W2W4 – Week 10
(What To Watch For)

Consider this your “Friday Night Guide.” Each week, I’ll write about the big games and the big storylines leading up to Friday night’s games.

Hot Spots (Orlando’s 5 Best Games):
1.      #1 Osceola at Lakeland– In terms of regular season games, it doesn’t get any bigger. This is certainly the best game in the entire state tonight and is one of the biggest of the entire season. Lakeland has won back-to-back 5A state championships and has won a state record 53 consecutive games. Both the Kowboys and Dreadnaughts are undefeated and the winner of tonight’s game will be the 5A-8 champion. That’s important for a couple reasons: the winner of this game would be at home for a possible re-match in the second round of the playoffs, while the loser will travel to a good Plant City team in the opening round. A crowd of more than 10,000 is expected at Bryant Stadium, one of the best venues in the entire state.
2.      #6 Dr. Phillips at #5 Boone – The winner of this game will be the 6A-5 champion, and this is the second straight season these teams have met in week 10 to decide the district title. The Braves have had a phenomenal season, especially on defense, having allowed just 45 points. Dr. Phillips is riding a five-game winning streak, but didn’t look sharp last week in an eight-point victory over Oak Ridge. Expect this to be a low-scoring game, as 17 points will probably be good enough to win. The loser of this game will likely draw Sarasota, a team that has won three of four, in the first round of the playoffs.
3.      Eustis at Bishop Moore – These teams have split their last four meetings, with Bishop Moore winning last year’s game 16-14 en route to a district title and a perfect regular season. Eustis has quality wins over South Sumter and East Ridge, but is reeling after a 31-13 loss to Harmony last week. The Panthers must win this game to keep their playoff hopes alive. A Eustis victory would mean a three-way tie between Bishop Moore, Harmony and Eustis, which would lead to a Monday shootout. The Hornets clinch the district title with a victory.
4.      Orangewood Christian at Master’s Academy – Neither Orangewood nor Master’s went to the playoffs last season, but each enters tonight’s game having already clinched a playoff berth. This is a district title tilt, as the winner will be crowned champion of 1B-4. The Rams started the season 1-2, but have since won four out of five. Orangewood has not allowed a point in its last two games and has four shut outs this season. Master’s has not fared as well as Orangewood against common opponents, but the Eagles only loss during the last six weeks is to undefeated Keswick Christian.
T5.  Winter Park at #2 Edgewater – The Eagles are winners of six straight games since a week two loss to Tallahassee Lincoln and enter this game as heavy favorites over the Wildcats. Edgewater still must beat Winter Park to clinch the 6A-3 championship, which would be its sixth in seven seasons. The Wildcats can create a three-way tie at the top of the district with a victory. In order for that to happen, Winter Park needs to control the ball on offense and keep the game low scoring.
T5.  South Sumter at #7 Oviedo – Although this game does not have district implications, it’s a match-up between two of the area’s best programs. Both South Sumter and Oviedo have already clinched playoff berths, so one thing to watch in this game is whether or not each team will go with its starters for the entire game. Both teams have excellent offenses, with Oviedo averaging 33.4 points per game while South Sumter scores 38.5 per game. When the Lions last played two weeks ago against Winter Springs, it was sophomore Blake Bortles that started at quarterback while Cody Williford, who played quarterback the first seven games of the season, shifted to fullback.

*Rankings are from Austin’s Top 10

In the Spotlight (5 Players to Watch):

1. Bubba Brown, RB, Osceola – Brown has been the area’s best running back for the entire season, but he was far from perfect in Osceola’s last game against Lake Gibson. He fumbled six times, and although the Kowboys won that game, they can’t beat Lakeland if Brown puts in on the ground. Brown is one of several Osceola players that have the potential to score from anywhere on the field, and the Kowboys will need to make a couple big plays to stop Lakeland’s 53-game winning streak.
2. Chris Wilkes, QB, Dr. Phillips – I expect Boone to make stopping the run a priority against the Panthers, and that means that Wilkes should have plenty of opportunities to throw against the Braves secondary. He threw for two touchdown passes last week against Oak Ridge bringing his season total to 12. I believe Wilkes has to be accurate throwing the ball tonight for Dr. Phillips to win this game.
3. Jeremy Brown, WR/DB, Boone – Some regard Brown as the area’s best cover corner, and he should get a great test tonight. Watch for Brown, a Florida commitment, to be locked up against his future SEC counterpart, Auburn committee Damion Allen. Brown has five interceptions this season, including one last week against Freedom. He has also caught 17 passes for 280 yards and a touchdown. One of Brown’s teammates in the secondary, safety Taylor Alley, had 14 tackles against the Patriots and will be key against the run tonight.
4. Billy Giovanetti, RB/LB, Bishop Moore – Giovanetti has been dominant all season for the Hornets, and although conventional wisdom would suggest the two-way starter would be wearing down at the end of the season, his stats suggest he’s getting stronger. Last week he had his biggest offensive game of the season, rushing for 229 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries. He also leads the Hornets in tackles with 72. Giovanetti needs to have a big game tonight, helping Bishop Moore control the clock on offense and preventing the playmakers on Eustis from getting into open space.
5. Derrick Strozier, DB, Edgewater – Strozier has been playing great football over the past month, leading an Eagles defense that has not allowed a first half point in their past three games. Edgewater’s defense has been outstanding since halftime of the Apopka game, when the Eagles gave up 26 first-half points to the Blue Darters. Henry Wright and Leonard Smith have also been playing well in Edgewater’s secondary, while Ricardo Watson and Ryan Dukes have stood out in the Eagles front six. Look for Edgewater’s defense to have another strong performance tonight against a Winter Park offense that has failed to reach 10 points in five of its eight games.

Take Your Pick:

This Year:
Overall: 180-46 (.796)
Pick Six: 40-14 (.740)

Last Week
Overall: 22-3 (.880)
Pick Six: 5-1 (.833)

This Week:
Apopka over West Orange
First Academy over Bradenton Christian
Evans over Colonial
Oak Ridge over Cypress Creek
Edgewater over Winter Park
Pine Ridge over Hagerty
Mount Dora over Jones
Lake Brantley over Miami Bay Point
Seabreeze over Lake Mary
Liberty over Gateway
Mainland over Lyman
East Ridge over Ocoee
Harmony over St. Cloud
Lake Highland over Umatilla
Timber Creek over University
Victory Christian over Agape Christian
Olympia over Wekiva
West Oaks Academy over CFCA
Winter Haven over Poinciana
Winter Springs over Seminole

Pick Six:
Oviedo over South Sumter
Orangewood Christian over Master’s Academy
Boone over Dr. Phillips
Trinity Prep over Pine Castle Christian
Eustis over Bishop Moore