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Dunedin, North Port, A Match Up Of Opposites

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By Eric Horchy | The Suncoast News

Published: May 7, 2008

Dunedin and North Port will meet Friday afternoon for the start of the best-of-3, Class 5A regional finals and a trip to the Final Four at Sarasota's Ed Smith Stadium on the line.

Aside from sharing the same field at Dunedin's Englebert Sports Complex, little much else will be in common between the two programs.

Dunedin is one of the region's historical powerhouses, currently playing through their 23rd trip to the state playoffs. Their location and prestige typically has the Falcons' roster stocked with championship-caliber talent season after season.

North Port High – though on the upswing – is making their third overall state playoff appearance and first as a 5A school. They were previously 3A, making the jump in 2006. Bobcats' head coach Rob Rowe acknowledged that the school is not currently in a prime situation to reload every year either, meaning they work with what they've got, when they've got it.

The differences remain visible when eyeing the two opposing rosters and their play on the diamond as well.

Dunedin is led by a senior-laden core that puts strong arms on the mound and swings big bats at the plate. They have the demoralizing ability to jump on opponents quickly by scoring in bunches – see last Friday's 8-2 regional semifinal win against Plant High.

The Falcons are also a team that has had state-championship thoughts on their minds since Day One.

North Port on the other hand is a younger, less experienced squad. Coach Rowe has seniors at the corners and at second in the infield, but that is all. Juniors sit at shortstop, catcher and left field, and sophomores man center and right field. The Bobcats' ace on the hill, Henry Manna, is a senior, and their No. 2 is sophomore Jake Brandenberger.

These Bobcats aren't going to beat you into submission from the dish either. Only one home run dots their stat sheet this season. Rowe said his guys may not have the intimidating pop of other offenses, but that they are receiving an all-around effort from top to bottom. Someone different has stepped up for the key hits in clutch situations, he said.

Throughout their district and state playoff push, Rowe said leadoff hitter Matt Plough has been steadily setting the games' pace. No. 3 and 4 hitters Jake Sutton and Mark Minisci, respectively, have also been season-long constants for Rowe. Both are the teams' top hitters for average.

Defense has been perhaps the most solid aspect of the team all season, Rowe said. The Bobcats have succeeded in limiting unearned runs and throwing strikes from the mound to cut down on walks and induce bad swings.

Unlike Dunedin, the state playoff series was not a foregone conclusion entering the year. Nor was it at its midpoint for that matter.

After beginning the year 6-9, North Port flipped the switch and has rattled off 12 wins in their last 15 opportunities in reaching this point. Win 11 during that span – in the regional quarterfinals last Tuesday – was a 4-2 victory over state-ranked Seminole, a team that game Dunedin fits twice this year.

Rowe said the Bobcats' competition within District 5A-12 has set them up well for whoever is sitting in the opposing dugout come game day.

North Port has seen pitching that stacks up comparably with the best of Pinellas County – Charlotte's Robbie Powell and Port Charlotte's David Holmberg – therefore some of the big Dunedin arms should not come as a stunning shock for Bobcat hitters.

The series gets underway with a doubleheader Friday. Game 1 begins at 4:00, with the night cap starting 30 minutes after. If the evening ends in a split, the deciding Game 3 will be played Saturday at 1:00.

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