Countryside      24

Palm Harbor     21

SCORE BY QUARTER

The Countryside Cougars take pride in their regular-season winning streak. On Friday night it took Ryan Yates’ 1-yard touchdown run with 41 seconds left to extend it to 15 games as the Cougars edged Palm Harbor University 24-21.

“We just took the best team in the county to the edge right there,” Hurricanes coach Matt LePain said. “The kids are disappointed, but that tells me it means something to them.”

PHU received the opening kickoff and on the second play from scrimmage Billy Pavlock broke free for an 80-yard touchdown run. Logan Ruby added the point-after.

The Cougars tied it in the first quarter as quarterback Gray Crow found receiver Marrieo Taylor for a 22-yard score.

The Hurricanes later went for it on fourth and long at the Cougars’ 31-yard line. Shane Dixon wrestled Pavlock’s pass away from a Countryside defender for a touchdown.

Ryan Pandy’s 25-yard field goal closed the gap to 14-10 at the half.

In the second half, Crow was intercepted by Skylar Snow, and on the next play Pavlock broke four tackles on a 43-yard touchdown run for a 21-10 lead.

“At that point there I told our guys there is a lot of football left,” Countryside coach Jared Davis said. “The defense believed they could still win.”

Early in the fourth quarter the Hurricanes forced the Cougars to fumble inside the 5-yard line and intercepted Crow a second time.

But with five minutes to go, Taylor received a punt, got some blocks and went 80 yards for a touchdown to narrow the gap to 21-17.

Countryside got the ball back with under three minutes to go and Crow drove the Cougars 57 yards in 10 plays before Yates capped the drive.

“Our guys never quit and that shows character,” Davis said.  “You have to play every minute, all 48 minutes.

Crow finished 28-of-46 with 254 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Taylor caught 10 passes for 88 yards and a touchdown.

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Story and Photos by tampabay.com/hometeam

Seminole          0

SCORE BY QUARTER

Boys team scores:

Palm Harbor University 424

East Lake 340

Osceola 280

St. Petersburg 268

Seminole 268

Countryside 258

Tampa Prep 254

Punta Gorda Charlotte 236

Northeast 230

Shorecrest 178

Clearwater 136

St. Petersburg Catholic 118

Sarasota Cardinal Mooney 114

Lakewood 104

Tarpon Springs 104

Gibbs 90

Bradenton St. Stephens 76

Canterbury 72

Girls team scores:

Palm Harbor University 436

Tampa Prep 358

East Lake 326

Countryside 308

Punta Gorda Charlotte 298

Osceola 284

Seminole 278

Northeast 224

Shorecrest 218

St. Petersburg 192

Sarasota Cardinal Mooney 151

Tarpon Springs 134

Gibbs 126

Canterbury 86

Lakewood 80

Clearwater 65

St. Petersburg Catholic 56

Bradenton St. Stephens 46

Calvary Christian 28

Countryside            27

East Lake                  21

SCORE BY QUARTER

The showcase of prolific Pinellas quarterbacks, staged against a backdrop of a rivalry steeped in smack talk, never came to fruition.

On a soggy September night, Countryside-East Lake wasn’t about astounding throws.

It was about throwbacks.

The first was of the old-school sense, a retro Cougars rushing attack that tied the score in the third quarter. The second was a literal throwback screen pass that Cougars sophomore Mike Johnson picked and returned 9 yards for a touchdown.

It provided the decisive cushion in a 27-21 Cougars triumph before roughly 2,500 at East Lake Stadium. Countryside (2-0) has won seven of the past eight in this heated series.

“They were talking a lot of junk about us, Facebook and everything, talking about how they’re going to beat us,” said Johnson, who had interceptions on consecutive fourth-quarter drives.

“So we had to show them who was No. 1 in Pinellas County.”

The Cougars did it mainly with Johnson’s instinctiveness and tailback DiomiRoberts’ legs. The senior finished with 122 yards on 23 carries as Countryside all but abandoned the passing game in the second half.

After East Lake quarterback Pete DiNovo (11-for-22, 188 yards) found ArtavisScott in single coverage over the middle for an 80-yard TD on the second half’s opening play, Roberts carried nine times for 54 yards on the ensuing drive.

His final carry — a 2-yard TD — and Ryan Pandy’s ensuing PAT tied the score at 14-all. The 15-play drive consumed nearly seven minutes.

“That was old-fashioned Countryside football right there,” 315-pound left tackle Jeff Albert said.

“We put it on his back at halftime,” Cougars coach Jared Davis added. “We said we’re going to ride you til you can’t walk, and you saw it, we did.”

The Cougars took a 21-14 lead on Ryan Yates’ 4-yard scoring run on the fourth quarter’s first play. Tyler Serpo set up the score by blocking Sebastian Gonzalez’s punt attempt that began with a low snap. On the next Eagles possession, Johnson stepped in front of DiNovo’s throwback screen attempt, deflected it to himself and raced 9 yards for the TD. The ensuing PAT failed.

“We run it in practice,” Johnson said. “I saw the ball up in the air and I’m like, ‘Yeah, they’re doing the screen,’ and I just came up and picked it off.”

DiNovo and senior counterpart Gray Crow (7-for-22, 54 yards, two INTs) traded picks on the next two possessions — they combined for four — before Eagles senior Tyler Lane capped a six-play drive with a 3-yard TD run.

East Lake senior Khol Lilley recovered the ensuing squib kick, but the Eagles went three plays and out. On third and 9 from Countryside’s 41, DiNovo found Scott behind a defender inside the red zone, but the ball bounced off his fingertips.

Countryside took more than 4 1/2 minutes off the clock on eight runs on its next drive.

“We’re the better football team,” said DiNovo, whose team lost fumbles on its first two possessions. “We made too many mistakes, came into the game too cocky, didn’t prepare the way we should’ve and that’s the outcome we get.”

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Story and Photos by tampabay.com/hometeam

Album Name: “Darkness in the Light”

Band: “Unearth”

Review: This is a heavy metal band that has a melodic feel to it but is more Americanized by having understandable lyrics that are not screamed throughout parts of the album andhaving a more familiar sound. The lyrics that are screamed can barely be understood if at all, but the instrumentals during the vocal pauses more than make up for that in most cases. This band is not very popular, but may soon have a radio- ready presence, giving them a well- needed push into the spotlight. Based on what I’ve heard from “Darkness in the Light” I really wish Unearth the best in getting the popularity that every band strives for.

Favorite Song: Shadows in the Light

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Parker Andersen – Paw Print Newspaper Staff

Canterbury               1

SCORE BY INNING

Canterbury’s season opener against Countryside was just the kind of game coach Jody Moore envisioned.

A tough one.

For the first time in her six years at the school, Moore was able to schedule a Pinellas County public school team in a regular-season game.

It was a game that came down to the end Tuesday with the Cougars preserving a 2-1 win on Sommer Pollard’s throw home to catcher Hailee Keisling, who put the tag on the Crusaders’ Savvy Mitchell for the final out in the seventh inning.

“We always want to play up against stronger opposition,” said Moore, who guided Canterbury to the Class A state tournament for the second straight season last year. “We’re thankful for Countryside giving us the opportunity.”

It also was a tough test for the Cougars, who have nine freshmen on the roster, including four starters.

One of the starters was pitcher Eryn Rowe, who shook off a rough start to pick up her third win. In the first inning, Rowe hit leadoff batter Sarah Fleming, who stole second then scored on an error to give Canterbury a 1-0 lead.

Countryside (3-0) tied the game in the bottom of the inning when Keisling singled then scored on an error.

Keisling helped keep the Crusaders off the bases by throwing out four runners.

“I’m a coach that likes to take some chances,” Moore said. “We kept sending the runner, but Countryside made some plays behind the plate.”

The winning run came in the fifth inning when Pollard doubled, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Ayanna Andrews and scored on an error.

“This was a good game for us,” Countryside coach Kaylyn Bayly said. “Canterbury is a good team that’s made the final four a few years. We have a young team and this gives us some confidence.”

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tampabay.com/hometeam

East Lake            0

SCORE BY PERIOD

When asked if it seemed Countryside had the “it” factor to compete for the state title after a 3-0 victory over East Lake on Tuesday, Cougars coach Dave Sica bristled at the notion.

“I don’t even want to think about our next game, let alone the playoffs,” he said. “Time will only tell.”

The Cougars, who have wins over Palm Harbor University and Seminole along with a 2-2 tie against Sickles, exhibited a championship style of play on both sides of the ball against a talented East Lake squad. The offense made just as many crafty plays as the defense did.

Nikolai Hammer had two goals to raise his season total to 18 and sophomore fullback David Kuckkahn tallied his first goal as Countryside improved to 9-1-1 and avenged last week’s penalty-kick loss to the Eagles in a Thanksgiving tournament.

“That was an eye-opener for us,” said Hammer, who scored five of the Cougars’ 10 goals in the tournament. “We were a little bit tense (Tuesday night) early on, but once (Kuckkahn) scored, it allowed us to relax and put things together a bit easier.”

The first half was evenly played until Kuckkahn flicked in a shot off a corner kick by Andrew Hitt just less than 15 minutes before halftime.

The Cougars were more aggressive in the second half and peppered Eagles keeper Stephen Barna with several shots on goal. Then Hammer got by a defender in the open field and rifled in a low line drive from just inside the penalty box to give the Cougars a comfortable cushion midway through the second half.

“We, as a coaching staff, have to keep reminding them that they have to prove they’re the best team on the field with hard work combined with their talent,” Sica said. “That’s our motto this year. Prove it. There’s too much work to be done before we can tell if we have what it takes to win states. We just have to keep progressing from one game to the next.”

The East Lake girls got goals from Madison Del Duca, Kristy Legoas and Meghan Dodge in a 3-0 victory over Countryside. The Cougars dominated in the first half with several shots on goal, but Eagles coach Derek Harrington moved Meghan Kelly and Karina White from outside halfback to the inner portion of his alignment to create more opportunities.

“They are our toughest players, and they were able to win the ball at midfield and create plays for our attackers,” he said.

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tampabay.com     Hometeam

Matt Ellis with his gold medal for winning the 50 yard free during finals of FHSAA 3A state swimming and diving.

Matt Ellis’ first championship race was the usual explosion of froth and flailing. There was no conservation of energy and hardly any breathing.

The Countryside High junior’s only strategy Saturday in the 50-yard freestyle was to go out as fast as he could. Ellis got the best start. Others were close. They all reached the finish as if carried by one large wave.

Ellis, his chest still heaving from an all-out sprint, looked at the wall at the far end of the Central Florida YMCA to see the results. Then the realization hit. He won the Class 3A state title with a time of 20.58 seconds, shaving nearly half a second off his personal best. It was his first state title. Ellis, who moved to the area from Texas before the season, finished fifth in the 100 fly in his home state a year ago.

There wasn’t much time to celebrate. Ellis, still dripping, accepted his gold medal then marched to the finals of his next race, the 100 butterfly. Throwing his arms forward before moving them back into the water, Ellis seemed to skip across the pool as he moved into striking distance in the final lap. In a rush to the wall, Ellis touched first to win his second medal in 49.26 seconds, beating Fleming Island’s Kyle Casias by 0. 32 seconds.

Matt Ellis Swimming for the gold in his 100 yard butterfly.

“I was happy with how everything went in my individual races,” Ellis said. “I was hoping for a little better time in the 100 fly, but I had to really dig deep in that one to come back and win. Two state titles in individual races is a pretty big accomplishment.”

Ellis added a third gold when he swam the anchor leg to help the Cougars’ 200 free relay team win in 1:25.47. Richard Willsey, John Kelly and Jon Witkowski swam the first three legs and put Countryside in position to win. Ellis sealed it with a strong finish to overtake Winter Park, capping the best state finish by a county boy in decades.

“We couldn’t be happier with how we did,” Witkowski said. “This is something we thought we could win since the beginning of the season.”

In his fourth event of the night, Ellis was unable to add a fourth gold medal as Countryside’s 400 free relay finished second in 3:06.87. Ellis swam the first leg, followed by Willsey, Gary Lush and Kelly. They were out-touched at the wall by Hagerty, which won in 3:06.54.
Palm Harbor University’s boys, which had hopes of winning their second team title in three seasons, finished second with 184.5 points.

The Hurricanes took the lead in the team standings after the 100 free, thanks to a second-place finish by Ryan McRae (46.38) and fourth-place finish by Jason Williams (46.66).

Matt Ellis Swimming for the gold in his 100 yard butterfly.

PHU had a 16.5-point lead heading into the final event, then the Hurricanes watched it disappear because they did not have a team in the 400 free relay.

PHU’s David Morgan was third in the 100 breast (57.54) and teammate Williams third in the 50 free (21.27). The Hurricanes’ 200 free relay of McRae, Zach Perrotti, Morgan and Williams also took third in 1:26. 61.

Nick Alexiou of Clearwater was the runnerup in the 200 free in 1:37.66.
Seminole’s Matt Thompson was third in the 200 individual medley (1:50.16) and fourth in the 500 free (4:27.90).

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tbo.com    Hometeam

“I think it is a wonderful opportunity that will provide unparalleled options on how students can further their education without having to go all the way to Palm Harbor,” said senior Aggie Boron. With the possibility of IB coming to Countryside, the program would be able to reach a new audience of Pinellas County students that can’t make the long trip to Palm Harbor each day. According to Tampabay.com, with about 567 students currently attending Palm Harbor’s IB program about 117 of those IB pupils are zoned for Countryside compared to the 115 students that are originally zoned to attend Palm Harbor. The other 335 students that make up the program should be attending various school’s throughout the county.

“I think it is a terrible idea since the hallways are already jammed packed. Our traditional program could suffer because of the lack of space,” argued senior, Sebastian Boron. Being one the most populated schools in the county, Countryside is still trying to locate teachers in regular classrooms even after the first six weeks. Some teachers are still forced to use science classroom labs as substitute classrooms until a suitable space can be arranged. Students are worried that with the addition of five hundred or more possible IB students coming to Countryside, there won’t be enough physical space. Even with expansion or the addition of portable classrooms, the initial IB student population would increase the already over-crowded conditions for the short term.

It is clear that both sides within the school are not going to give up without a fight. Countryside needs to raise its standards of education from the state rated ‘D’ school and deal with the overpopulation problem at the same time. Regardless of the decision, Countryside is in the midst of major changes. It could be more crowded hallways due to an additional program or possible construction issues that will affect both the current student population and the potential IB students.

Palm Harbor     12

SCORE BY QUARTER

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Palm Harbor University needed everything to fall into place if it wanted to beat Countryside on Friday and keep hope alive.

It seemed as if things would work in the Hurricanes’ favor when the defense held against Countryside after a PHU fumble on the opening kickoff, forcing the Cougars to kick a field goal. Moments later, with the Cougars driving, Hunter Beam stepped in front of a pass from Countryside quarterback Gray Crow and returned it 100 yards to put the Hurricanes up 6-3. The point after was blocked.

But the game and the season came to a halt when the Hurricanes’ top two offensive players, quarterback Billy Pavlock and Kenny Blanch, were injured. Pavlock hurt his hand on the second play of Palm Harbor’s first offensive series, and Blanch re-injured his sprained ankle on a kickoff return that followed Countryside’s first touchdown.

While Pavlock moved to running back after Blanch’s injury and gave the Hurricanes most of their offense in the first half with 53 rushing yards, the PHU roster could not match the firepower of Countryside.

The Cougars built a 23-6 halftime lead on the way to a 43-12 victory to clinch a spot in the playoffs.

“It’s too bad because it (the injuries to Pavlock and Blanch) completely changed our game plan, and we had to try and switch things up on the fly,” said Pavlock, who was pulled from the game early in the second half.

After Terry Johnson scored his second touchdown with a 27-yard run on Countryside’s first possession of the second half, the Cougars (8-0, 3-0) took advantage of Pavlock’s absence when Alex Dixon picked off Tyler Ruth’s pass and returned it 80 yards for a touchdown to put Countryside up 37-6.

“This was probably our most complete game of the year, but we know we still can play much better, and we’re striving to do that,” said Crow, who went 13 of 16 for 226 yards.

“Our defense played phenomenal, and our offense was outstanding.”