Polk Watch: Week 5 Roundtable Recap

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Auburndale made a statement in Polk County's Game of the Week, rolling past Bartow 28-6. The Bloodhounds look nothing like the old “Dale”—this is a program building real momentum.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Friday Night Takeaways 💭</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Auburndale: 2029 QB <strong>Teo Edwards</strong> is like that. His mobility gives this offense juice. 2026 LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1368321' first='Elijah' last='Dias']</strong> had a monster night with 4 sacks, while 2026 Southern Miss commit <strong>Darion Jiles</strong>continues to prove he's one of the county's top athletes. The backfield trio of seniors <strong>Jason McGough</strong>, and <strong>Trey Sullivan</strong>, with 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='1727159' first='Pat' last='Weir Jr'] all run hard behind a physical line (<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1143144' first='Riley' last='Cooper']</strong> OL). Add in 2027 <strong>Charles Calhoun</strong>, UConn commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1524509' first='James' last='Tilus'],</strong> Bowling Green commit <strong>Jordan Tarve</strong>r, plus lockdown DB <strong>David Bess</strong>, <strong>Gavin Hall</strong>, <strong>Cassidy Ervin</strong>, and <strong>Willie Manuel</strong> on defense—#STRAPDALE.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Bartow: Still a team to keep an eye on under HC <strong>Grady Morrell</strong>. They'll need to tighten things up in the trenches, but there's talent everywhere. 2026 QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1258693' first='Ethan' last='Brous']</strong> showed flashes, and 2027 WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1681626' first='Jaiziah' last='Battle']</strong> is the real deal. The 2027 group—<strong>Messiah Borders</strong>, <strong>Major McBath</strong>, <strong>La'Derrian Adams</strong>, and <strong>Ja'Kobie Terry</strong>—are all playmakers. Don't forget 2028 DT <strong>Carmello Harden</strong>, who's already one of the best in the county, and seniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1788559' first='Kendric' last='Stacey']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='212279' first='Caleb' last='Bell']</strong> anchoring the line.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Auburndale faces powerhouse Jones next week, while Bartow looks to rebound against Bloomingdale.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Victory Christian (4-1) vs Fort Meade (4-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Final: Fort Meade wins on the road</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fort Meade went into a tough environment and came out with a big-time win. ATH Trent Willis had a breakout game, making plays on both sides of the ball with a touchdown and an interception. 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='1695051' first='Ty' last='Montsdeoca'] proved once again he's a true trench force, impacting the game on offense and defense, while 2026 star [player_tooltip player_id='1628903' first='Omari' last='Russell'] continued to show why he's one of the top players in Florida. Victory Christian is still young and developing under Brett Smith, but 2026 ATH Tucker Fox remains one of the county's best and flashed his playmaking ability even in defeat.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Santa Fe (3-2) vs Keswick Christian (5-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Final: Keswick Christian 33, Santa Fe 7</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Santa Fe's offense sputtered in a tough loss, dropping the Hawks to 3-2 after a hot start to the season. While things didn't click offensively, the Hawks still have time to regroup with a favorable matchup against struggling Babcock (1-4) next week. This loss stings, but Santa Fe still controls its district path if they clean things up and respond quickly.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Winter Haven (3-1) at Palm Beach Lakes (2-2)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Final: Winter Haven 29, Palm Beach Lakes 16</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Blue Devils went on the road and picked up a much-needed win, showing grit in a matchup that tested both sides of the ball. HC Carl White's defense stepped up when it mattered, while the offense started to find more rhythm. This victory keeps momentum alive heading into a key game with Parrish Community looming, where Winter Haven will look to prove they can keep stacking Ws.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lake Gibson (2-2) vs Lake Minneola (1-4)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Final: Lake Gibson 49, Lake Minneola 6</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was the performance Lake Gibson needed. After a sluggish start to the year, the Braves dominated on both sides and rolled to a much-needed win. Now comes the real test—Lakeland at home next Friday. If the Braves want to be taken seriously as contenders, this is the week to prove it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lakeland (3-1) vs Booker T. Washington (0-5)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Final: Lakeland 43, Booker T. Washington 0</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pure domination. Lakeland handled business from the opening kick, shutting out Booker T. Washington in a lopsided win. The Dreadnaughts' offense looks sharper after a midseason QB change, and the defense hasn't missed a beat. This is a team starting to look every bit like a state title contender.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lake Wales (4-1) vs Seminole Bokey (2-3)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Final: Lake Wales 38, Seminole Bokey 29</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Highlanders bounced back in a big way, holding off a scrappy Seminole Bokey team to move to 4-1. The offense regained its rhythm, and the defense made stops late to seal the win. With Jones on the schedule next month, Lake Wales needed this momentum-builder as they look to climb back into championship form.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lake Region (3-2) vs Tenoroc (1-3)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Final: Lake Region wins, moves to 3-2</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coach Jermain King has Lake Region rolling. The Thunder have now won three straight, already surpassing last season's win total, and they're gaining confidence with every week. Tenoroc has athletes and showed flashes, but Lake Region simply controlled this one. The Thunder will need to carry that momentum forward with Lake Wales coming to town next week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->