Prep football: Three local teams on AP state poll

(photo by Paul Videla)

Trent Miller and the surging Palmetto Tigers are a top-10 team.

The Tigers are ranked eighth in Class 5A in the latest Associated Press top 1o Florida high school poll, which was released tonight. It's Palmetto's first ranking this season.

The Tigers are 4-0 and ripped through Arcadia DeSoto, 52-0, during Friday's Class 5A-District 10 opener. They host Lakewood Ranch on Friday.

Twenty percent of the Class 5A list resides in Manatee County: Southeast held steady at No. 3, behind top-ranked Glades Central and runner-up Miami Norland, following Friday's 47-7 rout of Sarasota.

The Seminoles (4-0) head to Manatee on Friday.

Speaking of the Hurricanes, they actually moved up a spot to No.9 in Class 7A despite not playing last week. They take a 1-2 record into Friday's rivalry game with the Noles.

Venice, one of Manatee's District 10 foes, entered the 7A poll at No. 10. The Indians are 3-0 following last week's comeback over Charlotte.

Prep football: Week 4 matchups

Bayshore running back Calvin Williams and the rest of the Bruins are one of three area public schools beginning district play this week. The Bruins host Wauchula Hardee, while Palmetto (Arcadia DeSoto) and Lakewood Ranch (Gulfport Boca Ciega) open the most important part of the schedule on the road.

Listed below are Friday's matchups. For more insight into each game, check out Friday's capsules on bradenton.com or in the print edition of The Bradenton Herald.

Wauchula Hardee (3-0, 0-0 Class 5A-District 10) at Bayshore (2-1, 0-0)

The skinny: Their losing streak against county schools may be a thing of the past, but the Bruins haven't reached the playoffs since 2005. Beating the white-hot Wildcats on Friday will be a step in the right direction, though that won't be easy: Hardee has allowed 20 points combined in three games this season.

Braden River (0-3) at Riverview (0-3)

The skinny: Someone will be off the schneid come Saturday morning, and if that someone is the Pirates, they will need to muster some offense - Braden River has scored 27 points this season and nine in the last two weeks. New Riverview coach Todd Johnson hasn't had it easy thus far - his first three regular-season opponents were Palmetto, Manatee and Venice.

Lakewood Ranch (1-2, 0-0 Class 6A-District 7) at Gulfport Boca Ciega (1-1, 0-0)

The skinny: This is a six-team district with no clear-cut favorite, so Friday would be a good time for the Mustangs to snap their modest two-game skid. They have found a viable back in McKenzie Hathaway, who is averaging 4.5 yards on 70 carries. The Pirates routed St. Petersburg Northeast last week, when they got a huge performance from lineback Elijah McClendon, who had two sacks and returned a fumble and an interception for a touchdown.

Palmetto (3-0, 0-0 Class 5A-District 10) at Arcadia DeSoto (1-2, 0-0)

The skinny: Beating a slate of bigger Sarasota County schools is nice, but what the Tigers really want is a district championship, which they haven't won since 2008. Their quest begins Friday against a Bulldogs team whose two losses have come by a combined three points.

Sarasota (1-2) at Southeast (3-0)

The skinny: Though not a district game, this is a key one for the Seminoles: they head to Manatee next week and open district play the following Friday against Arcadia DeSoto. So a strong showing against the Sailors would keep the momentum flowing for Southeast, which is currently riding a nine-game regular-season winning streak. The Sailors notched a win last week by rolling over North Port.

Largo Indian Rocks Christian (3-0, 2-0 Class 2A Urban-District 5) at Bradenton Christian (1-2, 1-1)

The skinny: We're still in September, but the Panthers can't afford to lose any more district games if they want to keep their postseason hopes intact. The surging Golden Eagles took to the air last week, when quarterback Casey Woods threw for four touchdowns against St. Petersburg Keswick.

Out-of-Door Academy (3-0, 2-0 Class 2A Urban-District 6) at Naples St. John Neumann (1-2, 1-1)

The skinny: The Thunder are rolling, and a win Friday night in Naples wouldn't just keep them ahead of the district pack, but it would put a serious crimp in the Celtics' playoff hopes. ODA needs to keep the momentum flowing - the Thunder don't play another non-district opponent until they meet Cardinal Mooney during the final week of the regular season. In other words, they have no margin for error.

Englewood Lemon Bay (2-1) at Cardinal Mooney (2-1)

The skinny: The Cougars are in a similar position as Southeast: they face a rival next week (Clearwater Central Catholic) and open district play the following week (at home against Lakeland Christian), so they need to keep their fiery start stoked. The Manta Rays and Cougars share a common opponent - both teams have already played and beat LaBelle - which is rare for non-district foes who aren't exactly neighbors.

BYE WEEK: Manatee, Saint Stephen's.

Prep football: Palmetto looking to make a statement

(photo by John Lembo)

Circumstances may have forced Palmetto to change the day of its Kickoff Classic.
To the delight of coach Dave Marino, pictured above addressing his team following Tuesday's practice, the threat of Hurricane Irene did nothing to change the Tigers' opponent.

Rather than play Friday, as originally intended, Palmetto hosts Venice in a Kickoff Classic 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Harllee Stadium. That's fine with Marino, who said there was a purpose in scheduling the Indians.

"That's all we've been preaching to the kids - we're transitioning to a big school," said Marino, a second-year head coach who guided the Tigers into the playoffs last fall. "Population wise, we're a big school. But mentally, psychologically, as a football program, we're not. We're not there yet. We've made strides, to go from 5-5 to 6-4 is progress. We're just looking to improve upon that and move in that direction."

Palmetto successfully appealed a move to Class 5A-District 10 after it was initially placed in a Class 6A district with Lakewood Ranch and a number of Polk County schools. Yet the Tigers are still smaller than Venice, a Class 7A school fresh off making four straight trips to the Class 5A playoffs.

The Indians have become one of the more solid programs in Manatee and Sarasota counties, which is why Marino put them on Palmetto's schedule. It's also why you'll find the likes of Riverview, Sarasota and Manatee among the Tigers' list of opponents as well, Marino said.

"There's no bigger schools in this area that we're not playing," Marino said. "We tried, and that was the best we can do, and it worked out pretty darn good. We're getting a lot of big schools - bigger than we are."

So while Wednesday's Classic may not mean anything in the standings, it will mean plenty to a Palmetto team looking to vault the school back into the area's upper echelon.

"I think it means a lot," said senior quarterback Trenton Miller, "because it's going to propel us into the season. We've got to go out and win."

Prep football: Noles third, Canes fourth in FloridaHSFootball.com rankings

Southeast and Manatee made the preseason top 10 in their classifications in the FloridaHSfootball.com's preseason rankings, which were unveiled today.

And the website considers the Seminoles and Hurricanes final four teams, as well.

The Noles are ranked third in Class 5A, behind Miami Norland and Belle Glades Belle Central. Southeast is ranked No. 1 in Region 3. Palmetto, which joins the Noles in District 10, is ranked fourth in Region 3.

Manatee is ranked fourth in Class 7A, looking up at Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas (No. 1), Palm Beach Gardens Dwyer (2) and Tallahassee Lincoln (3).

The Canes are picked to win Region 3, while Braden River is picked to finish ninth in the region.

Manatee's District 10 rival, Venice, is ranked eighth in the state and third in the region.

Prep volleyball: A primer

(fhsaa.org)

Football isn't the only sport that starts practicing Monday: golf, swimming and diving volleyball also begins working out next week, signaling the start of the 2011-12 prep sports season.

Here is a brief, nuts-and-bolts look at area volleyball, with golf and swimming and diving coming soon.

BAYSHORE

District: Class 5A-District 12

First regular season match: Aug. 30 at Bradenton Christian

BRADEN RIVER

District: Class 7A-District 11

First regular season match: Sept. 7 at Manatee

BRADENTON CHRISTIAN

District: Class 3A-District 10

First regular season match: Aug. 30 vs. Bradenton Christian

CARDINAL MOONEY

District: Class 3A-District 10

First regular season match: Aug. 29 vs. Lakewood Ranch

LAKEWOOD RANCH

District: Class 6A-District 12

MANATEE

District: Class 7A-District 11

First regular season match: Aug. 30 at Riverview

OUT-OF-DOOR ACADEMY

District: Class 3A-District 10

First regular season match: Sept. 6 vs. Bradenton Christian

PALMETTO

District: Class 6A-District 12

First regular season match: Aug. 31 at Saint Stephen's

SAINT STEPHEN'S

District: Class 3A-District 10

First regular season match: Aug. 30 vs. Southeast

SOUTHEAST

District: Class 5A-District 12

First regular season match: Aug. 29 vs. Wauchula Hardee

Prep football: Palmetto's Randall commits to Louisville

Daqual Randall, a rising senior and a middle linebacker at Palmetto, has committed to Louisville.

"As of right now, I'm locked into Lousville," Randall said Tuesday after the Tigers finished second during the Gulf Coast FCA's 7-on-7 tournament at Braden River. "I like the coaches...they make you feel like family. I've got a former teammate up there (wide receiver Damian Copeland), I've got a couple of buddies from different states going up there. So that was just a good choice for me, and to get a chance to play early. They were thin at linebacker, so that really made me make my decision."

Randall received 13 Division I offers, and chose the Cardinals over the likes of Iowa State, Rutgers, USF, Indiana and Ball State.

Randall, who had 86 tackles and four sacks last season for the Tigers, has not taken any official visits, and said he only plans to do so if things fall through with Louisville.

"If anything goes wrong," Randall said, "I'll take visits to Iowa State, Indiana, Rutgers, Ball State and Mississippi State."