CLEARWATER — There was no holding back a mini-celebration on the Countryside sideline Friday night as the Cougars entered the fourth quarter with a shutout over Largo, one of the top teams in Pinellas County.
Twelve minutes later, the night was over and Countryside (9-1) finished with a real celebration — a 26-7 victory.
"We challenged the kids to come out and play the most physical game they've ever played," said Countryside defensive coach Ron Ragland. "Everyone says we're too little to play against a big, physical team like that, but we responded."
"We moved the ball up and down the field, but we couldn't finish any drives," said Largo coach Rick Rodriguez. "My hat's off to their defense. They stopped us and we couldn't put it in. That was the difference."
In the first half, Largo missed two field goals, lost a fumble and threw an interception. Countryside led 13-0, after running TDs from Alton Taylor and Josh Pendergist, at the conclusion of the third quarter and the home team was bursting with confidence.
"My job was trying to calm them down," Ragland said. "They were talking about shutouts, but we still had a quarter to play."
The shutout lasted until six minutes remaining when the Packers (7-2) pulled within 13-7, but in a span of 13 seconds Countryside scored on a fumble return (Tyler Walker) and an interception return (Brenton Conley), and the night was history.
The Cougars also won despite losing starting quarterback Jimbo Chmelik to a neck injury late in the second quarter.
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Hmm!! Either they are still in bed wiping their tears or they aren't going to man up & congratulate the cougars for a hard fought win...Yes, I'm talking to you Da Joker & largoboi!!! This was a great game & a lot closer than the final score considering C-side only led 13-7 with 2.5 minutes to go. After a disheartening fumble on Largo's 2 yard line the defense stepped up with a fumble recovery for a TD & a Brenton Conley (you know Largo hated that) interception for a TD. Brenton set that QB up, made it look like the guy in the flat was open then pounced when the ball was thrown. No one catching that young man in the open field.
I have to admit I was concerned as the Cougars went in at half time as they looked like the team that was getting knocked in the mouth & Largo's D was hitting hard. I don't know what the coaches said at halftime but the young men came out fired up & played just as physical of a game as Largo in the 2nd half. This shows me they are ready for the grind of the playoffs & can get down & dirty when need be. Congrates to Coach Davis & his staff for having these young men prepared.
As for Largo, I'll give them props as well. The young man (Brown) at QB was amazing for just being a freshman!! Great athlete, perfect size, & very smart...Largo has a QB that will lead them well over the next 3yrs. Mike Douglas, what can you say? The young man is just a beast & I don't know why more top tier college programs are not after him. He has to be the hardest hitter on defense I have seen all season.
Anyway, congrates to both teams & much success in the playoffs. If anybody sees Da Joker or largoboi...tell them I said hi. :)
Good post Csmack ... you deserve credit for having some restraint, too. Great win for the Cougs ... enjoy it
1st of all i would like to say congrats to countryside you won.but let me also say this you did nothing in my opinion to prove to me you where in the same league as largo not physically or talent wise anyway so here it goes.thank largos offensive clueless coordinator for your victory you didn't stop largos running game he did and hes been doing that all year this guy has no clue.if you only knew the kind of talent that's on that team it would scare you to death.as for the QB BROWN he will be a great one but not under this coordinator who doesn't let this young man make reads when passing he has to throw to the receiver the o/c tells him to which is why he forces the ball this o/c has him thinking instead of reacting and using his ability and believe me he has alot of that.this kid has been watching film since he was 9 or 10 and he been calling his on plays since he was 10.hes more than ready its just the
o/c cant see or understand what he has there.so CS no disrespect you made the plays but your victory was won on the side line i hope at the end of the season (which will be next week there's no way largo can beat anybody who can coach with this guy calling plays) COACH Rodriguez WHO IS A GREAT COACH NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT evaluates this guy who is his so called O/C and maybe find someone with a clue on play calling and knowledge of his teams talent to be largos o/c with that said C-SIDE from what i saw of you you are a well coached team but depending on who you play your one and done right along with largo.but you did win congrats
Is this the same OC that has been there the last 4 years? The same OC that led you to 2 state semifinals, and a regional final? The same OC that has had the 2 best RB's in Pinellas county history? Who also has those guys shining in college football?
If this is the same guy you need to shut up and stop complaining because you are blessed. The grass is not always greener on the other side and I don't remember you guys complaining when you were winning all those games.
IF this is not the same guy then my apologies, and go get that guy back.
yeah this is the same guy and if you notice largo is one and done becuz in pinellas county you can win with talent and poor coaching but outside of this county you have to have coaching to go with that talent and if you can remember the last four years think of the players whose played there.did you know that brynn harvey was the fullback for DEXTER MCCLUSTER probly not brynn never touched the ball yeah dex was great and ran for a lot of yards but when they played manatee they stopped dex and clueless didnt know what to do to get that team going they lost,the next season brynn harvey was the work horse they played ft.myers largo led 19-0 cluesless thought it would be a great ideal to stop running the ball and start passing they lost 21-19 harvey rarily touched the ball he ran for more than 1oo yds in the 1st half.the next season harvey broke the rushing record they played st.thomas harvey ran over st.thomas the whole 1st half st.thomas led at the half 14-1o clueless stopped running the ball stopped running harvey started thrown and running his QB harvey never saw the ball agan they lost.if you think winning in pinellas county is the best you want for your team than i guess you are happy.but when you have a talented team like largo always has that ain't good enought this guy hasn't led this team anywhere he just has the talent to hide the fact he has no clue.by the way my name is charles Dixon i notice you didn't use your name no nuts no glory thats what makes you a Neutral Observer
come watch largo offensive coordinator chock against Hillsborough
come watch largo offensive coordinator choke against Hillsborough
Charles,
My name is Neutral because that is what I am a Neutral Pinellas supporter. Everyone knows who I am sorry you don't.
All I have to say is yes I did know Brynn was a Full-back at that time, i remember against Dunedin that year Dex got hurt and he came in to lead the team to a TD drive. Dex came back and continued after that.
Yes their has been some questionable play-calling and the game against "North" Fort Myers the Noel Devine led team was winnable. I would put that loss on the OC for sure. BTW I was there.
I cannot not put really say that the OC was the one to blame with the Manatee loss because they were clearly the better team. Also with STA Largo should be proud as they played them better than any team on their schedule did. At the end of the day they were just the better team. Largo didnt have enough depth and it showed. Not one single player on STA goes both ways and you cannot blame the OC for that.
I will say this I know more about Largo,"and most Pinellas teams for that" then you would know. I have been around for a while. At this point NO Pinellas team will win a state championship no time soon. competing in 3A, 4A, and 5A against some of the top programs in the nation against a county like Pinellas where there programs are barely supported by their communities is a losing situation.
Do you really want my name? It won't change the way I feel about the program. The OC has his issues but I don't think every loss you had is his fault. BTW Largo will lose to HHS no matter who the OC. HHS is just a much better team. There is not a team in Pinellas that could beat Plant, Armwood, HHS or Tech at this point.
Neutral;Your points are well taken but I disagree with your opinion of the root cause of the inability of Pinellas County teams to coompete against the better teams. I think it has more to do with demographics and the rampant transferring that goes on elsewhere, than lack of support. Pinellas County is the most densely populated County in the State. That mandates a large number of public high schools, and the talent gets diluted throughout the teams. That's why schools from small towns and Counties do so well. The transfers that are allowed to occur, concentrate that talent on the elite teams; and don't even get me started on the recruiting issue for schools like STA.
I also question your statement that No Pinellas team could "beat Plant, Armwood, HHS or Tech at this point." HHS is 6-2 (losses to Plant and Armwood) and NONE of their wins came against any team with a winning record and only one was against a team that wasn't under 500. Tech is 7-1 but should be 6-2 (Plant in the 1st game) and except for that game and their win against Freedom, none of the other teams they beat had winning records. The tests will come in two weeks when HHS plays Largo, Countryside plays Freedom and East Lake plays Tech. No argument with your take on Plant and Armwood.
St Pete draws Venice. No fantasies here. That will be a very large mountain to climb. But what should St Pete do to give them a chance in that game?
I first like to congratulate Countryside on their victory Friday. It took me a couple of days to GET OVER the defeat. They played with intensity and enthusiasm the entire game. I would also like to commend their coaches for an outstanding job in preparing the players for this tough game.
As for Largo I would have to agree with Charles on the poor coaching performance and it seemed as though Largo was poorly prepared. They played flat for most of the game with a few bright spots of flare (end of the second quarter). They played as if this game really didn't matter and that in FACT is one of the reasons they lost. Largo had multiple chances to win this game but blew them. I truly believe it WOULD HAVE BEEN A DIFFERENT GAME IF D.J. KEY PLAYED but that is neither here nor there. Largo is the MOST TALENTED school in Pinellas County but if they don't CLEAN UP the SLOPPY offensive play, they will surely LOSE to the TERRIERS. I have to disagree with NEUTRAL in his belief that lack of community support is the reason Pinellas County will not win a state championship (both stands were full and the was an away game). Largo High will win a state championship sooner than you think buddy. Largo needs a TEAM CAPTAIN TO STEP UP AND GET THEM AMPED FOR THE COMPLETION OF THIS SEASON........!
The Cougars WANTED it more than the PACKERS that night...
I also would like to add that if Largo had its ORIGINAL starting kicker they would have had this game in the bag... Too bad the kicker decided to quit... He was missed Friday...
ok one jake pendergist not josh scored his brother josh plays on defense not offense and i would like to say myrick qywnn's hit on jimbo was the second hardest hit i have seen this season
St. Pete dad,
Good conversation and good points. I like when people can have conversation and dialogue as opposed to just ranting and raving. You even brought facts.
I will agree with you. It does have a lot to do with demographics. I should have mentioned that as well We have talked about this in detail with the likes of Cotey and many of the Head coaches in the county. Demographics and county culture go hand and hand.
When Pinellas had less schools in the 80's teams like Dunedin, Tarpon, Clearwater and others had more success. We are very densely populated but the amount of.
I think that your underestimating HHS and Tech. Both of those schools are very good and have lost to very good competition. Also you cannot discount Tech beating Plant. All though we would both agree that if they meet again Plant will win I think they did what they had to do to make it happen the 1st time. HHS is very talented and we will see 1st hand what they can do against some of Pinellas's best teams 1st hand. Countryside should beat freedom then we can see what happens with them vs. Tech.
As far as facing Venice the best bet is for ST. Pete to keep the ball away and sustain drive. Venice will score for sure and too many 3 and outs will make this happen faster. If St. pete can sustain long drives it stand a much better chance.
In all honestly St. pete probably stands a better chance at upsetting Venice than Gibbs does against Manatee.
Joker,
When I say community support I don't mean the fans alone, I mean more of the culture breads competitive football from the fans to the Administration. Most Admins in Pinellas don't give a darn about their football teams its just one more event they ahve to attend. Go to a small town like Madison, Fort Meade or even Seffner and you will see what I mean by support.
As for Largo winning the state title soon, that would mean they would have to get by Armwood earlier and I don't see that happening for the next 3 years. However If it does come to that and they get past Armwood they can and will win state. That is a very tall task.
Neutral;
Thanks for the reply. I may be underestimating them; I have not seen them play. We'll all see what happens in the playoffs. I agree with your statement that the pinellas Admins don't support atlethics like they should. Pity. Education is more than books, homework and tests. But I see it changing-a little-at St Pete, because of Coach Fabrizio's actions.
I'll be in Venice and I am confident the Team will show up and represent the County well. Go Devils !!!!
Neutral- I totally agree with your assessment of Pinellas County administration. It seems that they do not understand reality for many of their students. In many cases, student athletes at Largo High derive from a socioeconomically challenged background and football is the only means in which they have the opportunity to attend college. Living in the Brandon/Seffner area I’ve witnessed firsthand how serious they take high school football... I will say this... If Largo defeats Hillsborough in the first round of the playoffs they could go all the way... Depth has always been a Achilles heel for the Packers but it may be less of a problem with them playing in 4a… I don’t know what they do for PREGAME or to motivate the players but the team and coaches need to show more enthusiasm on the field… They need to understand that FOR SOME, THIS MAY BE THE LAST TIME THEY PLAY FOOTBALL…. EVER
There are some good points on this thread. But let's be clear! Largo has to make a change at OC to be successful. Largo has talent throughout the roster, but it is never utilized to the extent that other teams utilize their resources.
Good example: Brenton Conley went to Largo and was never utilized even though he had exceptional talent. We also get to see now that Reggie Jackson for Largo should have been on the field more this year, but was not used. Too much talent on the sideline not being used!
For Largo to make a push for state, Rodgriguez will have to get away from the 1 platoon system, emphasize more conditioning, and put the best players on the field. They have enough talent to give people rest if needed.
I'll also like to say to everyone that may not be aware, but Charles Dixon (Largo Junior Packers) has made a tremendous impact on the majority of these kids lives at Largo High currently and in the past, as he has been an integral part of building great football athletes. Too many times, we give high school coaches all the credit, when actually they only coached the kid for 2 or 3 years, but they started playing the game at the age of 6. Charles thanks for taking the time out of your life and your families life to give to these kids for the past 25+ years. I may be a little off on the extact length, but I know it's close...