Polk Watch: Week 6 Roundtable Insights

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lakeland 40, Lake Gibson 0</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Dreadnaughts wasted no time, scoring four first-quarter touchdowns, including defensive scores from&nbsp;<strong>Ty'Quez Green</strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>Travoris Black</strong>&nbsp;to put this rivalry game out of reach early. Lakeland's defense dominated, holding the Braves to just 69 total yards while forcing four turnovers.&nbsp;<strong>Deonte Fielder</strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>Ahmaad Watts</strong>&nbsp;came up with interceptions, while LBs&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1247490' first='Malik' last='Morris']</strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1581926' first='Ziggy' last='Riley']</strong>&nbsp;led a dominant front that finished with 11 tackles for loss.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Offensively, QB&nbsp;<strong>Kelin Hendrix</strong>&nbsp;connected with&nbsp;<strong>Joseph Howard</strong>&nbsp;for a 71-yard score and added 35 rushing yards, while&nbsp;<strong>Kevin Hendrix</strong>&nbsp;paced the ground game with 70 yards. Despite missing two starters up front, Lakeland ran for over 200 yards and showed off its backfield depth with&nbsp;<strong>Ja'Darious Dobie</strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>Ahnarri Cooper</strong>&nbsp;contributing.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Braves Standouts:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite the loss, Lake Gibson showed some young pieces to build around. 2027 LBs&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1687626' first='Malachi' last='Moore']</strong>and&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1681958' first='Caleb' last='Beck']</strong>&nbsp;were active all night, flying to the football and showing solid effort. In the secondary,&nbsp;<strong>Terrence Hill Jr</strong>.,&nbsp;<strong>Jeremiah Epps</strong>&nbsp;(INT), and senior&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1141192' first='Cason' last='Dash']</strong>&nbsp;— who played the second half — all came up with plays. On offense, star wideout&nbsp;<strong>Derrick McBride</strong>&nbsp;had a few grabs but needs more chances, while RB&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='283746' first='Brian' last='Mapp']</strong>&nbsp;provided a spark with tough runs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Dreadnaughts move to 4-1 and have now outscored opponents 115-13 over the past three games. They'll host Sumner (4-1) next week, while Lake Gibson (2-3) looks to rebound against Bartow (3-3).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Other Notable Games:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bartow 35, Bloomingdale 29</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What a way for Coach Grady Morrell and staff to open district play. The Yellow Jackets pulled out a much-needed win on the road, keeping their season alive with a gutsy performance.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Carrollwood Day 55, Lakeland Christian 21</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Patriots leaned on a stout rushing attack and strong defense to control the game, holding LCS to just 21 points at home. The Vikings, Polk's top private school program, take another loss but still have the makeup to bounce back.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jones 37, Auburndale 3</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Central Florida powerhouse looked every bit of a state contender, overpowering the Bloodhounds on the road. Auburndale was outclassed in this one, but the program continues to build momentum with the postseason in mind.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->