Welcome to the Grab Bag, where we give you some of the stats you can't find anywhere else. We take the numbers, put them in a nice, thick beef broth, add some veggies and pour you a delightful and healthy heaping of yumminess. Some bites will leave you wanting more. Others will turn your stomach. The fun part? You never know which bite is coming. Let's crank 'er up.
TEAM OF THE WEEK
Hey, how about those Riverview Sharks? Mike Thornton has guided the Sharks to a 2-1 record, already equaling last year's win total, and they could be 3-0 if not for an overtime loss to East Bay that they had in hand. The Sharks are doing it the old-fashioned way, by pounding the ball. Last week, QB Keisean Young completed every one of his passes (he threw just one), but rushed for 215 yards and three TDs on 21 carries. With 104 points scored, the Sharks are already nearing last year's total of 174, which was the most since 2007.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Middleton's Shug Rhynes is putting up crazy numbers. Like, not just crazy, but like craaaaaaaaay-zeeeee. After catching three passes for 238 yards two weeks ago against Freedom, Rhynes almost topped that with Monday's effort: three more catches, 175 more yards. In three games, Rhynes, a 6-foot, 200-pound senior, has 11 catches for 467 yards and five TDs, including a whopping 42 yards a catch.
GOOD HANDS PEOPLE
Rhynes isn't the only area wide receiver stealing the show this season. Where did these guys come from?
1. Sickles' Jaaron Barrett has six catches for 177 yards and three TDs the past two weeks.
2. Carrollwood Day's Michael Smith had six catches for 197 yards and three TDs, and is second in all of Tampa Bay in receiving.
3. Dixie Hollins Jacquez Hill had nine catches for 190 yards and three TDs, and leads Pinellas County.
4. Spoto's Marc McCoy set a school record with 10 catches, totalling 179 yards.
SUPERFECTA!
Palm Harbor University QB Tyler Kaminski had a hand (and a foot) in every one of the Hurricanes' 38 points last week. Kaminski threw three touchdown passes to Dominic Bonelli, ran in two scores, kicked all five extra points and added a field goal. When was the last time you remember someone pulling off the TD pass/TD run/PAT/FG superfecta?
FIRST!
Jefferson's Deiondre Porter has 562 yards passing and 461 yards rushing (1,023 total) after three weeks, making him the first player to accumulate more than 1,000 yards of total offense this season.
SEPTEMBER REIGN
If I'm kicking the ball to Pasco's Malik Johns, probably the most dangerous return guy in Tampa Bay, I'm waiting until October. Last September, Johns returned a punt for a TD in all four Pasco games. This September, Johns has returned a kickoff for TDs in one of Pasco's two games (he also returned a kick for a score in the Aug. 30 season opener, just a day too early to be included here.) That makes six September games and five kick returns for TDs the past two seasons. Johns, by the way, is 2-for-2 on kick returns this season, and is averaging 92.5 yards a return.
ZERO HEROES
Prior to East Lake's three straight shutouts to open the season -- a school record-- the Eagles had not recorded a shutout since 2010. And with Clearwater up next, it's possible the Eagles could get a fourth straight blanking. Prior to this season, four of the last six shutouts recorded by East Lake came against the Tornadoes, in 2009, 2008, 2007 and 2005.
STINGY
Armwood's awesome performance Monday night against Hillsborough got us to thinking: who has had the best defense so far this season? Here's how the Grab Bag sees it:
1. East Lake: The Eagles' defense this season has been pretty spectacular, and is one of only two that has yet to allow a point. Teams have rushed 97 times for just 186 yards (1.9 yards a carry) and are just 14 of 43 through the air for 185 yards and six interceptions.
2. Sunlake: The Seahawks have been suffocating: 160 yards rushing allowed on 80 carries (2 yards a carry), and 17 of 49 passing for 157 yards. Sunlake stunned Pasco in the season opener and hasn't stopped, allowing one special-teams TD this year and nothing else.
3. Armwood: The Hawks said it all Monday night. They have only allowed 14 points, 114 yards rushing (on 61 carries, or 1.8 a carry) and 253 yards passing. As usual, the Hawks have been stout.
4. Plant: The Panthers did get gashed for 222 yards rushing against Sandy Creek, but hey, that was the No. 5 team in the country. In two games against county opposition, Plant has 19 sacks, has permitted 43 yards rushing on 48 carries and just 127 yards passing on 11 of 41 throwing.
5. Sickles: While the Gryphons' pass defense has been helped by playing two teams (Durant and Newsome) that don't pass a lot and another (Robinson) with a new quarterback, its numbers are pretty impressive. Through three games, the Gryphons have allowed opponents to complete just 13 of 50 passes (26 percent) for 219 yards, with 160 of those yards coming on three TD passes.
BY THE NUMBERS
.913 Percentage of Sickles' rushing yards this season gained by Ray Ray McCloud III and Issac Holder (877 of 960).
.916 Percentage of TBT's rushing yards this season gained by Deon Thompson and Deon Cain (548 of 598).
9 Different players with sacks last week for Plant.
26 Tackles by Hernando's Jeremiah Jackson last week, a school record.
49 Tackles for loss recorded by Sunlake this season.
50 Tackles for Wiregrass Ranch's Jaye Miner after adding 15 more last week.
57 Straight games rushing for 99 yards or more by Mitchell, snapped last week by Zephyrhills, which held the Mustangs to 54 yards. The streak dates to Oct. 5, 2007.
223 Average yards passing for Cain his past six games.
KING ME
If you give Carrollwood Day's Taylor King time, he's pretty good: 16-for-21 and 309 yards last week while being sacked only once. King even rushed for 44 yards, much better than his minus-32 and minus-14 yard efforts the first two weeks while he was being sacked 19 times.
HISTORIC LOSS
Countryside had 6 yards rushing on 24 carries last week in its 27-0 loss, but you don't have to look back very far for the last time the Cougars struggled so mightily on the ground. Last year, Largo held Countryside minus-1 yard on 19 carries. But finding the last time Countryside lost a game by 27 points? You have to go back to the 2003 playoffs, when Armwood laid it on the Cougars 46-7.
IT'S MIGHTY MIGHTY
Mitchell's vaunted rushing attack ran into a brick wall last week in Zephyrhills, rushing for only 54 yards on 35 carries. That snapped a streak of 57 straight games by the Mustangs rushing for 99 yards or more dating back to Oct. 5, 2007, when Gaither held them to 48 yards.
Got stats? Notes? Records? Hit the Grab Bag up at johncotey@gmail.com and we'll get it in, or find @JohnnyHomeTeam on Twitter and fill him in.