5 things to know ahead of Armwood-Tampa Bay Tech rivalry

Friday night features a couple of Hillsborough County's top programs clashing for county supremacy

The Portal 305

If there’s one high school football game in Hillsborough County that folks really look forward to, it’s Armwood-Tampa Bay Tech.

Over the years, both programs have grown to steadily build a rivalry against one another and this season, it might reach its peak.

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Armwood is ranked No. 6 in the latest SBLive Florida Top 25 high school football rankings and will put their undefeated record to the test against rival Tampa Bay Tech.

Both teams are sure to leave everything out on the field tonight, but before that happens we give you 5 things to know ahead of time before the Hawks and Titans clash in the 813.

Armwood’s Girard Pringle is the difference

Stopping the Miami (FL) commitment is much easier said than done. Pringle has proven himself against some of the state’s top programs and he will look to do it again versus Tampa Bay Tech tonight. Pringle this season has rushed for 190 yards on 34 carries and two touchdowns. If Armwood is going to come away on top in this battle of Hillsborough County powers, Pringle will have to make his presence felt.

Darryon Jones settling in as starting quarterback

The off-season brought upon a lot of competition when it came to the quarterback position over at Tampa Bay Tech. At one time, the Titans had current starter Darryon Jones, Xzavier Jackson (now starting at Zephyrhills) and Logan Rogers (now playing at Hillsborough) all on the roster together. Jones has settled in as Tampa Bay Tech’s starter and he’s been impressive in doing so. The junior has completed 22-of-41 passes for 385 yards and eight touchdowns to zero interceptions. With capable targets all over the place, Jones looks much more comfortable and will need to continue looking so tonight.

Can the Titans slow down Armwood’s dynamic offense?

A lot is always centered around the play of Pringle coming out of the backfield, but there’s other guys that the Titans will need to slow down if they want to come out of tonight’s game with the dub. Armwood junior quarterback Rhys Brush has been lights out, completing 22-of-30 passes for 456 yards and eight touchdowns, no interceptions. Georgia commitment Tyler Williams (six catches, 150 yards) and Olontae Dean (seven catches, 130 yards) are the go-to-guys for Brush. Stopping all these offensive playmakers is not going to be an easy task for Jayson Roberts and crew, but they’ll need to contain them somehow to pull off the upset.

Dallas Wilson must play big role for Titans

The Oregon commitment has to play a major role in this game in order for Tampa Bay Tech to come out on top. Through two games, Wilson has shown off his elite pass catching abilities and hauled in nine passes for 136 yards and three touchdowns. Up against one of the state’s best defensive secondaries, Wilson will need to weave his way to the endzone a couple times for the Titans to win.

Hillsborough County bragging rights on the line

Whomever wins this game will be doing plenty of talking afterwards as it’s without a doubt a bragging rights kinda game. Feeling that you’re team is atop of the Hillsborough County proverbial mountain top is saying something as both programs have high aspirations when it comes to making the playoffs, winning postseason games and possibly a state championship. A win for either program gives them major confidence moving forward.

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-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl