Another week of Florida high school football brought plenty of excitement, and The Blitz – Tampa Bay Edition is here with this week’s Pick Six Recap. We take a closer look at six matchups that stood out across the Tampa Bay region, highlighting big moments, key performances, and games that kept fans talking.
RIVER RIDGE 17, STEINBRENNER 13
Senior quarterback Nicholas Cavazza threw for 107 yards and two touchdowns while senior Jonah Clouse added 55 rushing yards as visiting River Ridge (2-0) held off host Steinbrenner (1-1) in Friday’s defensive struggle. … Cavazza connected with Clouse for a 13-yard touchdown pass while sophomore Michael Stone contributed another touchdown reception for the Royal Knights. … Steinbrenner sophomore quarterback Rylen Dutka completed 24 of 33 passes for 227 yards and one touchdown, finding junior Jaydon Page six times for 96 yards and one score including a 49-yard reception. … Senior Jorge Mercado added eight receptions for 87 yards for the Warriors, who accumulated 316 total yards but were limited to 89 rushing yards on 23 carries. … River Ridge built a 17-7 halftime advantage and withstood a late Steinbrenner rally, with the Warriors scoring six points in the fourth quarter but falling four points short in the narrow home defeat.
PALM HARBOR UNIVERSITY 34, TARPON SPRINGS 7
Senior running back Ben Sathaporn rushed for 35 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries to lead Palm Harbor University (1-1) past visiting Tarpon Springs (1-1) in Friday’s lopsided victory. … Sophomore Garrett Perkins added 42 rushing yards and one touchdown on 11 attempts while the Hurricanes accumulated 128 rushing yards on 38 carries. … Senior quarterback Chris Silvestro completed five of 10 passes for 56 yards but threw one interception, with junior Grahm Pitcock leading the receiving attack with two catches for 30 yards. … Palm Harbor University’s defense dominated the contest, recording five sacks led by senior Michael Willock with four and senior Curtis Fisher with one. … The Hurricanes defense also forced two fumbles and recorded 13 tackles for loss while limiting the Spongers to seven points in the convincing home victory.
FROSTPROOF 56, HARDEE 0
Visiting Frostproof (2-0) dominated host Hardee (0-2) in Friday’s conference shutout victory, controlling the contest from the opening quarter. … The Bulldogs scored 21 points in both the first and second quarters to build a commanding 42-0 halftime lead before adding 14 more points in the fourth quarter. … Frostproof’s offense found the end zone multiple times while their defense completely shut down the Wildcats’ attack throughout the game. … Hardee was unable to generate any scoring opportunities against the Bulldogs’ suffocating defense in the lopsided home defeat. … Frostproof recorded their most dominant performance of the season with the comprehensive shutout road victory in SSAA Atlantic play.
CLEARWATER 28, WIREGRASS RANCH 16
Senior Jaylen White rushed for 122 yards and one touchdown while completing 14 of 19 passes for 171 yards and two scores as visiting Clearwater (2-0) defeated Wiregrass Ranch (0-2) in Friday’s matchup. … White connected with senior Isaiah Berrien for four catches and 70 yards including one touchdown, while Berrien also returned a kickoff for a score to help the Tornadoes build their advantage. … Wiregrass Ranch sophomore quarterback Daniel Terry completed 12 of 22 passes for 203 yards and one touchdown, finding junior Jonah Gonzales five times for 69 yards and sophomore Alex McCollough three times for 73 yards. … The Bulls managed 256 total yards but struggled on the ground with only 42 rushing yards against Clearwater’s defense, which recorded six sacks compared to one for Wiregrass Ranch. … Senior Jamarcus Holsey added three receptions for 36 yards and one touchdown for the Tornadoes, who controlled both sides of the ball in the road victory.
ST. PETERSBURG CATHOLIC 47, TAMPA CATHOLIC 7
Junior quarterback Chase Burrill completed 22 of 29 passes for 395 yards and four touchdowns as St. Petersburg Catholic (2-0) dominated visiting Tampa Catholic (0-2) in Friday’s non-conference home game. … Senior Yorel Stewart hauled in five catches for 130 yards and one touchdown, while senior Brendan Wright added five receptions for 108 yards and one score to lead the Barons’ aerial assault. … Senior running back Damarian Rowe carried 18 times for 123 yards and three rushing touchdowns while also contributing two catches for 18 yards. … Tampa Catholic junior Lucas Ruan completed seven of 16 passes for 110 yards, while junior Eric “EJ” Douglas led the Crusaders with 40 rushing yards and one touchdown on 14 carries. … St. Petersburg Catholic rolled up 543 total yards of offense while limiting Tampa Catholic to just 146 total yards in the decisive cross-bay rivalry victory.
DE LA SALLE (CA) 10, LAKELAND 6
Linebacker Ziggy Riley returned a fumble 70 yards for a touchdown in the second half to provide the lone score for the Dreadnaughts (1-1), ranked No. 10 in the Florida Power Rankings Index, in Friday’s defensive battle against host De La Salle in Concord, California. … The Spartans managed 10 points in the second half while limiting Lakeland to six points in the low-scoring inter-state contest that remained scoreless through much of the first half. … The Dreadnaughts’ offense struggled to generate consistent production against De La Salle’s defense throughout the game, with Riley’s second-half fumble recovery touchdown accounting for their only points. … Lakeland was unable to overcome the deficit despite the defensive score, falling four points short in the road defeat, a far cry from the 2009 matchup that saw the Dreadnaughts come out on top. … De La Salle controlled the game on both sides of the ball while limiting the highly-ranked Florida program’s offensive opportunities in the narrow victory over the visiting Dreadnaughts.
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