South Suncoast Week 8 Roundup & Top performances

We go over the final scores and top performances from Week 8 on the South Suncoast

It’s nearly almost back to normal when it comes to the high school football scene down on the South Suncoast. The one team that has not taken the field is the Port Charlotte Pirates as the school is still being used as a shelter for those displaced by Hurricane Ian. 

For the teams that were able to get back on the field of play, some looked like they hadn’t even missed a beat. Palmetto started off the week on Tuesday night with a dominating win over Southeast and turned around on Friday to defeat Lakewood Ranch as well. 

There was a Thursday night game that took place, with Sarasota Riverview hosting Clearwater Academy International. The Rams, however, proved to be no match for one of the state’s top teams in a loss at home. 

For the private schools, Out-of-Door Academy continued its superb play and cruised past Cocoa Beach at home to improve to 7-0 on the season. Saint Stephen’s returned to the playing field as well and defeated Gateway Charter in a high scoring affair. The Rams fell to 1-4 on the season. 

When it came down to the two teams from Charlotte County that ended up playing, Lemon Bay looked sharp in a blowout victory over Bayshore. Charlotte kept up with Lehigh, but narrowly lost by a score on the road. 

One of the more entertaining games of the Week 8 slate was between Braden River and Parrish Community, with the former pulling away with the victory. The Pirates are now at 4-2 through six games. 

Sarasota Booker got back to it as well, with the Tornadoes just narrowly losing on the road in a heartbreaker to DeSoto County. The Tornadoes are now at 2-4 with games against Bayshore and Wiregrass Ranch coming up this week. 

The upcoming week of games should provide more clarity on which teams will be able to qualify for the postseason and who is on the outside looking in. Before the Week 9 games get going, we go over Week 8 scores and top performances that took place on the South Suncoast (Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte counties). 

Venice returned to play and earned a big win over Sarasota on the road

Week 8 South Suncoast scores

Tuesday

Palmetto 40, Southeast 3

Saint Stephen’s 31, Gateway Charter 26

Thursday

Clearwater Academy International 46, Sarasota Riverview 7

Friday

Out-of-Door 54, Cocoa Beach 10

Lemon Bay 41, Bayshore 0

Venice 46, Sarasota 7

DeSoto County 15, Sarasota Booker 7

Palmetto 55, Lakewood Ranch 17

John Carroll Catholic 26, Cardinal Mooney 3

Braden River 31, Parrish Community 21

Lehigh 19, Charlotte 14

Community School Naples 35, Bradenton Christian 10

Week 8 South Suncoast Top performances

Caleb Matelau, Bradenton Christian, linebacker: Eight combined tackles.

Alvin Johnson III, Venice, running back: 17 carries, 109 yards, two touchdowns.

Jamarice Wilder, Venice, running back: 17 carries, 87 yards, three touchdowns.

Shy Goudette, Charlotte, running back: 94 yards rushing, one touchdown.

Kyrie Marshall, Palmetto, running back: 11 carries, 100 yards, two touchdowns.

Zander Smith, Palmetto, quarterback: 8-of-10, 117 yards; one rushing touchdown.

Jackson Volz, Parrish Community, quarterback: 18-of-27, 227 yards, one touchdown.

Andy Villamarzo can be reached at andyvillamarzo@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @Andy_Villamarzo.