Regular-season high school football is up and running throughout the Sunshine State. In Hernando County, there are plenty of new storylines surrounding the teams, as each of the county’s five teams faces new challenges along with new goals they’ve set for themselves. August 25th is the first Friday slate of games for the regular season, and we’ve already taken a deep dive into the schedules. So what are the Top 10 Games to Watch For in the 2023 season involving Hernando County teams? Check out our list of contests below.
Aug. 25, Eau Gallie at Springstead: A rare East Coast vs. West Coast matchup comes to fruition here because of old Hernando County ties. Former Central head coach Chris Sands is the lead man at Eau Gallie, and he’s back in the 352 to face Springstead, a team he was 1-3 against. This is the top regular season-opening game.
Sep. 1, Nature Coast at Hernando: Last season’s edition of this usually very competitive rivalry wasn’t indicative of its past. The Sharks dominated at the ‘Shark Tank’ in a 45-3 landslide win over the Leopards. There’s a new dimension to the already heated game as former Hernando head coach Rob Kazmier now leads Nature Coast.
Sep. 8, Springstead at Nature Coast: When these two teams meet, there’s not a whole lot of love between the programs. The Eagles showed their dominance over the Sharks last season with a 28-0 win. This could be the game of the year when it comes to Hernando County teams facing off.
Oct. 6, Nature Coast at Land O’ Lakes: A trip into Pasco County on this date features a best-on-best matchup. One of Hernando County’s top clubs versus one of Pasco’s best. Though nothing is on the line district-wise, both teams will want this win for playoff implication purposes.
Oct. 6, Palatka at Central: Palatka will travel quite a distance to the ‘Bears Den.’ With two potent offenses and playmakers across the board, a lot of points could be scored in this contest.
Oct. 10, Nature Coast at Central: For as long as this matchup has been going on between these two schools, there’s just always been bad blood. Central players at North Suncoast Media Day unanimously said Nature Coast was the game they were looking forward to the most.
Oct. 20, Mitchell at Springstead: No one on Springstead has forgotten about the two heartbreaking losses they had against Mitchell in 2022. The two L’s were the only games they dropped all of 2022, and revenge will be weighing heavy on their minds.
Oct. 27, Central at Weeki Wachee: It’s the ‘Battle for the Hexam,’ and these two teams always put on a good show for the fans. With a game trophy on the line, packed crowds and competitive play, this one always lives up to the billing.
Nov. 3, Nature Coast at Gulf: The Sharks will head to Des Little Stadium to face a Gulf Buccaneers team that has a lot of talent on both sides of the ball. Both teams could be needing a win here to get into the FHSAA playoffs, in which victories against quality opponents factor into the points system.
Nov. 3, Springstead at Lecanto: Could both teams be district champions when they get to the final week of the season? We hope so because it will make for a great Hernando County vs. Citrus County matchup as the regular season finale.
Andy Villamarzo can be reached at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @Andy_Villamarzo.
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