Male Hot Shot winner: Anderson Combs, Hudson

Combs, a junior, is a swimming anomaly. He doesn’t specialize in the sport. Instead of competing for a club team year round, he plays soccer in the winter and tennis in the spring.

“I try to enjoy a little bit of everything,” he said.

In the pool, he is at a disadvantage against more seasoned swimmers. It is hard to tell, though, by the results.

A sprinter, Combs is undefeated in the 50 free and 100 free. In a season-opening meet against Mitchell two weeks ago, Combs finished the 50-yard freestyle in 23.59 seconds and the 100 free in 55.87. Those times are already close to the ones he had in the postseason last year when he placed in the top 10 in the 50 at districts and was a region qualifier in the 100.

Combs credits his improvement to summer training on his own. His job as a lifeguard conflicted with a summer swim camp held by the Cobras. But he remedied that. “Whenever I had a break during work I would hop in the pool and time myself,” Combs said. “It helped tremendously.”

Combs’ improvement now has him contemplating whether to give up soccer and tennis so he can join a club swim team.

“I only had three weeks of practice before the start of the season, and I’m already close to where I was at the end of last season,” Combs said. “I’m excited. I think I can get to states.”

Why he won: Combs was dominant in last week’s dual meet against River Ridge, taking first in the 50 and 100 free, and swimming the anchor leg on the winning 200 medley relay.

Have an athlete who should be considered for our next voting cycle? Email hometeam@tampabay.com.

Female Hot Shot winner: Aisling Sheehan, Carrollwood Day 

As the only senior on Carrollwood Day’s volleyball team, outside hitter Sheehan has been relied on a lot so far this season. 

After a big offseason, coach Eric Praetorius said his star player is more than capable of fulfilling that responsibility.

Along with Carrollwood Day teammates Chrissy and Casey Brynjolfsson, Sheehan was a member of the Tampa Elite 17 club volleyball team that won a national championship. And though that feat had nothing to do with her high school play, Praetorius has already seen the effects of it. 

“That was a huge deal for her confidence,” he said. “She was a major part of that championship.”

The newest Carrollwood Day team might be young, but since the Patriots lost only one starter from last season — during which CDS finished 20-3 — Praetorius is hoping they’ll pick up where they left off. 

With Sheehan leading the way, he doesn’t expect his Patriots to have any trouble doing just that. 

“She’s the leader of all our hitters. When she does well, the young hitters do well,” Praetorius said. “When she’s on point, they’re on point.”

Why she won: Sheehan, who leads the Patriots with 44 kills and six blocks, totaled 29 kills in a pair of 3-0 wins against Shorecrest Prep and Brooks DeBartolo last week, helping the Patriots start the season 3-0.

Have an athlete who should be considered for our next voting cycle? Email hometeam@tampabay.com.

Largo quarterback Donavan Hale sprained his ankle in Friday’s loss to East Lake and said he likely will not play against Gibbs.

Hale was injured in the first quarter, but continued to play until he was pulled late in the fourth quarter of a 42-0 loss. His ankle continued to swell over the weekend, preventing him from practicing Monday. Hale said he will wait until Wednesday to see if he can practice again.

“I’ll have to see how (the ankle) feels. Right now, I’d say it’s doubtful that I play,” Hale said.

Hale sprained the same ankle last year against East Lake. He sat out two games and struggled to get back to full strength the rest of the season.

“The injury doesn’t seem as bad as last year,” Hale said. “It would still be tough to play a game right now, though.”

Packers coach Marcus Paschal said he held Hale out of practice Monday and will continue to evaluate the senior quarterback throughout the week.

"We'll just to take it day-by-day and see how it goes" Paschal said. "He's been getting treatment and responding well. To me, I'd say he's probable but a lot depends on how he continues to respond and how he feels."

If Hale is unable to go, Isaiah Thomas would start. Thomas, a junior, won both games he started last year filling in for Hale.

Northside Christian setter Hannah Artille has committed to Indian River State College in Fort Pierce. Artille has been a four-year player on the Mustangs varsity volleyball team. Last season she led the team with 623 aces and 612 assists. She also had 233 digs.

Artille is also a member of the National Honor Society and the school's senior class chapelin.

Indian River is a two-year school athletically.

Palm Harbor University senior middle blocker Jazmine Barker has committed to play sand volleyball at Florida Atlantic, according to coach Tara Kuk. Barker leads the team through four matches this season with 19 blocks. She had 114 blocks last season and 219 kills.

Florida Atlantic is coached by Capri Grotowski, a former professional beach volleyball player on the AVP circuit.

The Associated Press Top 10 Florida high school football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records, rating points and previous rankings. Area teams in bold:

Class 8A
Record    Pts    Prv 
1. Dr. Phillips (17)     2-0        195    2      
2. First Coast (2)     2-0        173    3      
3. Coral Gables     2-0        148    4     
(tie) Miramar (1)     1-1        148    1      
5. Fort Pierce Central     2-0        123    5      
6. Palm Beach Gardens     2-0        86      6      
7. Charles Flanagan     2-0        80      7      
8. Apopka     1-1        48      8      
9. Plant     1-1        42      9     
10. Lake Mary     2-0        35      10    
Others receiving votes: Christopher Columbus Catholic 9, Vero Beach 5, Manatee 3, Cypress Bay 2, Monarch 1, Oviedo 1, West Orange 1.

Class 7A
1. St. Thomas Aquinas (20)     1-0        200    1       
2. East Lake     2-0        168    4      
3. Niceville     2-1        163    2      
4. Lakeland     2-0        108    10   
(tie) Dwyer     1-1        108    7      
6. Kissimmee Osceola     1-1        81      3      
7. Oak Ridge     2-0        56      NR    
8. Royal Palm Beach     2-0        37      NR    
9. Fletcher     1-1        35      6      
10. Sickles     1-1        34      5      
Others receiving votes: Charlotte 30, Countryside 18, Viera 14, Lincoln 13, Tate 10, West Boca Raton Community 10, Wekiva 5, Durant 5, American 3, Fort Myers 1, Port Charlotte 1.

Class 6A
1. Armwood (2)   2-0          179    2      
2. Mainland (8)   2-0          178    3      
3. Miami Central (9)   2-1          171    1      
4. Naples (1)   2-0          146    4      
5. Boynton Beach   2-0          115    5      
6. Venice   2-0          66      NR    
7. Hallandale   2-0          64      9      
8. Dillard   2-0          33      NR    
9. Columbia   1-1          28      6      
10. Escambia   2-0          23      NR    
Others receiving votes: St. Augustine 16, South Lake 14, Heritage 14, Navarre 10, Miami Carol City 9, Lake Gibson 7, South Fort Myers 6, South Fork 5, Hillsborough 5, Gainesville 2, Largo 2, Ed White 2, Miami Northwestern 2, Miami Norland 1, Choctawhatchee 1, Bayside 1.

Class 5A
1. South Sumter (12)   2-0          191    1              
2. Plantation American Heritage (8)   1-1          183    2(tie)    
3. Lake Wales   2-0          132    2(tie)    
4. Merritt Island   2-0          127    4             
5. Clay   2-0          115    5              
6. Cardinal Gibbons   2-0          108    6              
7. North Marion   2-0          84      7              
8. Palm Bay   1-0          65      10(tie)  
9. Lakewood   1-1          24      10(tie)  
10. Jesuit   2-0          16      NR            
Others receiving votes: Island Coast 14, Godby 12, Suwannee 10, Miami Jackson 5, Cape Coral 5, Bishop Kenny 3, Pensacola Catholic 3, Wakulla 2, Booker 1.

Class 4A
1. Miami Washington (20)   3-0          200    1      
2. Cocoa   1-0          173    2      
3. Bolles School   2-0          160    3      
4. Glades Central   2-0          142    5      
5. Clewiston   2-0          89      NR    
Others receiving votes: Madison County 24, Gulliver Prep 12.

Class 3A
1. Clearwater Central Catholic (13)   2-0          190    1      
2. Westminster Christian (2)   2-0          177    2      
3. Trinity Christian-Jacksonville (5)   0-1          149    3      
4. Melbourne Central Catholic   2-0          114    4      
5. Ocala Trinity Catholic   1-0          73      5      
Others receiving votes: Delray American Heritage 46, Berkeley Prep 24, Frostproof 14, Lakeland Christian 7, Cardinal Mooney 6.

Class 2A
1. Indian Rocks (15)   2-0          189    4      
2. North Florida Christian   1-1          124    3      
(tie) Champagnat Catholic (2)   1-1          115    1      
4. Glades Day (1)   2-0          112    NR    
5. Victory Christian (2)   1-1          109    2      
Others receiving votes: Warner Christian 82, FAMU Developmental Research 22, First Baptist 14, University Christian 12, Dade Christian 9, Trinity Christian-Deltona 6, Duval Charter 6.

Class A
1. Trenton (19)   2-0          198    1      
2. Dixie County (1)   2-0          181    2      
3. Union County   2-0          161    3      
4. Lafayette   1-1          105    4      
5. Northview   2-0          74      NR    
Others receiving votes: Chiefland 44, Blountstown 18, Liberty County 7, Baker School 6, Port St. Joe 6.

In Hillsborough's win against Jefferson last Friday, athlete Anthony King scored the first touchdown of the season for the Terriers on a 8-yard pass from quarterback Dwayne Lawson.

That score, though, could be King's only one of the season after the 5-foot-10 senior injured his ACL on a kick return in the first quarter. 

Coach Earl Garcia has yet to comment on King's injury or how long it will keep him off the field. But with or without one of their go-to receivers — who totaled 260 yards and five touchdowns — the Terriers proved that they'll likely be just fine.

Rudy Dawson III stepped up in King's absence, recording 14 receptions for 143 yards against the Dragons. 

Indian Rocks Christian, which won its first two games by a combined score of 93-13, moved up to the No. 1 spot in the Class 2A Associated Press state football poll for the first time.

“It’s a real nice accomplishment for the players,” Golden Eagles coach Mark Buchanan said. “I know it’s something they’ll be proud of and excited about.”

IRC, No. 4 in last week’s poll, vaulted to the top because it was the only team among the top five in 2A that won this past week. The highest ranking for the Golden Eagles before Tuesday was No. 2 in 2009.

Two other teams, Armwood (6A) and Clearwater Central Catholic (3A), also are No. 1 in their respective classifications. East Lake is No. 2. It is the first time Pinellas County has had that many teams ranked that high at the same time.

“With all  these teams near the top maybe someone can finally bring home a state title to Pinellas County,” Buchanan said.

Sometimes before practice starts, Tampa Prep volleyball coach Andrew Wilson puts a score of 15-9 up on the board above his players’ heads, his way of reminding the Terrapins how their season ended last year in a five-set region final loss to Orlando First Academy. 

But if you ask outside hitter Corey Perkins, she and her teammates don’t need to look at the scoreboard to remember that match. Those six points, she said, continue to haunt them.

The season is still young, but the Terrapins already are looking forward to a rematch.

“Of course we have to play all our games leading up to that, but I think our main focus this year is First Academy,” Perkins said. “We know that’s what it takes.”

Last season was the fifth straight year the Terrapins’ season ended at the hands of the Royals, who went on to win the state championship four times in that span. The last three of those meetings were 3-0 decisions in the region final.

For a team that has won 15 state volleyball titles — tying Tampa Prep with rival Berkeley Prep for number of championships — the drought stings.

This time around, though, the Terrapins have the odds, and experience, in their favor. 

Tampa Prep returned five of six starters from last year’s region finalist team, including Perkins, one of the county’s top hitters. Joining her is outside hitter Ariana Mosley, who totaled 152 kills in 2013, and libero Claire Blumenthal, a South Carolina commit.

“We just have more experience, and that experience transfers to more energy on the court,” Mosley said. “We’re just playing with more confidence, and we’re not as timid.”

That showed for Tampa Prep (6-0) last weekend in the annual Academy of the Holy Names tournament. Eight of the best teams in Hillsborough County, including 2013 state semifinalists Berkeley Prep, Steinbrenner and Robinson, competed, and the Terrapins cruised past their opponents to meet Bloomingdale in the championship game.

Tampa Prep took the first set, 25-23, but in the second, the Bulls handed the Terrapins their first set loss of the season, winning 25-18.

Last year, his team would have panicked, and it would have shown on the court, Wilson said. So late in the second set, the third-year coach called a timeout to make sure the Terrapins’ heads were right.

Less than an hour later, Tampa Prep won the final point of the weekend in the decisive third set to take the crown.

“They were just calm,” Wilson said, “and that was the best part.”

The experience was a confidence booster, Mosley admits, but they’re refusing to let the early success get to them. After all, they’ve got a streak to break — First Academy’s — and a banner to add to the gymnasium rafters. 

For so long, the Royals have been representative of failure for a Tampa Prep team that gets close, but just not close enough. Still, the Terrapins aren’t shying away from the possibility of seeing their rival again in the postseason.

In fact, they embrace it.

“We want to beat them,” said Mosley, Perkins nodding beside her in agreement. “It’s definitely on our list.”

Contact Kelly Parsons at kaparsons@tampabay.com. Follow @_kellyparsons.

BROOKSVILLE — Hernando walked away with the Class 5A, District 7 championship last year after a four-set win over Weeki Wachee in the final.

The Leopards continued that success into this season with a sweep of the Hornets, 25-18, 25-22, 25-20 Tuesday night.

Hernando (4-1, 4-0) was led by the front-line play of sophomore Ali Bronson (12 kills, two aces) and senior Sequoia Sellers (seven kills, one ace).

Down 12-9 to Weeki Wachee (4-3, 3-2) in the first set, the Leopards answered with an 8-0 run to surge to a 17-12 lead. It was an advantage they never surrendered.

“Weeki Wachee has always been one of our biggest rivals,” Bronson said, “and we came out strong, wanting to redeem our title.”

After a solid win in the second game, spurred by intense defense on the back row, Hernando looked to close out the match. Jumping ahead 8-0 in the third, the Leopards put the Hornets in a difficult position for the remainder of the match.

Hernando senior Danielle Harvey and junior Ellen Babor played major roles in the defensive success. Harvey has not played much this season, but she was crucial on a handful of rallies. Babor is in her first varsity season but worked her way onto the court for this rivalry.

“Babor and Harvey really impressed me,” Hernando coach Robin Bailey said. “We’ve been working on two types of defense so that we always have girls that are watching our back line.”

Closing matches was an emphasis in practice over the past week since the Leopards lost 3-2 to Citrus. It was key to the performance of the team Tuesday night.

“We had some problems finishing games,” Bronson said “We played intense all the way until the end, and it showed.”

The Hornets were led by sophomore Miranda Werkmeister (eight kills). Senior Alyssa Cupeles added a match-high four aces.

CLEARWATER — As the final point of Tuesday night’s Class 3A, District 9 match between Clearwater Central Catholic and Calvary Christian sailed out of bounds, some CCC players jumped for joy while others fell to the court in exhaustion. The Marauders figured they would be tested by the Warriors, but not quite like this.

After dropping the first two games, CCC battled back to win the match 21-25, 18-25, 25-19, 25-20, 17-15. It was the first loss of the season for Calvary Christian (4-1), while the Marauders improve to 2-0. The teams do not meet again until the district tournament.

“We knew they were a scrappy team and were going to give us a hard time,” CCC senior outside hitter Katie Moore said. “This was going to be our hardest game in the district. The first two games were all nerves. This was a packed gym and we haven’t played in anything like this. We got over our nerves and started to play with intensity.”

Calvary’s gym, which holds 520, was filled to capacity.  Spurred on by the  raucous crowd, The Warriors took a 2-0 lead mainly due to unforced errors by  CCC and excellent net play from Anna Vollmer and Caslin Layer. In fact, CCC didn’t even take a lead until 3-2 in the third game.

In the third, both teams traded points until it was 16-15. From there, CCC rattled off six straight points and put the game away on a Shea Hamilton kill.

The fourth game was just as close. The Marauders jumped out to an 8-3 lead but the Warriors refused to go away. Calvary cut it to 13-11 but could not get any closer. After trading points, CCC scored four of the final five points to force a fifth game.

In the fifth, the Warriors scratched their way to a 9-6 lead after a Reagan Evans ace. When CCC put a serve in the net, Calvary led 14-12 and was one point away from winning.

But four hits on one point and a bad block tied the score at 15. CCC took a 16-15 lead on a block and won the match on a block out of bounds by Calvary Christian.

“I thought we had a good game plan and knew what they were going to do,” Calvary coach Caleb Sibert said. “But after that they cut their errors down and started coming back. Hats off to them. It’s really hard to come back after losing the first two games. But I’m really proud of the way my girls played.”

Both teams expect to see each other in the postseason. CCC is the Tampa Bay Times’ No. 1 team while Calvary Christian is No. 4. Having an early-season match as competitive as this will only help, according to Moore.

“If we face this type of play throughout the season, then when we get into districts or regionals we’re going to be used to it,” Moore said. “We’re going to be more prepared than we were the last three years.”

Welcome to the Midweek Grab Bag. We suggest you pour yourself a nice cool beverage, find a nice comfortable place to sit, and enjoy a nice bowl of numbers soup. 

Grab Bag power rankings 
Here’s what’s hot in high school football right now.
1. Tampa Bay teams: Three teams — 2A Indian Rocks Christian, 3A Clearwater Central Catholic, 6A Armwood — ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press state poll.
2. Armwood’s defense: Held Blake to 11 yards passing, and minus-36 yards rushing.
3. Dwayne Lawson, Hillsborough: At least one touchdown rushing and one passing in nine consecutive games.
4. Ryan Davis, Lakewood: Last year: 307 total yards after two games. This year: 656 yards after two games.
5. Daniel Davis, Tarpon Springs: Last week averaged 30 yards on five carries, 26 yards per catch, 528 total yards on season.
6. Theo Anderson, Indian Rocks Christian: Three touchdowns on six touches; three sacks on defense.
7. Jeff Smith, Clearwater Central Catholic: Like butter so far.
8. Garrett Young, Cambridge Christian: 13 touchdowns passing and rushing already.
9. Stephon Williams, Calvary Christian: 252 yards rushing, 88 receiving and six TDS; 24 tackles, one sack and a fumble recovery.
10. Northside Christian’s defense: Only team that hasn’t allowed a point this season. Remember, this is a defense that had one shutout the previous 40 games coming into this season and hasn’t posted two shutouts in a season since 2007. 
11. Malik Davis, Jesuit
12. Carson Lydon, East Lake
13. Jaylen Pickett, Zephyrhills
14. Sunlake defense
15. Todd Sims, Spoto
16. Marchalo Judge, Tampa Bay Tech
17. Rudy Dawson, Hillsborough
18. Dante Satcher, Countryside
19. Springstead defense
20. Diontae Johnson, Lennard

Matchup of the week
Dwayne Lawson vs. Armwood’s defense: Lawson had one bad game last season, and it came against this week’s opponent, Armwood. The Hawks held him to 58 yards passing (99 fewer yards than his second-worst game) and 36 yards rushing on 12 carries, a season-low 3 yards per carry. It should be noted, however, that as a sophomore, Lawson did throw for 131 yards and run for 110 on a career-high 28 carries, albeit against a less hearty Hawk defense.

Hot film of the week

500 club

Brown vs. Bloomingdale
Com-Att 33-43
Yards  519
Interceptions 0
Touchdowns 4
Rush yards 0
Rush TDs 0
Result W

Unsung guys we dig
Terrell Jackson, Jefferson: He’s just a little guy (5-9, 160), but he is blazing fast. While he didn’t break a big one against Hillsborough last week, it looked like he was on the verge a couple of times. We see some long touchdown runs in his future.
Austin Yeloushan, Sunlake: He leads the stout Sunlake defense in tackles and tackles for losses.
Jakiah Felder, Pasco: The running back had 130 yards last week, and Pasco is in desperate need of someone who can turn in that kind of performance weekly.
Aaron Cox, Freedom: Coach Todd Donohoe raved about Cox in the preseason, and the defensive back is proving his coach prescient, with two interceptions this season. Speaking of the Freedom defense …

Numbers
13 Sacks by Freedom this year.
4 Players who have double digit sacks for the Patriots: Chris Clapham, Lee Carabali and Bryce Crawford have two, and Bryce Colee has three.

Shark tanked
Riverview has been trying to get out of a rut for a few years now, and while dwindling numbers have hurt that effort, so too has a little bad luck: three of the Sharks’ last five losses have been by five points or fewer, including last week’s 7-6 loss to East Bay.

Five shocking things about Largo’s loss to East Lake
1. The Packers never had a running clock in a regular-season game under former coach Rick Rodriguez.
2. The 42-0 loss last week to East Lake was the first time a Pinellas County team scored more than 40 on the Packers since a 46-20 loss to Dunedin in 2003.
3. The Packers haven’t lost by that many points since Lakewood beat them 47-2 in 1999.
4. The last Pinellas County team to shut out Largo was Lakewood, 32-0 in 2002.
5. That was the worst shutout loss suffered by Largo since Dixie Hollins posted a 43-0 win over the Packers in 1993.

Numbers
3 Straight losses by Tampa Catholic. The Crusaders haven’t lost four straight since 2010.

D’awesome
Hey, we don’t care how you D’spell it, but how’s this for piping hot : Dixie Hollins’ Davontae Harrington (nine catches, 193 yards, three TDs) and D’Vonte Cook  (nine catches, 148 yards, TD) combined last week for 18 catches, 341 yards and four TDs. Is it just us, or are the Rebels are just one or two more D’/Da/Vontes away from a state title?

Numbers
7 Sacks and interceptions by Chamberlain through two games. 
7 Players who have TDs for Indian Rocks Christian. 
7 Straight games without throwing an interception for Countryside QB Trent Chmelik.

Quiz show
Cambridge Christian’s Garrett Young:
a. Has only thrown three interceptions in his past 271 pass attempts
b. Has gone six straight games without an interception
c. Is on pace for 65 total touchdowns this season.
d. All of the above

Current losing streaks
Which team stops the skid this week?
Leto 27*
Central 20
Clearwater 13
Wesley Chapel 13
Dixie Hollins 9
*Going back to a forfeit win in 2011; 41 on-the-field losses

The Pinellas County cross country scene took a hit with graduation, but there still is plenty of talented runners left. Here are the ones to watch this season.

Girls

Hayley Brahm, Northeast: The top runner for the Vikings took first place at last week’s Pirate Invitational and leads a team that could contend for a district title.

Hannah Brookover, Calvary Christian: The junior’s eighth-place finish at last year’s Class A state meet is tops among county’s returners. Last week, she placed second at the Lecanto Invitational.

Shannon Greenwood, Clearwater Central Catholic: The freshman is one of the county’s top newcomers.

Anna Hamilton, Palm Harbor University: The sophomore helped the Hurricanes win conference and qualify for states as a team.

Bobbi LaBrant, Indian Rocks Christian: The track star also is one of the county’s best runners.  Last week, she took ninth at the Holloway Park Jamboree.

Olivia Rovin, Shorecrest:  With Alex Eaton graduated, Rovin takes over as the team’s No. 1 runner. Last year, she placed 28th at the Class A meet.

Brooke Santiesteban, Calvary Christian: The freshman has emerged as one of the county’s top newcomers and helped the Warriors finish second overall at the Holloway Park Jamboree.

Olivia Suski, Seminole: Placed among the top 15 at regionals to qualify for last year’s Class 4A meet. She will be among the contenders for an individual conference title  this year.

Sophia Vesely, Shorecrest: The seventh-grader teams with Rovin in a lead pack that will be a threat to place among the top four again at the Class A meet.

Boys

A.J. Jimenez, Osceola: The junior took over as the Warriors’ top runner early last season and is now a conference and district favorite.

Christian Kondor, Largo: He started the season with a solid performance at the Wiregrass Ranch meet, placing 11th.

Patrick McNamara, Admiral Farragut: One of the top returners, McNamara was 21st at last year’s Class A meet and placed among the top 10 at last week’s Holloway Park Jamboree.

Hunter McCann, Admiral Farragut: The Osceola transfer adds even more depth to a Blue Jacket team that should challenge Shorecrest at the private-school level.

Luke Peterson, Shorecrest: Last season, he took ninth at the Class A meet, the highest finish in the county. He will be the leader for the Chargers, who should contend for another top-five finish as a team.

Stephen Rudderham, Northeast: The Vikings’ top runner won last week’s Pirate Invitational and will lead a team that is a conference and district contender.

Justin Scoby, Shorecrest: On a deep team, Scoby has performed well enough to be among the top three runners.

Ryan VanMiddlesworth, Osceola: He teamed with Jimemez to help the Warriors place third overall at last week’s Wiregrass Ranch meet.

LAND O’LAKES — Though fully aware of hitting the milestone that no Pasco County girls swimming coach had reached, Robin Hilgenberg’s reaction Wednesday was just like after any other meet.

As the final race of Land O’Lakes’ 140-33 win over Anclote, the 100th dual meet win of Hilgenberg’s career, concluded there she was — packing up the tents.

"I’ve seen it too many times, especially with boys," Hilgenberg said. "They don’t know how to fold them up. I’m too much of a control freak."

Under her control, the Gators’ girls teams have been in pretty good shape. Hilgenberg’s teams have lost only one dual meet in her 13 seasons, in 2004 against Mitchell. The century mark is so difficult to come by simply because there are rarely as many as 10 duals on the schedule.

Hilgenberg wasn’t even thinking about the number until last year. That when she noticed friend Scot Wilcox, Mitchell’s baseball coach, being congratulated for his 100th victory on Facebook.

"I started adding up the numbers then," she said.

The mark could have been hit last week against Sunlake, but lightning postponed the meet after two events. That meet, which could end up being the Gators’ most competitive of the season, has been rescheduled for Sept. 30.

The Gators’ depth was on display Wednesday. In the relays, their third team finished ahead of the Sharks’ top unit.

In the boys meet (a 136-19 Gators victory), Jordan Wheeler broke the school mark in the 100 backstroke. His time of 54.89 seconds edged the 54.94 of Brad Morrison in 2006. Morris, a freshman that year, went on to Sunlake when it opened and won the state title in 2009 before heading to Florida State.

Wheeler specializes in the backstroke for his club team but doesn’t usually swim it during the Gators’ regular season. When he found out Wednesday he would get a chance, he decided to go for the record.

"On the last turn, I took a peek at the clock and knew it would be close," he said. "At that point, it was make it or break it."

TAMPA — James Zentmeyer wasn’t expecting too much early Wednesday evening when he lined up at Lake Park to run the West Hillsborough Conference Invitational.

His Sickles cross country team had a brutal workout on Tuesday and left practice exhausted. He didn’t feel great warming up before the race, and Plant’s Jack Guyton had told his rival he was gunning for him.

"I wanted to win," Zentmeyer said. "I didn’t know if I would."

But he did.

Zentmeyer, the Class 4A state runnerup last season, opened up a big lead and cruised home in 16 minutes, 35 seconds, good enough to beat Guyton (16:54) and, even better, lead the Gryphons to the team title over Plant.

The Gryphons, one of Tampa Bay’s best teams, slipped past Plant 39-45 thanks to a strong pack.

While the Panthers took second, third and fourth, Gryphon runners Nathir Fator, Ryan Murphy, Angel Maldonado and Elrashid Fator finished 8-9-10-11 to provide the winning margin.

"I’m proud of the way they ran," Plant coach Gail Bottone said. "It’s a great team."

Zentmeyer, who has won both of his races this season, and Guyton staged some memorable duels last season in track and cross country, and the Gryphons senior waited all race for his rival’s notorious kick.

"I thought Jack was going to beat me," he said.

The kick never came, though.

Plant’s Rob Leverone and Evan Collura finished third and fourth, respectively.

Jesuit finished third in the team standings behind top-10 performances from Jason Caldwell and Charlie Gonzmart.

Zentmeyer made it a Sickles sweep as Abigail Grant won the girls race in 20:24, almost a full minute ahead of the next runner.

Like Zentmeyer, Grant waited on a late challenge — after a 5:57 first mile — that never came.

"I felt a lot better in the beginning," Grant said. "By next week, I hope to have my time in the 19s."

Academy of the Holy Names won the team title with 43 points behind second-place finisher Greta Dieck and top-10 finishes by Colleen Doherty (sixth) and Lucinda Lennie (eighth). Plant (55 points) took second and Steinbrenner (66) third.

Indian Rocks Christian catcher Dan Oberst has committed to Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, according to coach Adam Moravick. Oberst hit .225 has a junior with a home run and nine RBIs. He was named to the Class 3A-9 All District team and was a Times Honorable Mention selection last season.

Indian River State College is a two-year school athletically. It was 18-24 last season.

After two weeks of play, these are the top defensive players from Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco and Hernando counties:

Tackles

Interceptions

Sacks

Note: Update stats on MaxPreps.com or email hometeam@tampabay.com.

Not much has changed since the last time Lakewood and St. Petersburg met. In fact, it was exactly a year ago when the Spartans defeated the Green Devils 28-3. 

Last year, both teams had played two games prior to facing each other. Lakewood lost a close game to Countryside and rebounded with a narrow win over Palmetto. St. Petersburg won both games convincingly over Gibbs and Clearwater.

This year, Lakewood lost a close game to Countryside and rebounded with a narrow win over Palmetto. St. Petersburg won both games over Gibbs and Clearwater. 

The Spartans still have quarterback Ryan Davis, who has run and thrown all over the field so far. Receivers Adrian Adams and Sekendric Biddines have also been impressive. 

The Green Devils have …well …they have a bunch of players not many people know about. There are no Division I prospects. No players with gaudy offensive or defensive stats. Just a bunch of blue-collar players. 

“If you look at our history, we’ve hardly ever had Division I kids here,” St. Petersburg coach Joe Fabrizio said. “We always preach to the kids that we don’t have to worry about getting our name in the headlines. We don’t have those kind of kids. We just do our thing. We’ve beaten some teams with some really good players just by playing together. 

“I like being under the radar. You don’t have to worry about the jealousies of kids getting in the paper or the parents. We just do our thing.”

After defeating St. Petersburg, Lakewood went on to play in the Class 5A state semifinals. St. Petersburg went on to win four of its next five games but missed out on the Class 7A playoffs. 

Will this year be any different? 

St. Petersburg again brings a trio of impressive running backs. Junior Jacquel Waller has 22 carries for 119 yards and three touchdowns. Senior Jarrett O’Connell, more of a power back, and junior Darius Miller have also contributed.

“I was patient last year because I was behind a senior (1,000-yard rusher Deangelo Reaves),” Waller said. “All I could do was work hard behind the scenes and when it came time to perform for my team I had to do it. It’s great this year because we have a really good O-line. They hardly ever miss assignments. They aren’t the biggest offensive line but they fight for us.’’

And then there is sophomore Austyn Causey. A junior varsity quarterback last season, Causey has stepped in ably this season, throwing for 218 yards and three touchdowns in St. Petersburg’s run oriented offense. 

“He gets it,” Fabrizio said. “He’s been a quarterback his whole football career. He doesn’t get flustered. He made some mistakes against Clearwater in the beginning, but he settled himself down and did what he had to do.’’

Speaking of quarterbacks, it appears Davis has saved his best season for last. He has already run for 296 yards in two games and has thrown for 263. Last season he threw for 145 yards and two touchdowns against the Green Devils and led the team with 79 yards rushing. 

Davis will be a point of emphasis in this game as well. 

“You have to keep him contained,” senior free safety Jake Moore said. “They always have athletes, so it’s not like you only have to stop (Davis). But you do have to contain him and be more responsible about what we do.”

Fabrizio isn’t sure it’s possible to completely stop Davis.

“You have to try to force them to win with somebody else,” he said. “Can we match up with Ryan Davis? I don’t know. Not many people have. He’ll get his yards. Just like Michael Jordan is going to get his points. Ryan is going to get his yards.”

There is no Ryan Davis at St. Petersburg, but the team chemistry is on point. 

“I think it’s a closer group than we’ve had in the past, and that isn’t to say we’ve had fragmented groups in the past,” Fabrizio said. “But this group has really bought into the ‘All In’ slogan. They do things together outside of football. There’s nobody looking for glory. Let’s just win a football game. Let’s just get to the playoffs.”

Contact Rodney Page at page@tampabay.com. Follow @RodneyHomeTeam. 

TAMPA — High on Hillsborough’s locker room wall, just a few feet from the door to coach Earl Garcia’s office, sits a digital clock with bright, neon red numbers.

This particular clock doesn’t tell the Terriers the time of day. Instead, it counts down the days, hours, minutes and seconds to Friday night’s kickoff against Armwood.

The field house is abuzz with excitement for the upcoming matchup, which could turn out to be the district championship despite the fact that it’s only the second game of the season for Hillsborough. But perhaps no one is more ready to take the field than wide receiver Rudy Dawson III.

That’s because he knows just how quickly the game he loves could be taken away. 

Midway through the first quarter of the Terriers’ win against Jefferson last week, Dawson received a punt and took off running. Out of the corner of his eye he saw teammate Anthony King come in for a block. There was a collision. He kept on going. 

When Dawson was finally stopped, the junior looked over and saw King lying on the ground.

“He was screaming bad,” Dawson said. “He was laying on the ground just crying, and the whole team was in shock. …I didn’t want it to be true.”

King, who has been on the varsity squad since his freshman year, didn’t return to the game. And since the senior athlete has what doctors believe is an ACL injury, Garcia said it’s possible he won’t return all season.

The loss of his teammate was a blow. Dawson took it as a challenge.

In Hillsborough’s 33-24 win against district rival Jefferson, Dawson led his team with 143 yards and a school-record 14 receptions.

“Our chemistry was great through that whole game,” Dawson said of quarterback Dwayne Lawson. “I felt like I was in his head, he was in my head. We were as one.”

While Dawson’s record-breaking performance might have been a surprise, his connection with Lawson, a Miami commit, was anything but.

The two met playing flag football and basketball at Memorial Middle School, which sits right across the street from Hillsborough High. At the lunch table, they’d always have the same conversation.

“He was always talking about what we were going to do when we got to Hillsborough,” Lawson recalled. “To finally get there and see it happen, it’s a great experience.”

Dawson, who led the Terriers with 33 receptions in 2013, is one of six returning receivers who recorded at least 200 yards last season. With King possibly out of the equation, he’s ready to help pick up the slack.

The 5-foot-7, 160-pound receiver may be undersized, but his goals are not. Dawson said he’d like to hit 1,000 yards receiving, 500 yards rushing and at least 15 touchdowns before the season is over.

And though Garcia admits he’s “not a stats guy,” he believes Dawson could put up some huge numbers. 

“He’s very quick, he’s very elusive and he runs with great authority,” Garcia said. “After that, the ball is not that heavy, you don’t have to be that big to carry it. And he’s good at it.”

It was a scorcher Wednesday at Hillsborough’s Marcelino Huerta Field, and Dawson had hours of practice ahead of him. Still, there was nowhere else he said he’d rather be. Keeping in mind his injured teammate, Dawson is determined not to take a single minute of the season for granted. 

“For him, it’s gone,” he said. “You can’t get it back.”

So into the weight room he went, the clock behind Dawson’s head reminding him of his next test — two days, three hours, 50 minutes and 12 seconds away.

Contact Kelly Parsons at kaparsons@tampabay.com. Follow @_kellyparsons.