Sports
Sports Notebook: Carrollwood High School Football
Both Carrollwood Day School and Gaither are coming off significant wins and head into district games this week.
Carrollwood Day:
The Patriots (4-3, 2-3 Class 2A-District 5) are coming off a 33-17 win over Bradenton Christian. Junior tailback Robert Davis continued his jaw-dropping season with a 13-carry, 272-yard, three-touchdown performance. Through seven games, Davis has rushed for 1,238 yards and 17 touchdowns. The yardage total leads Class 2A, and Davis' whopping 15.48 yards per carry not only leads 2A, it is second in the state of Florida.
The win wedged CDS in there with four other teams that have three district losses. Canterbury (5-1 overall), Admiral Farragut (4-1) and Cambridge (4-2) are all looking down at the Patriots right now. Indian Rocks is a half-game ahead.
Find out what's happening in Carrollwood-Northdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
However, everyone has either three or four district games left on the slate. CDS still has to play Cambridge, Indian Rocks and Calvary Christian, all district games. So there still a lot to be decided.
Best of all, the Patriots are getting healthy again. Junior Nate Lewis is expected to return for Friday's game, and the nagging injuries to senior quarterback Deuce Gruden and Davis seem to have come around.
Find out what's happening in Carrollwood-Northdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Next up for CDS is Cambridge (5-2, 4-2). The Lancers are coming off a 36-22 win over Keswick Christian.
Gaither:
The Cowboys (4-2, 2-0 Class 7A-District 7) are coming off a hard-fought, 17-16 road win over East Bay. While East Bay is not considered a great team, the Cowboys dug out a come-from-behind win in the fourth quarter, on the road. Wins like that can be built on regardless of who they are against.
Remarkably, the Cowboys find themselves at the top of District 7, just a half game ahead of Tampa Bay Tech. They face Tech on Nov. 4 in a game which could very well decide the district title.
First, the Cowboys will have to get past Freedom and Chamberlain. The Patriots and Cheifs have a combined record of 2-12. Wins against both teams will secure at least second place in the district, even if they lose to Tech.
The Cowboys host Freedom this Thursday. The Patriots (1-6, 1-1) have struggled all season, their only win a 14-7 decision over Chamberlain.
It's finally realistic to start thinking about playoffs for the Cowboys, who have not sniffed them since 2007. Despite the soft schedule and district, a playoff appearance, let alone a district title, would be a huge accomplishment for first-year head coach Jason Stokes.