Pinellas: Sunday morning quarterback

Sunday morning quarterback

So how many people had Admiral Farragut in their Pinellas County playoff survival pool? The Blue Jackets are the last county team remaining after knocking off two-time defending state champion Belle Glade Glades Day 42-16. Admiral Farragut becomes the first county football team since Dixie Hollins in 1995 to advance to a state title game, and the Blue Jackets will try to become the first team from Pinellas to ever win a state football title when they play Tallahassee North Florida Christian in the Class 2A championship game at 1 p.m. Friday in Orlando. East Lake, which also played this week, nearly knocked off Plant. The Eagles outplayed the Panthers for most of the game and had the lead in the last three minutes before losing 28-21 in overtime. Here is the recap from the third round of the playoffs:

Things we learned

1. The gap between Pinellas and Hillsborough is closing: In the last three years of the playoffs, Pinellas teams have come tantalizingly close to beating some of Hillsborough County's best teams. In 2009, Lakewood lost 20-15 to Jefferson. Last year, Countryside lost 21-13 to Plant. And Friday night, East Lake fell to the Panthers 28-21 in overtime. Had the Eagles been able to hold on in that game, Pinellas County would have had more teams still alive in the playoffs (two) than Hillsborough County (one).

2. East Lake is the team to beat heading into 2012: The Eagles should make another deep run in the playoffs next season and will most likely get another shot at Plant in the third round. East Lake returns nearly every starter on defense and has quarterback Pete DiNovo and receiver Artavis Scott back on offense, as well as a good portion of the offensive line. Sure, the Eagles will be tested within the county as Countryside and Largo have a solid core of skill players. But the Eagles have everything in place, including a favorable postseason bracket, to once again be the last Pinellas team standing among public schools in 2012.

3. No one has had a better postseason in the bay area than Rayshawn Jenkins: The Admiral Farragut star has been inserted as running back in the playoffs and had a true impact, rushing for a combined 691 yards and scoring nine touchdowns in wins over Fort Myers Evangelical Christian, Canterbury and Belle Glade Glades Day in the playoffs. The Miami recruit is the Blue Jackets' biggest breakaway threat and a big reason they are playing in the state final.

Rodney Page and Bob Putnam, Times Staff Writers