Two weeks into the season, 10 Pinellas County football teams have yet to lose a game. Two of them haven’t allowed a point. Six county quarterbacks rank among Florida’s top 50 in passing yards.
That won’t hold. Friday brings two matchups of unbeaten teams — Countryside at Clearwater and Largo at Tarpon Springs — and by kickoff on Sept. 11, when Calvary Christian visits Clearwater Central Catholic, the list will be shorter still.
New class, same Marauders
Clearwater Central Catholic doesn’t play this week, which gives everyone else a chance to catch up on what the Marauders have already done.
They beat defending region finalist Palmetto 28-24 on Aug. 21, then handled defending state semifinalist Port Charlotte 43-24 on Aug. 28.
Neither win is a surprise if you know the program. CCC has never gone looking for soft opponents, and both of these teams were still playing in November. What’s different is the context. The Marauders moved up to Class 2A this fall after three straight state finals appearances from 2022 through 2024 and a one-score loss to Carrollwood Day that ended the run last season. Same schedule philosophy, new classification, and through two weeks it hasn’t cost them anything.
The leader has been Khayse Barrett. The senior quarterback threw for 260 yards and three touchdowns against Port Charlotte and ran 22 times for 181 more and another score — 441 total yards and four touchdowns in a single night, with a 23-yard run and a 49-yard completion in there.
He hasn’t done it alone. Junior receiver Luke Wilson caught six passes for 157 yards against Port Charlotte and ranks 25th in Florida with 232 receiving yards. Pharaoh Tillman has three touchdown catches through two weeks. And Dicarieze Williams has been on the field for nearly all of it, running for two scores and a two-point conversion Aug. 28 while making 10 tackles, two for loss, with a sack and a fumble recovery. Williams leads Class 2A District 6 with 23 tackles.
By moving to 2A, the Marauders entered one of the toughest classifications in the state, which includes Orlando First Academy, West Palm Beach Cardinal Newman and Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna. CCC scheduled accordingly. Nothing about the first two weeks suggests the step up is a problem.
The Marauders are off this week. Calvary Christian, also unbeaten, visits Sept. 11.
Somebody’s 2-0 ends Friday
CCC is one of 10 Pinellas programs that hasn’t lost. Two of Friday’s games will cut into that.
Countryside (2-0) at Clearwater (2-0) is the marquee rivalry game. It’s also a rematch of a 40-0 Clearwater shutout last October, and Countryside is not the same team. AJ Sattinger’s Cougars went 3-7 last year and 0-3 in district play. They’ve since won at Palm Harbor University as the lower-ranked team and buried Hollins 50-0, with junior quarterback Cam Waddington throwing for six touchdown passes in that game, a school record. Waddington has seven touchdowns and no interceptions on the season and ranks 31st in Florida in passing yards. Countryside has 71 points in two weeks.
Clearwater has won two ways. Sophomore Jaysean Glenn threw for 358 in a 40-19 opener against East Lake, then the Tornadoes won 16-0 at Dunedin with the offense reaching the end zone once — Jack Wang ran one in, Zay Wilburn returned a punt 50 yards for the other, and both two-point conversions were good. Junior linebacker Jayeon Jackson has 28 tackles in two games. Senior receiver Joseph Archer is second in Florida with 364 receiving yards.
Largo (2-0) at Tarpon Springs (2-0) is the stylistic opposite. Largo quarterback Dylan Lester was a perfect 8-of-8 for 152 yards and three touchdowns against Northeast. Tarpon Springs beat Palm Harbor University 14-0 by running 34 times for 259 yards. Sophomore Nate Driver had 143 of them plus a 78-yard run and added eight tackles and a sack on defense.
The other unbeatens
Boca Ciega (2-0): The Pirates beat Zephyrhills Christian, then routed St. Petersburg 48-7, the biggest margin any Pinellas team has posted. Noah Walstad threw for 283 yards and three scores without an interception and ranks 34th in Florida with 475 on the season. Jaidon Jones had the county’s biggest defensive night of the year — 18 tackles, five for loss, a sack and a forced fumble — plus a rushing touchdown of his own. Wade Tolliver caught a 70-yard touchdown.
Calvary Christian (2-0): Beat North Miami 36-9 and shut out King 44-0. AJ Avila-Mena averages 98 rushing yards a game and leads 2A District 6 with three touchdowns; Chase Paulsson has three sacks. Calvary lost 34-33 to Cocoa in last year’s 2A state championships. Victory Christian Academy visits Friday before the CCC trip.
Keswick Christian (3-0): Nobody has scored on them — 14-0, 20-0 and 49-0, all at home, 83-0 on aggregate. Josiah Loeffler averages seven tackles a game. Ambassadors Christian Academy comes in Friday, Sept. 4 with a fourth straight shutout on the line.
Seminole (1-0. Idle last week): The 19-7 win over Osceola on Aug. 21 snapped a 10-game losing streak going back to 2024 and moved the Warhawks up 232 spots in the state rankings, the biggest jump by any Pinellas team.
Shorecrest (2-0): The Chargers have not allowed a point, beating Foundation Christian Academy 26-0 on Aug. 21 and Donahue Catholic 44-0 on Aug. 28. The win against Donahue Catholic avenged a loss in the opening round of last year’s playoffs.
Six quarterbacks in the state’s top 50
Pinellas County has six passers among Florida’s top 50 in yardage through two weeks:
• Chase Burrill, St. Petersburg Catholic — 702 yards, eighth in the state, 351.0 per game, 8 TDs
• Cole Kennedy, Lakeside Christian — 671 yards, 10th, 10 TDs in three games
• Jaysean Glenn, Clearwater — 517 yards, 23rd
• Jordan Calvin, Gibbs — 506 yards, 27th, 7 TDs
• Cam Waddington, Countryside — 479 yards, 31st, 7 TDs and no interceptions
• Noah Walstad, Boca Ciega — 475 yards, 34th
Burrill’s 351 yards a game ranks fifth in Florida. Kennedy’s 10 touchdown passes lead the county.
This week’s games
Thursday, Sept. 3
St. Petersburg at Palm Harbor University, 7
Friday, Sept. 4
Countryside at Clearwater, 7
Largo at Tarpon Springs, 7:30
East Lake at Osceola, 7:30
East Bay at Gibbs, 7:30
Northeast at Indian Rocks Christian, 7:30
Pinellas Park at Dunedin, 7:30
Victory Christian Academy at Calvary Christian, 7
Ambassadors Christian Academy at Keswick Christian, 7
Academy at the Lakes at Lakeside Christian, 7