SMQ team of the week
Wiregrass Ranch: The Bulls have played varsity football since 2007 and had never beaten a Hillsborough County school. That changed with Friday’s 13-0 win over Tampa Bay Tech. Christopher Faddoul stepped in at quarterback and also kicked two field goals to help the Bulls. “I’ve never felt like this before,” Faddoul said. “This is a memory that will never be forgotten; this game will stay with me my whole life.” Wiregrass coach Artie Meza put in a special set formation specifically for Faddoul that put him under center with regular quarterback Shane Bucenell at running back and backs in front of and on either side of him.
SMQ player of the week
Cyler Doran, Fivay: Hats off to Doran, who didn’t let the conditions ruin his night. The sophomore completed 15 of 22 passes for 405 yards and three touchdowns in the Falcons’ 41-29 win over Lecanto. It was Fivay’s first win this season and it helps to have a receiver like Trenton Soto, who caught two of the TD passes. The first play of the game was a 70-yard strike to Soto. Soto eight catches for 186 yards.
SMQ coach of the week
Steve Dudley, Shorecrest: The Chargers have already cancelled two future games (Indian Rocks Christian and Seffner Christian) due to a lack of players. With only 16 players available, the Chargers’ season is week-to-week. Shorecrest’s main concern is whether it can play a game, let alone win one. But the Chargers got a win Friday night over Sarasota Out-of-Door Academy. Quarterback Sam Grant hit Mark Dowling on a 50-yard touchdown pass, and Cooper Wolf had a 30-yard touchdown run. Shorecrest (1-3) got its first win since Oct. 11. “I’m amazed at their togetherness and upbeat attitude,’’ Dudley said. “They would run through a wall if I told them it would increase their chances of winning. I’m honored to coach them.’’
Four examples of just how wet it was Friday night
Fumbles galore: Rain wreaked havoc on teams throughout Tampa Bay. There were 18 fumbles combined in the Wiregrass Ranch/Tampa Bay Tech game, 17 in Pinellas Park/Seminole (the Warhawks had 11), 11 in Tarpon Springs/Dunedin and Indian Rocks Christian/Northside. Osceola fumbled nine times. Chamberlain had eight turnovers, and Plant had six. It was that kind of night.
Offense? Who needs offense? The conditions meant it didn’t take much to win. Lennard managed two first downs the entire game but still beat Blake 8-0. Freedom had only 107 yards of offense, beating Gaither 15-10. Both Tarpon Springs and Pinellas Park threw for zero yards and won.
Kicking game suffered: Normally reliable kickers had a hard time. Tarpon Springs’ Louis Zervos, one of the top kickers in the area and nation, barely made a 20-yarder in overtime to beat Dunedin. Others weren’t as lucky. Brandon kicker Tyler Beacom missed a 24 yard field goal with three seconds left in a 9-6 loss to Strawberry Crest. Plant City’s Jorge Navarrete missed a 32-yarder in the final seconds of a 9-7 loss to Durant. Largo and Riverview each missed extra points in close losses. .
Defensive touchdowns: Defenders don’t mind a little rain. Hernando took advantage by scoring two defensive touchdowns, from Steven Delaine and Tahner Killoran. Armwood’s Quinton Singletary recovered a fumble for a TD, as did Anclote’s Kyle Hilton, East Bay’s Marques Ford and Mitchell’s Levi Oliveto.
Four clutch performances
Patrick Brooks, Plant: Brooks rushed for 142 yards in the fourth quarter and scored the go-ahead touchdown to help Plant break open a tie game in a 20-6 victory, Plant's 30th straight in district play. Brooks was bottled up until the final quarter, shiftily breaking off a number of big runs to set up Plant's final score. On third and 9 and backed up deep in Bloomingdale territory, Brooks spun a run outside and raced 58 yards to seal the victory.
Spencer Preston/Bruce Anderson, Newsome: With only 39 seconds left and down by seven, Preston completed his first two passes of the game, including a 4-yarder to Donovan Geter for a touchdown. Then Anderson ran in the two-point conversion to secure a 22-21 win over Alonso.
The Springstead defense: The Eagles’ district matchup with Sunlake was predicted to be a defensive battle, and that’s exactly what it was. The only score in Springstead’s 6-0 win was on a 95-yard Dan Wright breakaway for a touchdown. The Eagles held Sunlake to just 95 yards of offense and allowed Seahawks running back Nathan Johnson — who rushed for more than 1,500 yards last season — just 45 yards on 16 carries.
Raheem Patterson, Pinellas Park: Patterson had four tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a sack for a safety in the Patriots’ 10-0 win over Seminole.
Four surprising starts
Keswick Christian: The Crusaders, who won only once in the past two seasons, are 3-1 and on their way to bettering the 5-5 record of 2011.
Lennard: The Longhorns went 1-19 the past two years and had never won more than two district games in one season in the program’s eight-year history. Now Lennard is having its best season ever. After a win against Blake on Friday, Lennard is 4-0 overall, 3-0 in a tough 6A-8 district. Can the Cinderella streak continue next week against Hillsborough?
River Ridge: The Royal Knights are 3-1 after going 3-7 last season. They picked up a convincing district win over Gulf and now a showdown with Mitchell awaits.
Freedom: The Patriots are 3-1 after beating Gaither. They were 3-7 (1-8 start) last season and haven’t won more than three games since 2010 (4-6). Standout lineman Scott Patchan transferred to IMG right before the season, but Freedom has stood tough on defense, giving up only 35 total points.
Four final thoughts
• The teams that scheduled bye weeks Friday turned out to be geniuses. As did the four Pinellas teams who decided to wait until Monday to play. Lakewood at Gibbs will be at 6 p.m., and St. Petersburg Catholic at Admiral Farragut at 7.
• There were no fumbles in the Countryside/Northeast game. It was the only game in the area with zero in that category.
• It appears Plant has mastered the art of fourth-quarter wins. Friday’s win at Bloomingdale came late, and the Panthers were tied with Gaither last week before scoring 27 points in the final frame to win.
• Hudson had 475 yards rushing against Wesley Chapel. That’s how you take advantage of sloppy conditions.
Record watch
Sickles running back Ray Ray McCloud III unofficially ran for 171 yards in Friday’s 15-7 win over Steinbrenner. That gives the senior 4,419 yards for his career. He is now 172 yards from No. 6 Earl Reeves of Tampa Catholic (4,591) on Hillsborough’s all-time rushing list. McCloud’s target is Robert Davis of Carrollwood Day, who finished his career with 5,576 yards.
Next up: vs. Freedom, Oct. 2