Prep football: Why Palmetto is pulling for Southeast on Friday

photo by John Lembo
Dave Marino and his Tigers can get a big assist from Southeast on Friday night

Palmetto plays at Manatee on Friday in the area's biggest game this year.
The Tigers, however, should be pulling for the Hurricanes' biggest rivals - the Southeast Seminoles.
Southeast hosts Wauchula Hardee tonight in a Class 5A-District 10 contest.
A Seminoles victory makes them and Palmetto 3-0 in the district and clinches a playoff berth for both, and turns next week's Southeast-Palmetto contest into the district championship game.
A Hardee win makes things a tad more complicated, as Hardee and Southeast would each be 2-1.
A Wildcats victory next week coupled with a Seminoles victory over Palmetto puts all three teams at 3-1 and sends them into a three-way tiebreaker for the district's two playoff spots.
Or two Wildcats victories and a Palmetto win next week puts Southeast out of the playoffs for the second straight year.
So as big as Friday's game is for the Tigers, next week's game will mean even more.