Can’t-miss matchups
Land O’Lakes (1-0) at Anclote (0-1)
Matchup to watch: Land O’Lakes’ passing game against Anclote’s secondary. Junior QB James Pensyl had the Gators’ top passing performance since at least 2006, throwing for 375 yards and two scores in an impressive 32-0 win over River Ridge. Anclote’s defense has plenty of talent, including cornerbacks Israel Cooper and Trent Crawford and twins Ty and Shy Carter. Can the Gators’ pass-happy offense thrive against the Sharks?
Matt Baker’s pick: The Gators seemed completely different in Week 1 than in a kickoff classic loss to Zephyrhills. I underestimated Land O’Lakes last week, and I won’t make that same mistake this week. Land O’Lakes, 24-20
Derek J. LaRiviere’s pick: If the Gators are really back, we’ll find out tonight. The defense will have to be solid to at least contain Willie Barrett, who racked up 196 total yards and two touchdowns last week. Pensyl’s arm had better be on the bus to Holiday as well. Land O’Lakes, 24-21.
Fivay (1-0) at Pasco (0-1)
Matchup to watch: Pasco’s offense against Fivay’s defense. The Pirates had one of the worst offensive outputs in coach Tom McHugh’s tenure last week, scoring only six points on a kickoff return and finishing with less than 130 yards of offense. Division I athletes Nate Craig and Malik Johns will try to rebound against a Falcon defense that held Ridgewood to only one first-half touchdown in Week 1. Christian Breviario (14 tackles) and Dylan Hartley (one interception) led Fivay last week. Don’t be surprised if Pasco stresses its run game more by feeding the ball to senior Jaquan Clower.
Baker: The last time the Pirates lost a regular-season game, they won their next four games by a combined score of 187-19. Poor Fivay. Pasco, 35-14
LaRiviere: Eric Vitale’s 281 yards with four touchdowns is exactly what Falcon fans have been looking for since his sophomore season, but this won’t be Ridgewood’s defense. The conclusion of the Pirates’ 38-game regular-season win streak likely had McHugh giving his players nightmares at practice. Pasco, 45-14.
Springstead (0-1) at Weeki Wachee (1-0)
Matchup to watch: Weeki Wachee’s rushing attack against Springstead’s defense. The Hornets had three players rush for touchdowns last week, and four — Jonathan King, Devon Dupuis, Marcus Allen and Shawn O’Gorman — ran for at least 40 yards each. But Springstead’s front seven is much stronger than Interlachen. Anclote and Hudson had little rushing success in exhibition games against Jesse Cowan and the Eagles defense, although Springstead surrendered more than 200 yards on the ground against Citrus last week.
Baker: Springstead struggled in its opener, but Tyler Mahla and the Eagles have an efficient, disciplined offense. First-year coach Mike Garofano will get his first regular season victory. Springstead, 28-7
LaRiviere: Even with all the celebrating in Weeki Wachee as the Hornets are 1-0 for the second straight year, star tailback Marcus Allen has been quiet. Meanwhile, the Eagles’ Mahla is ready for a big game after the opener. Springstead, 35-14.
Find more predictions for tonight’s games at tampabay.com/hometeam.
More predictions
Sunlake (1-0) at River Ridge (0-1)
Baker: The Seahawks are soaring after one of their biggest wins in program history. They shouldn’t have a problem against River Ridge. Sunlake, 35-7
LaRiviere: As has been the case since the late 1980s, Seahawks coach Bill Browning had his boys prepared last week. I’m not overlooking them this time against a Royal Knights team that could be running its scoreless streak to two games. Sunlake, 28-0.
Ridgewood (0-1) at Mitchell (1-0)
Baker: Mitchell, 42-7
LaRiviere: Mitchell, 31-10
Hudson (1-0) at Wiregrass Ranch (1-0)
Baker: Wiregrass Ranch, 28-14
LaRiviere: Wiregrass Ranch, 24-13
Zephyrhills (1-0) at Gulf (0-1)
Baker: Zephyrhills, 42-7
LaRiviere: Zephyrhills 45-7
Bishop Kenny (1-0) at Hernando (0-1)
Baker: Bishop Kenny, 28-24
LaRiviere: Bishop Kenny, 45-21
The Villages (0-1) at Central (0-1)
Baker: The Villages, 28-27
LaRiviere: Central, 27-21
Wesley Chapel (0-1) at Lecanto (1-0)
Baker: Lecanto, 21-20
LaRiviere: Wesley Chapel, 21-14
Northside Christian (0-1) at Bishop McLaughlin (1-0)
Baker: Bishop McLaughlin, 28-17
LaRiviere: Bishop McLaughlin, 31-28