Lauren Berger, a 2002 Countryside High School graduate, appeared on the Today Show on January 5th, 2012 to talk about the importance of internships and her new book “All Work and No Pay”.  Lauren, also known as the Intern Queen, has completed 15 internships during her four years of college and has now started her own business helping others get internships.

St. Pete               1

SCORE BY PERIOD

Scoring Summary

Venice               28

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St. Petersburg     14

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Clearwater         0

SCORE BY QUARTER

It was expected Countryside would handle Clearwater. It was expected the Cougars defense would stymie senior quarterback Rob Yarbrough. It was expected senior running back Diomi Roberts would trample Clearwater.

Well, scratch the last two.

Countryside got it done through the air, especially in the first half, beating Clearwater 35-0 Friday.

“It started early getting short completions and we were able to build confidence from there,” Cougar senior quarterback Gray Crow said. “Soon after, we were clicking on all cylinders.”

Crow was 10 of 18 for 110 yards and two touchdowns.

Yarbrough had a much tougher outing, but despite overwhelming pressure went 14 of 23 for 100 yards. He also rushed for 20 yards.

The Tornadoes had no answer for the Cougars’ skill players, Marrieo Taylor and Roberts. Roberts finished off two long catches with two short touchdown runs in just the first quarter. He finished with 60 yards rushing and 75 receiving. Taylor was just shy of 75 yards receiving with a touchdown.

The Cougars were up 28-0 when they sent in wildcat quarterback, junior Mike Tsalickis, to grind it out. And grind it, the Cougars did  behind a staunch offensive line.

“Jeff Albert is out anchor up front,” coach Jared Davis said. “(Zach) Rosinski and Jake Smith played great, too. We’re pretty confident in sending six guys (offensive linemen) on the field.”

The swarming Cougar defense held the Tornadoes to just over 150 yards of total offense.

“Clearwater makes you cover the whole field and we were able to do that,” Davis said.

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Story by tampabay.com/hometeam

Nerd day was today for homecoming spirit week.

Northeast         6

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A three-touchdown performance by Diomi Roberts propelled Countryside to a 37-6 victory over host Northeast on Thursday night.

The Cougars (6-0) opened a 21-0 lead in the first quarter thanks to a Roberts 3-yard score and 30-yard interception return for a touchdown byMarrieo Taylor. Joe Ganci also found the end zone after he received a short pass from Gray Crow and took it 60 yards down field.

In the third quarter, the Vikings (2-4) and Cougars had back-to-back one-play drives for touchdowns. After Roberts ran 49 yards to give Countryside a 35-0 lead, Keith Harrington took the handoff 75 yards to finally get Northeast on the scoreboard. Harrington finished with 165 yards on five carries, the majority of which came on two long runs.

Countryside’s defense was extremely tough, holding the Vikings to just 271 total yards with excellent tackling.

Countryside coach Jared Davis said the team emphasized good tackling during the week.

“We want to make a name with our tackling ability,” Davis said.

Equally impressive was Roberts, who carried the ball 10 times for 119 yards. The senior was very quick, hitting the openings his offensive line created.

“He’s a tremendous running back,” Davis said. “He has a combination of speed, vision and acceleration. He’s a big difference maker.”

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Story by tampabay.com/hometeam

Countryside      24

Palm Harbor     21

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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

Largo                  18

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For most of the 21st century, Largo has worn the crown as the marquee program in Pinellas County. The reign, though, appears to have come to an end.

Diomi Roberts rushed for 180 yards and three touchdowns to lead Countryside to a 28-18 victory over the Packers on Friday. The Cougars (3-0) have taken three straight regular-season meetings from Largo since a playoff loss to it in 2008.

“Everybody talks about (Largo’s) a physical team,” said Roberts, whose team rushed for 219 yards in all.

“We just wanted to show them who was more physical and who was the best team in Pinellas County. They’ve got a good tradition here at Largo, and now we’re starting one at Countryside.”

Largo (1-2) had its chances. After a 40-yard punt return for a touchdown by Derrick Doss cut its lead to 20-12 with 10:27 left, Countryside embarked on a 12-play, 59-yard drive capped by Roberts’ 7 -yard touchdown.

The Cougars converted a fourth and 1 from the Packers 37, Roberts taking an option pitch 7 yards.

Almost as important, the drive took nearly seven minutes off the clock.

“I was going to punt, and Diomi came up to me and said, ‘Coach, I got this. Run this play, and it’s mine,’  ” Cougars coach Jared Davis said. “I said, ‘If you’re telling me that, you better do it.’  ”

The Cougars extend their regular-season win streak to 17 games. Three wins have come against the Packers.

“We don’t think about the past victories,” Roberts said. “We just think about the next one; the one in front of us.”

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Story by tampabay.com/hometeam