Dunedin quarterback Argi Radani was ruled eligible to play his final season by the Florida High School Athletic Association during Thursday’s sectional meeting in Bradenton.

Radani, a senior, initially planned to remain a student at Clearwater Academy International, which does not offer 11-man football, but play for the varsity squad at Dunedin. State rules typically allow a student to play for another school if the non-member private school he or she attends has fewer than 125 students and does not offer interscholastic sports.

Radani, who is zoned for Dunedin, participated in offseason workouts with the Falcons starting in July. He decided to enroll at the school in August. Two weeks ago, Dunedin athletic director Marc Allison, prompted by the FHSAA, sidelined Radani as a precaution. Allison was concerned that the FHSAA might rule Radani ineligible if it considered Clearwater Academy's athletic program interscholastic.

"The FHSAA understood that it was just a misinterpretation of a rule," Allison said Thursday after the appeals hearing. 

Gibbs athletic director Javan Turner, who is on the FHSAA board of appeals, said an admintrator from Clearwater Academy International attended the meeting and helped sway the decision by speaking on Radani's behalf.

"The board is not in the business to just punish kids," Turner said. "From all accounts, the family did everything right and was not trying to skirt the rules. They were given some misinformation by adults in the matter. It didn't seem right to punish the kid for that."

For the past two seasons, Radani played eight-man football at Clearwater Academy, throwing for a combined 92 touchdowns and leading the program to a state title in 2012. Radani had success with Dunedin in summer leagues and threw for a pair of touchdowns in the preseason jamboree.

Without Radani, the Falcons started 1-1. 

"Right now I love the FHSAA," coach Matt LePain said. "They realized that we had done nothing wrong. This was a kid that lived in our zone that just wanted to play football."

LePain said that because Radani missed the first two weeks of the season, he will not start Friday at East Lake (2-0). 

Zephyrhills has beaten two teams that were a combined 1-19 last season. Things get tougher tonight against Mitchell, which has started 2-0 for the sixth straight season. There will be bigger games for both teams down the road, but for now, it’s big. “I think this is one of the better teams that we will play,” Bulldogs coach Reggie Roberts said. “I don’t want to say it’s not a statement game  …but it’s important.”

1. Bulld(dog) Rush: Two big moves since Zephyrhills’ 28-24 preseason loss to Land O’Lakes — 350-pound defensive tackle Quintan Foster moving to right guard, and Blake transfer and right tackle Jonah Thomas (6-5, 280) passing through the transfer committee and becoming eligible — have yielded high returns. The Bulldogs have rushed for 832 yards in two games, best in Tampa Bay, and Jaylen Pickett is coming off a career-high 261 yards against Gulf. Usually it’s Mitchell’s rushing attack — Ryan Marsh has a 236-yard game to his credit already — that must be addressed, but the Bulldogs have a bevy of fast, explosive backs.

2. Mix and match: Roberts says his team is ready for a high dose of MItchell’s patented sweeps. But last week Mustang quarterback Alec Lambert threw for three touchdowns. That’s as many as Mitchell threw for all of last season. This may not be your daddy’s Mustangs, unless of course you’re new coach Andy Schmitz, who took over for dad Scott. So technically, they are his daddy’s Mustangs. But still…“We still see wing-T,” said Roberts, “but they aren’t lining up the same. Still see the buck sweep, just doing it out of different formations. And they have added the threat of a pass.”

3. Big plays: The last time Zephyrhills played in a marquee game, last year against Pasco, it gave up two back-breaking big plays in a loss. “We have to be ready for it,” Roberts said. Mitchell has scored 10 touchdowns this season, and six of those have been 40 yards or longer. By the same token, the Bulldogs have five touchdowns of 30 yards or longer. Last year, Zephyrhills won 17-9. And the winning touchdown? A 30-yard pass play.

LITHIA — For Bloomingdale last season, it was all Karissa Rhoades, all the time. The outside hitter finished with a Hillsborough County-high 457 kills, more than three times as many as any Bull.

At the start of the new season, first-year coach Claudia Cabrera warned her team: "If Karissa is the go-to this year for all the hits, she’s not going to have any arm left when we get to districts."

But as the Bulls proved in a 3-0 district win against Newsome on Thursday, that won’t be a problem.

Rhoades still led Bloomingdale, which won 25-8, 25-15, 25-10, with 14 kills and three aces. But the senior had help from middle blocker Kaitlyn Grice’s nine kills and seven blocks. At 6 feet 2, Grice’s mere presence drew attention, but she had more to offer than just her size against the Wolves (3-2, 2-2 8A-7).

Grice’s play at the net was a big help to the defense of Bloomingdale (11-1, 4-0). She read the court well, Cabrera said, and always appeared to be in the right place at the right time.

After almost a full season away — Grice played in just two matches last season because of an ankle injury — Rhoades is just glad to have her back.

"Not having her … was a downer because she’s kind of that upbeat player that gets everybody else motivated," she said.

Against a team that is one of the best in Hillsborough County, Newsome didn’t put up much of a fight. It led just once — 1-0 in the second set. Later in that set, the Wolves went on a streak then traded points with the Bulls to come within six.

But Grice responded with a block to end the rally.

"I know there’s great hitters over there," she said, "and I just wanted to shut them down."

Bloomingdale has lost just one match, to Tampa Prep in the Academy of the Holy Names tournament final. Outside of that, it hasn’t dropped a set.

With a district match against rival Plant next week — the Panthers went 3-0 against the Bulls in 2013, including in the region semifinals — Rhoades couldn’t ask for better motivation.

"Everyone is really ready," she said. "We don’t want to give up our undefeated record."

TRINITY — Reggie Roberts’ team scored 45 points Friday night, but he wasn’t talking afterwards about the big plays or touchdown passes or long runs.

He was talking defense. Like only a Zephyrhills Bulldog can. Woof!

“The Bulldogs have always played defense,” said a fired-up Roberts, and they used that defense to rout a sloppy Mitchell team Friday night 45-14 in a battle of early-season unbeatens.

Zephyrhills (3-0) turned six turnovers, including four fumble recoveries, into 27 points as Mitchell never recovered from some early, crucial mistakes.

Running back and safety Jaylen Pickett returned an interception for a touchdown — the first of his two picks — and Frank Everett recovered two fumbles, returning the last one for a 74-yard touchdown that put the game out of reach.

Everett, a senior middle linebacker, picked up the loose ball and criss-crossed the field and weaved his way in between traffic before finally scoring his first touchdown.

“That was all my teammates,” said Everett, whose cousin Lawrence also recovered a fumble. “I’m the slowest on the team. My teammates helped me on that touchdown. I needed oxygen when I got back to the sideline.”

The matchup between the county’s leading rushers, Mitchell’s Ryan Marsh and Pickett, never materialized. Pickett ran for 55 yards on 22 carries, and Marsh had 15 carries for 67 yards and a fumble.

But Pickett made a huge impact. His interception return in the first quarter was the first score of the game, and he caught a devastating 86-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ty Tanner right before halftime to make it 28-14 when the Mustangs (2-1) were still hanging around and mounting a rally.

Mitchell started the second half with the ball, but went three and out. Zephyrhills drove 70 yards and capped the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run by Tanner to make it 35-14.

Two plays later, Everett recovered his first fumble, leading to a Zach Gleaton field goal, and on Mitchell’s next drive Gleaton scooped up another bobbled ball for his touchdown.

“It wasn’t just the turnovers,” said Mitchell coach Andy Schmitz. “It’s the turnovers, it’s the roughing the kicker penalty …if you could make a check list on how to lose a football game, we hit them all.”

Tanner led the way offensively for the Bulldogs, rushing for a game-high 108 yards, 82 of those coming after halftime. He also had five runs of 10 or more yards in the second half, and threw for 135 yards, including a touchdown to Pickett and another to Jackie Tucker.

TAMPA — With one of its main offensive weapons sidelined with an injury, Berkeley Prep went back to the basics in a win over Sarasota Booker. The Buccaneers used a stifling run defense led by linebacker Joe Schiano and defensive tackle Bo Peek, tying the Tornadoes’ hands behind their backs on offense and forcing a one-dimensional approach. Booker left itself no margin for error, committing more yards in penalties than it gained on offense in the first half. After a scoreless first quarter, Berkeley’s Brad Mayes got the scoring started and the Bucs didn’t look back from there. No Jacob Mathis? No problem for Berkeley Prep as running backs Gordon Stetson and Addison Grams ground out more than 200 yards rushing.

Key drive: Booker’s first two of the second half. On their initial possession, the Tornadoes went three and out. On their next drive following a Berkeley punt which backed the Tornadoes up to their goal line, Peek pounced on quarterback Jeremiah Henderson for a safety to make the score 16-0.

Play of the game: In the third quarter Henderson, Booker’s 6-foot-4, 245-pound quarterback, ran free on a scramble and directly in front of Berkeley’s Nicholas Kavouklis, standing at 6 feet and 225 pounds. The play ended with a loud hit and while Kavouklis was slightly dazed he made the stop, forcing a fourth and short that Booker could not convert.

Stars of the game: Berkeley Prep’s Gordon Stetson (26 carries, for 116 yards and a TD) and Addison Grams (11 carries for 81 yards, along with two receptions for 40 yards).

Stats of the game: Booker finished with just 1 yard rushing and Berkeley Prep controlled the ball for 27:35, piling up 20 first downs to Booker’s seven.

ST. PETERSBURG — In a gritty game won in the trenches, Indian Rocks Christian won thanks to 271 yards rushing, 205 more than host Admiral Farragut. The Blue Jackets had an early 7-0 lead but couldn’t hold on as the Golden Eagles wore them down.

Key Drive: Indian Rocks Christian’s first drive of the second half was 4:38 of pounding the ball at Admiral Farragut’s front seven. The sequence featured seven rushes for 78 yards, culminating in Zeke McGaughy 7-yard score.

Play of the game: Midway through the second quarter, Golden Eagles running back Jacquan Fuller ran the ball left where he was met with a host of defenders, but three broken tackles later, the senior ran 41 yards for a score.

Star of the game: McGaughy was the workhorse for Indian Rocks Christian, finishing with 133 yards on 17 carries with one touchdown. Jacquan Fuller also deserved consideration after he finished with 103 yards on nine attempts with a score of his own.

Stat of the game: Zero. As in, Indian Rocks Christian was 0-for-5 passing.

Final word: “The defensive line was dominating up front and allowing the linebackers to make most of our plays. They did a great job cleaning all the runs up.” — Golden Eagles coach Mark Buchanan on holding the Blue Jackets to 97 yards of total offense.

SPRING HILL — If you were looking for the perfect example of a workhorse running back, look no farther than Springstead’s Daniel Wright.

Riding their senior back the entire game, the Eagles came back to beat rival Nature Coast 23-20 Friday night at Booster Stadium.

“(Nature Coast) did a good job of switching up their schemes,” Springstead coach Mike Garofano said. “The extra week to prepare (following their bye) really helped.”

Springstead (2-1) grabbed momentum early behind its stellar defense when Robert Holdway forced a fumble in the back of the end zone by Jamison Carnegie for a safety.

The advantage was stretched to 16-0 in the second quarter after Wright scored from 1 yard out on the drive following the safety. A Conor Ross forced fumble on Sharks tailback DeShawn Smith (five carries, 28 yards) was recovered by Brian Rae. Wright followed with another 6-yard touchdown run to cap that drive.

Nature Coast (0-2) fired back with a vengeance, scoring 20 unanswered points. Carnegie went no-huddle, hitting Cameron Syblis on a 22-yard pass to set up a 2-yard keeper for the touchdown, cutting the lead to 16-6 before halftime.

On the first drive of the third quarter, Carnegie broke a 49-yard touchdown run to make it 16-13. The Sharks quarterback ended up with 10 carries for 73 yards and two touchdowns to go with 3-of-6 passing for 34 yards.

The big scare for Eagles fans on hand came to start the fourth. Nature Coast linebacker Dylan Miller forced a fumble out of T.J. Owens. Matthew Robinson scooped up the ball and took it 67 yards to the end zone, giving the underdog Sharks a 20-16 lead.

Already with 24 carries, Wright went to work, driving Springstead down the field. After Nature Coast backup punter Gilbert Delgado shanked a nine-yard boot, Wright’s two-yard score and the following clock-draining drive gave him a career-high 40 carries for 147 yards. The numbers even surprised himself.

“I carried it that many times?” Wright said. “I’m proud of myself for working hard and not giving up.” 

The star running back’s brother, Jordan Wright, got his first varsity start for the Eagles at quarterback. The sophomore was efficient, playing mistake-free ball in front of a large home crowd.

In a game delayed nearly an hour and a half because of bad weather, the Patriots defense came up big on two consecutive drives to win a close game at home over the Warriors.

Key drive: Down by 3 with less than six minutes remaining, Osceola drove from its own 25 to near the Patriots 20-yard line. Running back Nick Shytle took the ball from quarterback Ryan Allan and passed — a play he had successfully completed earlier in the game. This time, however, the pass was intercepted by Rod Robinson and allowed Pinellas Park to take more time off the clock.

Play of the game: The interception by Robinson was big, as were two consecutive sacks by the Pinellas Park defense on Osceola’s final drive. Jaquise Simmons got the final sack of the game on fourth down to seal the win for the Patriots.

Stars of the game: The Patriots’ Oscee Calhoun had 12 carries for 57 yards. Teammate Donte Maxson had nine carries for 73 yards. Osceola’s Shytle carried 9 times for 39 yards and caught three balls for 55 yards. Warriors quarterback Allan completed 8-of-15 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown pass.

ST. PETERSBURG — Defense can make a game look really ugly. Add water and a one-hour lightning delay and things can get downright hideous.

Neither Gibbs nor Largo could get its offenses together in the first half Friday, taking 13 ½ minutes just to register the game’s initial first down. But just when the host Gladiators turned a wobbly Largo pass into a Javon Morgan interception and a 26-yard return for a second-quarter touchdown, the hearty few fans that endured the long break were wondering if the lone score would stand up.

Not if Brandon Drayton had anything to say about it as the junior made all the plays that counted in the Packers’ bounce-back 13-6 victory.

“After our tough loss against East Lake last week, Coach (Marcus Paschal) emphasized that we start strong on defense, come out hard early, and look for somebody to step up and make a play.”

Drayton did just that, running a perfect post pattern that saw Isaiah Thomas hit the junior in perfect stride for a 41-yard gain on a third-and-27 play to put Largo at the Gibbs 25. Two plays later, the pair hooked up on a slant for a 6-yard TD and a tie score with 21 seconds left in the half.

“The defensive back was in press coverage and I was able to get inside,” Drayton said of the tying score.

And while Largo’s defense was befuddling Gibbs’ attack (just 92 yards with three turnovers), the Packers were pulling together.

After a three-and-out and a weak punt put the visitors at the Gibbs 19, a Thomas scramble and two runs from workhorse junior John Clark (25 carries, 85 yards), the last to the house from 5 yards out, essentially sealed the deal.

Gibbs got one final shot with 1:55 left but Drayton came up huge again, starching receiver Sam Jones at midfield then picking off the Gladiators’ final pass on the next play for the victory. 

NEW PORT RICHEY — After falling behind 19-6 at the end of the first half, Land O’Lakes dominated. James Pensyl completed 21 of 32 passes for 274 yards to lead the Gators (2-1). Pensyl added a 43-yard run late to set up Larenz Scroggins’ putaway TD run.

Key drive: Starting the fourth quarter, after its defense had held Ridgewood to one first down in the third, Pensyl completed four passes and even overcame a hold when the Gators were at the 1-yard line. He hit Ethan Weilant for a 13-yard score with 10:15 left, and Weilant’s jump pass on the conversion Douglas Farmer gave the Gators the lead for good at 29-19.

Play of the game: After an interception by Tyler Stacy, the result Darnell Lindsey pressuring Pensyl, the Rams worked the ball and scored on the last play of the half when Christian Farria caught an 8-yard pass from Nick Michels.

Stars of the game: Kamal Wells caught nine passes for 88 yards while Farria had seven grabs for 92 yards. Farria and Glass Wilson (12 carries, 51 yards) missed most of the second half with injury. Weilant averaged 40 yards on seven punts.

Stat of the game: After Weilant’s 58-yard TD reception on Land O’Lakes’ first play, Ridgewood outgained the Gators 240-45 the rest of the half.

TAMPA — Clearwater Central Catholic and Jesuit took 10 paces, whirled — and ran the football at each other.

All night long. 

The Marauders were better equipped for the quick-hitting stuff. They had Jeff Smith, one of the area’s most elusive quarterbacks in the area. With spectacular bursts of speed, the Boston College commit turned the corner and left pursuers breathlessly behind, rushing for 216 yards and scoring three touchdowns on the ground. His last score, a 10-yard run in the fourth quarter, proved to be the difference in a 41-27 CCC victory.

“Watching film, I thought we would really go through them,” Smith said. “I was surprised at how well Jesuit played. We just have to learn from this and not come out flat the next time.”

For a while, Smith’s performance was matched by the Tigers’ Malik Davis, a battering ram who splattered defenders.

Together, both backs combined for 489 yards and four touchdown. In all, the teams combined for 776 yards on the ground in a game that saw a barrage of big plays and left both defenses wobbly.

Early on, it was the Marauders (3-0) who had more success running. Taking advantage of its speed, CCC built a 17-7 lead thanks to a pair of Smith touchdown runs that were each more than 50 yards.

Then, Davis went to work.

Running through defenders rather than around them, Davis scored twice to give the Tigers a 21-17 lead. Brenden Gonzalez added a field goal late in the second quarter to make it 24-17.

In the second half, the Marauders defense clamped down, holding the Tigers to three points the rest of the way. Smith and CJ Cotman (129 yards rushing) did most the work for CCC on offense, each scoring on runs to put the Marauders back in control. The final score came on a 2-yard run by Demetri Royer with less than two minutes remaining in regulation.

Twice, CCC held Jesuit on downs and Royer also picked off a pass in the fourth quarter. This is the first time the Marauders have beaten rivals Tampa Catholic and Jesuit in the same season.

“We got a bunch of big plays early and that helped,” CCC coach John Davis said. “We needed it because Jesuit started hammering the ball and we couldn’t stop it.

“We challenged our guys at thee half to step up. It’s a good win from a coaching perspective because we had to reach down and find a way to pull it out. Special teams find a way when things aren’t going so well.”

WESLEY CHAPEL — Pasco extended its winning streak over Wesley Chapel to seven in handing the Wildcats their 14th straight loss overall. The Pirates also continued their season-long penchant for excessive penalties with 19 for 155 yards as well as their dominance on defense by holding Wesley Chapel to a paltry 44 yards on offense.

Key drive: Pasco got a safety and a touchdown early, but put some distance between it and Wesley Chapel with Jakiah Felder’s 66-yard scoring run up the middle for a 16-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Play of the game: Following a scoreless third quarter and with Wesley Chapel still somewhat in the game, Grant Starling capped a short three-play drive by connecting with Bowman Archibald, who made an over-the-shoulder catch in the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown and 30-7 lead.

Stars of the game: Andrew Ivie had three sacks, including one for a safety, and recovered a fumble that set up Archibald’s 1-yard touchdown run for a 9-0 lead.

Stats of the game: Archibald ran for a touchdown and caught a pass for another and Ivie dominated on defense, helping the Pirates hold the Wildcats to just 44 yards.

ST. PETERSBURG — There wasn’t much Darius Miller didn’t do in St. Petersburg’s 39-22 win over Lakewood on Friday night.

The junior running back scored on two long runs, returned a kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown and caught a 70-yard touchdown pass to cap the biggest night of his career.

“If our offense does what it’s supposed to do, the possibilities are endless,” said Miller, who ran for 121 yards had 114 receiving yards. “We all felt like it was going to be a big night. The holes were there, and we just ran through them. I always think that once I get past the line, then nobody can catch me.”

The game was delayed 35 minutes due to weather. Once it did get started, St. Petersburg set the tone on its first drive. Pinned at their own 5, the Green Devils marched 95 yards on eight plays and scored when Miller ran it in from 21 yards. There was also a 37-yard pass to Miller during the drive.

On its next possession, St. Petersburg went right down the field again. This time, it was a nine-play, 55-yard drive that ended when Jacquel Waller ran it in from 6 yards.

Things went so well for the Green Devils in the first half that even when they were stopped, they managed to score points. Early in the second, Lakewood forced a punt. Rodrick Strohman fielded the ball at his 1 and was tackled in the end zone for a safety.

One possession later, Miller broke an 87-yard run up the middle on the first play of the drive to make it 23-0.

Lakewood showed some life late in the half when Ryan Davis hit Sekendric Biddines on a 6-yard touchdown pass that capped a 10-play drive. Davis’ two-point pass to Biddines made it 23-8.

But not to be outdone, Miller ran back the ensuing kickoff 83 yards to make the halftime score 30-8.

“I’ve got three good backs out there,” St. Petersburg coach Joe Fabrizio said. “If one of them gets hot, they’re going to run it. Very rarely does anybody have a night like this, but (Miller) does have the ability to score from anywhere.”

The second half started like an Arena Football game. Davis began to take over on offense and gained big chunks running. Romello Pressley scored on a 14-yard run to cut the lead to 30-16. But on its first possession of the half, St. Petersburg quarterback Austyn Causey hit Miller on a 70-yard pass to push the lead back to 20. Causey was 8-of-10 for 144 yards.

Pressley scored again to make it 36-22. Lakewood had the ball late in the third quarter but fumbled on the St. Petersburg 13.

The Green Devils added a Parker Bryant field goal in the fourth to end the scoring.

“It took us a while to get our rhythm,” Lakewood coach Cory Moore said. “I’m happy with the way the guys responded in the second half. We still fought to the end. It’s going to get us ready for those district games that really matter.”

Davis gained 151 yards rushing but threw for only 58.

Stars of the game 

Darius Miller, RB, St. Petersburg: A coming-out game. He had touchdown runs of 21 and 87 yards, returned a kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown, and caught a 70-yard touchdown pass.

Ryan Davis, QB, Lakewood: He threw for an uncharacteristically low 58 yards but ran for a game-high 151 yards.

Austyn Causey, QB, St. Petersburg: Highly effective. He completed 8 of 10 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown.

NEW PORT RICHEY — Wiregrass Ranch opened the game in shocking fashion with a kickoff return and fumble return for a score in the opening minute. Then the game was delayed for one hour and it was exactly what River Ridge needed. Lead by bruising junior running back Chris Schwarz (five rushing touchdowns) the Royal Knights quickly got back into the game in its first series out of the delay. That set the tone early for the rushing game that was almost unstoppable and a defense lead by Dillion O’Toole that stymied the Bulls offense for much of the night.

Play of the game: James Gibson opened the game with a 75-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Star of the game: After last week’s disappointing effort by Schwarz, the junior rushed for a school record 299 rushing yards on 27 carries.

Stat of the game: To go along with Schwarz’s monster night the team combined for 422 rushing yards.

PALMETTO — Countryside blocked two punts that resulted in 12 points en route to the victory. 

First, Scotty Dailey snagged a Palmetto punt out of the air and ran it in with 7:44 left in the first half. 

“That’s something we practice,” Cougars coach Eric Schmitz said, “getting into the lane to get a block then scoop and score.” 

Quincy Washington answered right back for Palmetto with a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. 

“He is very talented,” Schmitz said. “If he gets a seam, he can really hurt you.” 

Washington had his hand in a little bit of everything for Palmetto. He rushed for 114 yards and two touchdowns and blocked a punt of his own. 

With 8:04 left in the game, the Cougars got their second blocked punt. Soon after, Dante Satcher had a 32-yard run. Two plays later, the senior punched it in from the 1, but the two-point conversion failed. 

With five minutes left, Palmetto’s Jack Allison was sacked, resulting in a 12-yard loss and forcing a punt. After a three-and-out, the Cougars punted, giving Palmetto one last chance to win the game. But Allison was picked off by Satcher with just less than four minutes left, securing the win for the Cougars. 

The Tigers were shut out in the second half while being held to 69 yards. 

DUNEDIN — East Lake shook off a slow start to defeat Dunedin on the road. East Lake pinned Dunedin at its 9 and forced a fumble by quarterback Argi Radani which was recovered by Carson Lydon in the end zone. East Lake extended the lead to 14-0 on Lydon’s 12-yard run. In the second quarter East Lake turned it over on back to back possessions on an interception by Jayven Fitzpatrick and a fumble. But the Eagles rebounded to kick two field goals and take a 20-0 lead at halftime. In the second half East Lake broke the game open on touchdown passes by Jake Hudson to Kyle Fearrington and Bryce Miller.

Key drives: East Lake drove 37 yards on seven plays on its first touchdown drive, then drove nine plays for 31 yards to set up Daniel LaCamera’s first field goal for a three-possession margin.

Play of the game: George Campbell caught 31-yard pass on third and 13 to keep East Lake’s first possession alive.

Stars of the game: Aside from Lydon, Hudson completed 16-of-23 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns. Miller had five catches for 78 yards and a touchdown. Campbell had three catches for 52 yards. For Dunedin, Janiero Crankfield had three catches for 60 yards and a score.

Stat of the game: East Lake held Dunedin to 78 yards of total offense, 60 of those coming on one play. Dunedin held East Lake to 250 yards of offense.

SEFFNER — Hillsborough had its chances. 

Just like it did the last time it was truly tested in a preseason loss to Plant, Armwood made mistakes. The Hawks had fewer yards of offense, fewer first downs and more penalties than the Terriers in the first half. 

Still, Hillsborough couldn’t capitalize. Not against an Armwood defense that towered over its district rival.

Armwood, then leading by 16, gave its opponent one last chance to make something happen when it fumbled in the fourth quarter. Hillsborough couldn’t move the ball and decided to punt on fourth and long, but a running into the kicker penalty and a personal foul gave the Terriers a fourth-and-short situation. 

Once again, Hillsborough couldn’t convert, and on the ensuing drive Noah Johnson ran 22 yards for the game-clinching touchdown as Armwood blanked Hillsborough 26-0. 

Key to its second-half dominance, Armwood held Hillsborough quarterback Dwayne Lawson, a Miami commit, to just 14 yards passing on two completions in the second half. 

“We’ve played some great quarterbacks and we know how to defend that,” Armwood coach Sean Callahan said. “Last year after beating him, we kind of figured out what his issues are, so we tried to maximize that as  best we can.”

On the first drive of the game, Hillsborough picked up three first downs to get in Armwood territory. The Terriers went for it on fourth-and-12, though, and were stopped short.

Hillsborough tried again to convert on fourth down later in the half, but Byron Cowart tackled quarterback Dwayne Lawson for a loss on fourth and inches to stop the Terriers in their tracks.

On the ground, Armwood was hot from the start. Running back Andre Rivera picked up 40 yards on a play in the Hawks’ first drive before taking it 5 yards for a touchdown later in the first quarter to give Armwood a 6-0 lead.

The Hawks led 9-0 at the half after Sterling Hofrichter kicked a 32-yard field goal with just less than seven minutes to go in the second quarter. He’d kick another, a 22-yarder, in the fourth to end scoring for Armwood.

Johnson, who finished 8-of-12 for 59 yards, connected often with backup quarterback Darrian McNeal, who had seven receptions for 45 yards against the Terriers. 

“Our receivers, we stay after practice every day because we have to get our chemistry up. It just so happened that he worked the hardest and he got the ball the most tonight,” Johnson said of McNeal. “ I’ll be throwing to him a whole lot more.”

With games against Robinson and Jefferson in the next two weeks, the Hawks have a lot ahead of them. So though his team beat Hillsborough handily, Callahan isn’t clearing space for that district championship trophy just yet.

“Oh no,” he said. “And I’m sure not going to let my kids think (we’ve won it) either.”

Stars of the game 

Jeremy Ware, Armwood: The senior defensive lineman sacked Dwayne Lawson twice and had several other big stops as the Armwood defense held Hillsborough to just 69 yards of offense in the second half.

Noah Johnson, Armwood: Armwood’s quarterback finished  8-of-12 for 59 yards while scoring a pair of touchdowns on 8- and 22-yard runs.

Darrian McNeal, Armwood: McNeal, also Armwood’s backup quarterback who got some reps late in the fourth quarter, caught seven of Johnson’s eight completions for 45 yards.

PALM HARBOR — Clearwater won for the first time since the 2012 regular season in a wild contest that included two weather delays, numerous penalties and turnovers, and a dramatic final few minutes. The game also featured a duel between Tornadoes quarterback Garrison Bryant and Hurricanes signalcaller Brandon Swift, who combined to throw 58 times. In the end, Clearwater senior Lucas McWhorter’s two interceptions in the final minute sealed the Tornado victory.

Key drive: In the fourth quarter, Palm Harbor University scored to get within 24-23 on a 5-yard touchdown run by Swift, but the PAT was no good. Clearwater went three and out giving the ball back to the Hurricanes. Then with PHU driving, McWhorter intercepted a pass and returned it for a score to put the Tornadoes up 30-23.

Stars of the game: McWhorter added an interception on the final Hurricane drive and set up a touchdown earlier in the fourth quarter with a 38-yard run up the middle. Bryant was efficient, completing 17 of 22 passes for 204 yards. Swift finished 18 for 36 for 171 yards. Desmond Silva chipped in with an interception for the Hurricanes

Stat of the game: The teams combined for 24 penalties for 184 yards.

Final word:“We just kept working. We knew we were a better team. We just needed to come out and get a win. We finally broke that steak.” — Clearwater coach Donnie Abraham on his team breaking a 13-game skid.

NEW PORT RICHEY — After falling behind 19-6 at the end of the first half, Land O’Lakes dominated. James Pensyl completed 21 of 32 passes for 274 yards to lead the Gators (2-1). Pensyl added a 43-yard run late to set up Larenz Scroggins’ putaway TD run.

Key drive: Starting the fourth quarter, after its defense had held Ridgewood to one first down in the third, Pensyl completed four passes and even overcame a hold when the Gators were at the 1-yard line. He hit Ethan Weilant for a 13-yard score with 10:15 left, and Weilant’s jump pass on the conversion Douglas Farmer gave the Gators the lead for good at 22-19.

Play of the game: After an interception by Tyler Stacy, the result of Darnell Lindsey pressuring Pensyl, the Rams worked the ball and scored on the last play of the half when Christian Farria caught an 8-yard pass from Nick Michels.

Stars of the game: Kamal Wells caught nine passes for 88 yards while Farria had seven grabs for 92 yards. Farria and Glass Wilson (12 carries, 51 yards) missed most of the second half with injury. Weilant averaged 40 yards on seven punts.

Stat of the game: After Weilant’s 58-yard TD reception on Land O’Lakes’ first play, Ridgewood outgained the Gators 240-45 the rest of the half.