Gaither had to wait out a weather postponement to play East Lake. Its quarterback made the wait worthwhile.
Junior Daniel Terry completed 20 of 26 passes for 339 yards and four touchdowns in the Cowboys’ 35-9 rout of the Eagles on Sept. 14. The game had been scheduled for Sept. 10.
Terry, who played at Wiregrass Ranch last season, has thrown for 847 yards and 10 touchdowns without an interception through four games for the 3-1 Cowboys. He also has run for 229 yards and three scores.
Sickles senior quarterback Brayden Himelright leads Hillsborough County with 903 passing yards through four games, with nine touchdowns and one interception. The Gryphons are 1-3, their lone win a 39-33 decision over Freedom on Aug. 21.
At Alonso, junior quarterback Michael Pyne has yet to throw an interception, with 629 yards and nine touchdown passes through three games. He also has run for two scores for the unbeaten Ravens, who had a bye Sept. 11.
The most impressive start belongs to Carrollwood Day. The Patriots, a Class 1A title contender, are 4-0 and have outscored opponents 218-21.
Junior running back Kameron Battle leads the area with 622 rushing yards, 11th in the state, and has scored 11 touchdowns. Senior quarterback Myles McDonald has thrown for 558 yards and eight touchdowns with two interceptions, and defensive lineman Zylen Little has five sacks.
Gaither played at unbeaten Tampa Bay Tech on Sept. 18, while Sickles hosted Robinson, Alonso hosted Wharton and Carrollwood Day hosted Chamberlain. Results were not available at press time.
Sickles cross country excels
The Sickles boys cross country team finished second at the Seffner Christian XC Invitational on Sept. 12, 17 points behind Newsome. The Gryphons posted a team average of 17:59 in the 5K.
Junior Landon Watkins led Sickles, placing second overall in 16:22, 15 seconds behind the winner. Lukas Russ was 22nd in 18:04.
Alonso senior Vivir Mathur finished 13th in 17:32.
In the girls race, Carrollwood Day senior Brianna Bergin, the Patriots’ only girls runner, placed fourth in 20:36, 1:14 behind the winner.
CDS volleyball off to perfect start
Carrollwood Day, which won a state title in 2023, is 8-0 and hasn’t dropped a set in 24 played as it chases another championship.
Senior Lydia Chinchar, a Kansas State commit, leads the area with 163 kills, which ranks 20th in the state.
Alonso was 6-1 through Sept. 16 and had dropped just three sets. Senior outside hitter Violet Archer-Klebe has 111 kills and 20 aces for the Ravens.
Baseball commitments
Two area baseball players have announced college commitments on social media.
Sickles senior pitcher Beaux Livingston has committed to Santa Fe College in Gainesville. Livingston transferred from nearby Steinbrenner, where as a junior he posted a 3.07 ERA in 29 2/3 innings, allowing 27 hits and 13 earned runs while striking out 26 and walking 13.
Cambridge Christian junior pitcher Justin Howell has committed to Elon University in North Carolina. Howell went 1-0 with a 3.50 ERA in four appearances for the Lancers (19-8-1) last spring, striking out 11 and walking 14.
His teammate Blake Hafner, a junior and the son of former major leaguer Travis Hafner, committed to Florida in August. Hafner hit .382 with 34 hits and 18 RBIs last season.
Have news, results or story ideas on your local high school players and teams? Email Mike Camunas at mcamunas@tampabeacon.com