By Ethan Jones:
Week 7 is here, and once again, Polk County is gearing up for another Friday night filled with exciting high school football matchups. As the season continues to move along, the games are becoming more important, the district races are starting to take shape, and every team is looking for a chance to make a statement. As for my picks, I’ll be the first to admit that I was not perfect last week. Some of my predictions went the way I expected, while others reminded me that anything can happen once Friday night arrives. That is part of what makes high school football so unpredictable and exciting. Now, with another week of games ahead, I get another chance to get back on track. This week, I’m looking to go 3-0 on my picks, but as we have already seen throughout the season, picking the winners is never as easy as it looks on paper. With plenty of important matchups on the schedule, there is no shortage of games to keep an eye on. So, with that being said, let’s take a look at some of the biggest games around Polk County heading into Week 7 and see which teams I believe will come out on top. Kicking things off, we have (3-2) Haines City at (3-2) Auburndale. Auburndale is looking forward to being back home and getting a chance to rebound after a tough 49-14 loss to Lakeland. Haines City, on the other hand, is coming into this game riding a two-game winning streak, with its most recent victory coming against Ridge Community in a 30-13 win. Both teams are looking to come away with a win Friday night and move to 4-2, but before they can do that, there are a few key areas each team will need to focus on. For Auburndale, defending the run will be a major key. This is an area the Bloodhounds will need to improve on after allowing four rushing touchdowns from four different Lakeland players in their last game. If Auburndale can slow down Haines City’s rushing attack and force the Hornets into passing situations, it could give the Bloodhounds a better chance to control the game. For Haines City, getting quarterback Yomar Lopez involved early will be important. Lopez has been one of the Hornets’ biggest offensive weapons this season, leading the team with 43.3 rushing yards per game while accounting for five total touchdowns. If Haines City can get Lopez into a rhythm early, it could put pressure on Auburndale’s defense from the start. I expect this to be a close and competitive matchup between two teams trying to avoid falling to .500. Both teams have plenty to play for, and being at home could give Auburndale an added boost. With that being said, I have Auburndale winning a close one and moving to 4-2 while remaining undefeated at home.
Prediction: Auburndale 28, Haines City 23
The next game I would keep an eye on this Friday would be (3-2) Winter Haven at (5-0) Lowndes. In this game, Winter Haven leaves the state of Florida to take on its biggest challenge of the year as it faces a Lowndes team that is ranked No. 72 in the country and No. 17 in the state of Georgia. Winter haven is coming into this game after a 21-20 loss to poinciana and are looking get back on track with a huge victory on the road and move to 4-2, for Lowndes they are coming into this game after a 53-0 win to Long County and are looking to remain perfect and move to 6-0. If each team wants to come away with a victory, there are some key things they will need to focus on. For Winter Haven, if the Blue Devils want to pull off the upset, they are going to have to find a way to attack Lowndes through the air. Winter Haven is averaging 170.8 passing yards per game, with Michael Smith averaging 64 receiving yards per game. Getting Smith and the rest of the receiving corps involved could prevent Lowndes from simply loading up against the run and give Winter Haven opportunities to make plays downfield. For Lowndes, continuing to play suffocating defense will be a major key. The Vikings have allowed just 14 total points through five games, including three shutouts during that stretch. If Lowndes can continue to make it difficult for Winter Haven to move the ball, it could force the Blue Devils to play from behind and put more pressure on their offense. With all this being said, I have Lowndes coming away with the victory. I expect Winter Haven to put up a fight early, but I don’t think it will be enough to pull off the upset on the road.
Prediction: Lowndes 31, Winter Haven 17
The last game I would keep an eye on would have to be (0-5) Kathleen at (3-2) Lake Gibson. Kathleen is coming into this game searching for its first win of the season and hoping to salvage the remaining games on its schedule. Lake Gibson, meanwhile, is coming off a 28-13 win over Osceola on the road and is returning home hoping to move to 4-2. If each team wants to win, there are some key things that they will need to focus on. For Kathleen, getting off to a fast start and getting the offense moving early will be critical. The Red Devils have scored just nine points through five games, so avoiding another slow start will be important. Kathleen will need to find ways to sustain drives, move the football and create scoring opportunities if it wants to keep this game competitive. For Lake Gibson, establishing the run will be important. The Braves are averaging 88.4 rushing yards per game this season, so getting more production on the ground could help them control the game and take some pressure off quarterback Caleb McFarlane. If Lake Gibson can find success running the football, it could open up more opportunities for the passing game as well. Although I think Kathleen will be motivated to get its first win of the season, I have Lake Gibson winning this game.
Prediction: Lake Gibson 38, Kathleen 7
Week 7 has plenty of games that could make for an exciting Friday night across Polk County and beyond. From Haines City and Auburndale battling for another important district win, to Lake Gibson looking to continue its momentum against Kathleen, there are plenty of storylines to keep an eye on. Winter Haven will also have a tough test on the road against undefeated Lowndes as the Blue Devils look to pull off one of the biggest upsets of their season. With three games that all have something different at stake, there should be plenty of action to watch this Friday night. Now it’s time to see which teams take care of business, which teams bounce back, and whether any of my picks end up surprising me once the games are played.