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North County Sports Roundup

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By Eric Horchy | The Suncoast News

Published: September 27, 2008

It is still early in the 2008 high school fall sports seasons and anything can certainly happen with time, but now is when the best begin to separate from the rest.

School records have already fallen, freshmen phenoms have emerged as game-changers and a few teams look to have what it takes to make noise at a statewide level.

Football

It's all about Dunedin (3-0) and Tarpon Springs (2-0) at the moment.

The Falcons and Spongers, respectively, have shown early that they are gearing toward making a run.

Simply stating that Dunedin is outscoring its opponents - 108-16 - would be an immense understatement. Senior running back Adaris Bellamy, who verbally committed to USF last year, set the single-game school record for touchdowns scored by bolting to pay dirt six times while routing Osceola 56-7.

The Spongers are high fliers with an explosive offense that can easily overshadow their stingy, ball-hawking defense. If they can learn to turn it on in the first quarter, rather than the third, Tarpon fans could be cheering well into November and December.

ALSO: Cross-town Tarpon rival, East Lake, is off to a sluggish 1-2 start, but don't count out the Eagles' lockdown "D" ... Palm Harbor University was opened in 1996 and no Hurricane team has yet to crack the four-win ceiling. They won last week, going to 1-2. Maybe lucky Year 13 will be it.

Volleyball

PHU and East Lake are the usual suspects on these courts, and 2008 is no different.

The Hurricanes have bolted out to a 7-1 start, including a nail-biting, five-game defeat over East Lake Sept. 9. Big-time players Cassie Roy, Chelsea King and Morgan Kosterlitz lead an attack that stacks up well against any squad.

East Lake (5-3) started early with a Murderer's Row schedule that tested its young lineup, but their match with PHU proved they can hang with good teams. Junior Andria Tagarelli is one of the best liberos in the county and the further development of freshmen Brianna McComeskey, Brittnay Estes and Jackie Wegner could largely decide if the Eagles can return to regionals.

Golf

Dunedin is back again to make 2008 a three-horse race after winning districts last season. Senior Justin Foster and sophomore Travis Huston have paced the Falcons to a strong start.

East Lake and PHU are continuing their program's recent successes and the Hurricanes' Zach Sobel, who has committed to the Ohio State University, should be watched by all come states. East Lake freshman Dustin Dingus has emerged as the Eagles' No. 1 and consistently posts low scores.

On the girl's side, another East Lake freshman - Jordan Patton - is already one of the county's top guns and has her team undefeated and eyeing the state tournament.

Swimming

Palm Harbor is where it's at, once again. Both the boys' and girls' programs have hit the water fast in '08 and should continue strong throughout. The boys' Christopher Mertens, Tyler Reed and Wes Stearns, and the girls' Katie Coleman are all capable of taking over at meets.

Keep an eye on both Tarpon Springs' teams. They have already notched some impressive wins as well.

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