of steady improvement by going 11-2 in 2000, finds itself at 5-4 entering its season closer on the road against potent Riverview. The Cowboys will have to step up big time to pull out a winning mark for 2001. But considering how many top players the Cowboys lost to graduation, that record's really not too bad. On the good news front, in addition to Chamberlain's stellar run, Wharton showed some major improvement this year. Granted, after a three-game winning streak to open the year, the 'Cats dropped five in a row. But most of those teams were top-notch, a couple of the losses were competitive, and Wharton rebounded with a win over Gaither last week. The 'Cats still could pull out a .500 record by upsetting Tampa Bay Tech tonight. All games begin at 7:30. Here's the breakdown: SICKLES GRYPHONS (1-9) at LETO FALCONS (2-7)LAST YEAR: Sickles routed the Falcons 42-3. LAST WEEK: Sickles fell to Armwood 31-7; Leto lost to St. Pete Catholic 28-24. THE LOWDOWN: Of the three wins between them, two were over first-year Alonso. Hopefully, this season of learning and growing will pay future dividends for these programs. In the meantime, Leto at least has had some offensive production, while Sickles has put up no more than 14 points against anyone save Alonso. Leto's losses also have been far more competitive, and the Falcons have had occasional success on defense, while Sickles has allowed more than 30 points per game in all of its losses. A season-closing win at home will be a good building block for a Falcons program making steady growth after a winless 2000 campaign. THE EDGE: Three wins for Leto is three more than last year. At this pace, 2004 should be a very good year. WHARTON WILDCATS (4-5) at TAMPA BAY TECH TITANS (7-2)LAST YEAR: Tech won 33-7. LAST WEEK: Wharton beat Gaither 41-34; Tech beat Plant 37-21. THE LOWDOWN: Only undefeated, extraordinarily talented Jefferson kept Tech from a district title, but the Titans earned a playoff berth with their best record in years. Tech is a very strong team on both sides of the ball. On paper, the Wildcats are clear underdogs -- heck, they lost to Leto -- but why do we have the sneaking suspicion they have a shot tonight? Must be the way Wharton broke its five-game losing streak against Gaither. The 'Cats took a 17-0 lead at halftime, then lost the lead in the third quarter but scored three TDs in the fourth to pull out the win. Tech already has its playoff berth in pocket and has little to play for, but Wharton will go .500 for first time with a win. THE EDGE: Huge skill edge to Tech, huge emotional edge to Wharton; Wildcats pull the upset and record first non-losing season. ALONSO RAVENS (0-9) at DURANT COUGARS (5-4)LAST WEEK: Alonso lost 49-6 to King; Durant lost 58-31 to Riverview. THE LOWDOWN: Well, Durant is the team that Plant City (now 2-7) beat 29-0 a few weeks ago. Then again, Durant has been pretty competitive in other games. Long story short: This isn't a bad team for Alonso to finish with. The first-year Ravens keep getting a little better, and more important, most of the players have stuck around to keep the program going over the long haul. It's mighty courageous to keep trying your best when you get your brains beat in every week, and these kids are to be applauded for it. THE EDGE: Eventually, it's going to go to Alonso. Not this week, but sooner than you think. GAITHER COWBOYS (5-4) at RIVERVIEW SHARKS (7-2)LAST YEAR: Did not play. LAST WEEK: Gaither lost to Wharton 41-34; Riverview beat Durant 58-31. THE LOWDOWN: The alternating-game trend remained true last week: After opening the season with two victories, Gaither alternated between losses and wins each week. Last week's loss to Wharton suggests Gaither should win this season-closer, even though the Sharks put up 58 points and rushed for 526 yards last week. Whoa. Come to think of it, Gaither's defense hasn't shut down anyone except Alonso and Leto in a long time. The Cowboys' D didn't produce a single takeaway against the Wildcats, and Riverview has held onto the ball pretty well this year. Plus, it's a long drive to Riverview. It will seem like an even longer drive back. THE EDGE: Look at it this way: 5-5 is better than most expected of Gaither this year. PLANT CITY RAIDERS (2-7) at CHAMBERLAIN CHIEFS (7-2)LAST YEAR: Did not play. LAST WEEK: Plant City lost 29-0 to Haines City; Chamberlain beat Hillsborough 26-23 in 4 OTs. THE LOWDOWN: It's a good bet Chamberlain would rather not play this game, except as an opportunity to fine-tune play in certain game situations. The Chiefs have earned the district title and will want to rest up its top players for next week's playoff game, so youngsters should see a lot of action. To be fair, the Raiders aren't nearly as bad as their record indicates; their losses have been to high-powered Lakeland-area teams, and their defense has allowed more than three TDs only once. The Chiefs likely would rather risk losing this meaningless game than risk losing one of their top skill players. THE EDGE: Even with heavy use of reserves, Chamberlain should come out on top.
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