Times’ Super 7
Girls
1. Gulf (8-1, 6-0): The Buccaneers have started strong, with their only loss to Wiregrass Ranch in the first week. Expect senior Kayla Kivinski, who averaged 19.6 points last year, to be a dominant scorer again.
2. River Ridge (9-1, 5-1): District foe Gulf was the only team able to overcome the Royal Knights so far. Leah Ford’s aggressive play makes her formidable on offense.
3. Nature Coast (6-1, 4-0): The Sharks are undefeated against North Suncoast opponents. Nature Coast is perched atop the Class 5A, District 7 rankings and could stay there for a while.
4. Land O’Lakes (6-1, 5-1): The Gators’ opening loss to Gulf didn’t turn out to be a predictor of weeks to come. Land O’Lakes has dominated, winning its past five games by an average of 16 points.
5. Wiregrass Ranch (9-1, 1-1): The Bulls haven’t faced many district foes yet so it’s hard to predict how they’ll fare leading up to the postseason. Look for junior Amanda Melosky to lead.
6. Mitchell (6-2, 0-0): The Mustangs have yet to face a district rival, but they came close to defeating River Ridge this week. Senior Ashley Lewis leads the team in scoring (11.1 ppg).
7. Pasco (4-4, 3-0): The Pirates toppled Fivay, which started the season strong, by 16 this week. Pasco held its own against River Ridge.
Boys
1. Wesley Chapel (5-0, 2-0): Wesley Chapel has defeated opponents by an average of 27.6 points, though it could struggle once it gets deeper in district play.
2. Mitchell (5-0, 1-0): Lawrence Watt and Sean Thompson, who together are averaging 24 points, will keep opponents nervous this season. The Mustangs haven’t faced a top North Suncoast team yet, but if they can keep this momentum, they’ll rise to the top.
3. Nature Coast (4-0, 2-0): A perfect record keeps the Sharks atop 5A-7, but they’ve had a light schedule so far. Next week’s game against Wesley Chapel should provide a clearer picture of what they can do.
4. Land O’Lakes (3-1, 1-0): The Gators have averaged 16-point wins in three of their four games, falling only to a powerful Tarpon Springs team. Junior Brandon Dorsey averages 12 points.
5. Anclote (3-2, 3-1): The Sharks have held on through a tough schedule, which continues tonight at Tarpon Springs.
6. Gulf (5-2, 2-2): The Buccaneers’ narrow win against Wiregrass Ranch puts them here, and narrow wins against Hudson and Sunlake prove Gulf can hang on in close games.
7. River Ridge (4-3, 2-2): The Royal Knights belong to talent-heavy 5A-8. Sophomore Tyler Alexy and senior Kyle McCoy lead an offense that will need to play all four quarters to have a chance at defeating Land O’Lakes tonight.