The question

The eighth question was answered. Northeast's Armando Sanchez was voted the county's best linebacker. Now on to the next question. Who is the county's best defensive back? Voting will stop at 1 p.m. Tuesday.

As side note here, please, please, please, please stop voting from the same IP address. I don't need to single out people because you know who you are. I spend nearly six hours a week trying to go through these polls and eliminate votes from the same IP address. That's why the votes on the blog are not always the same as what appears in the paper. C'mon. Everybody should be grown up enough to know you should vote one time from the same computer or that one person should only vote for their favorite player once. This stuff just really gets old.

BOB PUTNAM

Comments

[Danni D]

i just want you to know that you definetly made the wrong decision on this one. if you even looked into it you would know that bryce williams is by far the best linebacker in the county. bryce has been playing highschool varsity football since he was in eighth grade at admiral farriget! he plays linebacker like a pro baller! bryce will go all the way and maybe you should look at the stats instead of making this completely a popularity contest.bryce is a great powerback but he loves hitting people and linebacker is definetly his best position! bryce should have got this one and you all know it!

It probably would have been a good idea to put the "voting rules" in the paper or on the blog with each question as to one vote per IP address, because when one person starts stacking the votes it encourages others to, not knowing whether they will be counted. After all for Baseball All Star voting you can vote numerous times and it is counted.

[Johnny Jenkins]

Antwan Carson is far the best defensive back he's a man among boys

[Lamar Lake]

chris harmon a all around good db

Bryant Lumpkin of Seminole High

For best defensive back in Pinellas County - Matt Gilghrest of Dunedin. He's tall, fast, good closing speed and excellent football sense in terms of reading plays and understanding down and distance situations.

Bobby Santana! All the way!

bobby santana definately best DB in the country #3 at PHU!!

bobby santana representing phu

[connor driscoll]

Bobby Santana #3 from PHU is the best DB in the county NO DOUBT.

[ETC]

Ok if Bobby Santana doesnt get thrown out then something is wrong this is obvious stacking from someone who does nothing. I never heard any Cside players or anybody they played for that saying how good mr. santana was. I will see for myself next week when they play Dunedin.

All aside i beleive Matt Gilghrest is the best Safety in the county. I am not sure is this is for *defensive back* or Cornerback but ill go with Mike Towns at corner and Gilghrest at Safety

please come across the middle on him then

Matt Gilghrest of Dunedin is definitely the best defensive back in the county. He's played nearly every secondary position and rose to the occasion each time. No other DB in the county has his size and athletic ability. He is a hard hitter and a natural leader on the field.

How hard a person hits is only one of the criteria to be considered the best defensive back in Pinellas County. A good one but not the only one.

HOW ABOUT THE WHOLE ENTIRE DUNEDIN SECONDARY THANKS TO THE GREAT COACHING OF FRANK LANG WHO HAS DONE AN EXCELLENT JOB OF PREPARING THESE KIDS FOR EVERY GAME.THERE ALL PRETTY GOOD MATT WOULD BE THE BEST SAFETY AS FAR AS CORNER IT WOULD HAVE TO BE MIKE TOWNS.

Didn't PHU get thrown on last week for 400 yds?

Lumpkin from Seminole is the best I've seen.

First of all, Chris Harmon is horrible... Second, my vote goes to Greg Harvey of Largo

chris harmon is a good db with great speed

Billy Richards from Northside Christian is by far the best DB in the county aint no question

Pal gallant, (see above)

Paul gallant is pure AMAZING

paul gallant, shorecrest - and whoever put the farragut guy...you guys blow, how could you possibly have a good player, we ran all over you

How many public school teams would Gallant start on?

Paul Gallant is a combination of Troy Palomalu and Ed Reed, sprinkled with Deion "Primetime" Sanders, and that's an understatement...Gallant is the best safety/DB I've ever seen in highschool!!!

paul gallant!

[Judson Settle]

Paul Gallant is one of the best all around players in the county

Gallant is a combination of the smarts of MLB and athleticism of a DB. He makes smart plays and calls out defensive coverages from the line of scrimmage. (He also has a GPA over 3.8)

Paul Gallant. He is the best DB by far.

[on behalf of shorecrest preparatory school]

paul gallant sucks. period.

paul gallant has to post bulletins on myspace just to get votes, real players just rely on their skills.

[iluvwang]

name speaks for itself...i love wang

[S. Magrann]

Paul Gallant is the best DB and could play on any team. He is a gifted player on both sides of the ball, as well as on special teams. That he is also a top student only completes the total package.

[Scribi]

Paul Gallant is by far the best DB in the county, and probably in the state. He hits hard and gets picks with ease. Paul is the definition of a shutdown corner. He could easily be playing D1 college football.

Gallant has 71 tackles, 4 forced fumbles, 1 interception, and a fumble recovery

[Alex]

Bobby Santana from PHU....What more is there to say when he is the most feared defensive back in the county. Everytime a receiver catches the ball, they better know what there in for because Santana will knock that ball right out. He is by far the hardest hitting safety and leads PHU in tackles. Why else would coaches be telling there teams to watch out for him. Santana is hands down the best.

Bobby santana #3 phu

*correction 4 fumbles recovered 1 fumble forced

Bobby Santana. #3 phu. Best db in county

[Purse 65]

#3 Bobby Santana from PHU is the hardest hitting, hardest working DB in the county

bobby santana possibly the best DB hardest hitter in the county

i think mike towns he's a great ball player

PHUs # 3 bobby santana is the best defensive back in the county

PHUs #3 Bobby Santana is definately the best defensive back in the county

come on mike towns held matt mooney to zero catches he's a ball hawker says catch 47 he also has 4 int

Bobby Santana #3 PHU = AMAZING

paul gallants stats seem more like a linebackers their defense must suck

[Kevin]

i like the guy above me, hes right

[Danni D]

to the guy who is talking about admiral farragut.... if you really know so much, you would know that bryce williams doesnt play for them! bryce plays for osceola dumb shit. he played for admiral farragut in 8th grade. wow you must not have played very much to not even know who you were competing against. dont you feel smart!

matt and mike towns win this category by far they held countryside to 60 recieving yards they got 4 int each this season

Pretty sure whenever you go over the middle, bobby santana is always tehre to lay the wood. my perfect example, in the tapron game the TE ran a streak into his zone and bobby absolutly crushed the kid who is bigger then him. #3 knows what the hell he is doing

Juan McKinney from OHS is the best DB in pinellas county he stops the run and picks the balls off on on just about every pass play

1. these private school guys would be 3rd teamers in public school unless your at ccc or spc. There is no way a guy can be that good and not be the next Myron Rolle best player in the nation on defense. If he is the best DB you have seen then you have not seen alot of football.
2. Frank you dont got to pump yourself up ill do it for you the best DB to ever play at Dunedin is now the coach and it shows with players like Towns Parsons, Mincey, and Gilghrest.
3. Largo also has good DB's
4. Santana if he was so good he would have been locked onto sackman and sackman would not have broken records on there defense. There is no way this is the best DB and a team passes for 400 yards on you just not possible

[nicky P.]

bobby santana #3 PHU's finest the man is a machine on the field he will knock down the biggest and baddest for being his size no one can compare

JUAN MCKINNY from OHS mother freak ballin masta... the sickest of sick at the Dback postion plays the whole field, and an exception running back

my vote would have to go with mike towns about two years ago i watched this kid run a 97 yard interception return back, as a freshman and he's becoming a shutdown corner not to mention he has four interceptions

well see who's the best DB in the county when dunedin's secondary is put to the test on friday against clearwater the team who broke a passing record on bobby santana's team

chris harmon has skills and the speed to go to the next level and be a good db

Tyrone Mouzon, Arlington Nunn, and Brian Montgomery are the best dbs to ever play at Dunedin.Back to back trips to the finals. Frank Lang doesn't even belong in the same breath. Richard Lang was a hell of a d. tackle. Frank was average on an average team.

Lakewood high's paul brittn #24, exellant awareness and good coverage.

Lakewood high's donnell jones i think is the best db in the county.

i think frank minton for lakewood is one of the best db's in the county, he's very fast and has good coverage

my vote goes to kirk moncol because hes raw

dj ryder from clearwater covers people like white on rice

Zack stantz from Calvary christian. hes in beast mode

the best defensive back has to be orhian johnson # 17 from bogie he has not played much of it because he is also the QB but when he does he sets fear into the oppent's QB.

Matt Gilgrest should be no doubt, number 1. Playmaker is written all over him.

[Junior Cougar]

I vote for Matt Gilghcrest he is the best db in Tampabay

bobby santana all the way folks..hes the badest guy out there..reminds me of sean taylor BIG TIME

chris harmon is a db that has great speed and can lock down a WR. He should play in the allstar game

[Joel Melvin]

Antwan Liverpool, Clearwater High School. Was injured early on, but has come on strong the last 3 weeks. Last week had several tackles and a pick in the win vs. Palm Harbor

You guys can say all you want about PHU's secondary, but the fact is....there is no safety in Pinellas county that can match Bobby Santana....and NOBODY can hit as hard as him!

For all who say Bobby is the best in the state well lets just see.
Do you think he would start for Lakeland? NO
Armwood? NO
Miami Northwestern?NO
This list could keep going please people be realistic here.

Also who ever said lang was an average player...... Last i checked *average* players dont get D-1 scholarships
But i cant argue with your selection of mouzon and montgomery they were great.

By the way MATT GILGHREST will have 3 picks on friday and he is the best

[paul britten]

voting Paul Britten for best DB in the county, leaded his team with 25 tackles and 2 interceptions. from Lakewood highschool.

[D Reed]

Richie Baily @ East Lake would rock any kid in this county and hes only a junior watch out for micah powell and richie baliey next year GO BLUE CREW

to all of you saying bobby aint good because they passed 400 yards on them, i can see that yeah phu had a bad day, but id like to see you get out there and be covered by bobby and when your runnin a slant across the field i wanna see you get laid out by the future sean taylor - #3 PHU

miike towns

I have heard there are cheaters trying to recruit again.

Number 5 P-Park
im with that

Antwan Carson...gets my vote..GO NEHI!!

my vote goes to Matt Gilghrest... When hes on the field he shows incredible leadership and heart.. I think it would be a joke to say this kid doesnt hit hard, if you have seen this kid play you would definitely think otherwise. PC has a lot of great DB's, but i think he pulls this one by quite a distance..

Chris Harmon might be one of the top
5 worst corners in the county.
Does he even start for Gibbs?

[deez]

IF CLEARWATER'S #2 CHRISTOPHER SACKMANN ISNT THE BEST DEFENSIVE BACK IN THE COUTY I DONT KNOW WHO IS. HES ALSO MIGHTY GOOD LOOKING AND HAS WONDERFUL LEGS.

matt gilghrest is the best for sure deff d-1 bound DB deadly down field reciever and a picking machine on D.it doent get better than that.phu cant even be give attention with 400 yrds of passing which 256 were to one player.after the first 10 catches to sackman they should have changed the D.

juan mckinny i agree, great safety with the vision to read quarterbacks eyes and make great game changing plays...

seminole suck dixie suck st pete suck
gibbs suck countryside suck palm harbor suck all the Catholic skools suck East lake suck clearwater suck lakewood suck

TOP 4
1.Largo
2.Osceola
3NorthEast
4.Dunedin

judging by your top 4 i can see why you cant spell SCHOOL

u must be a prepy white boy

To the poster who used the work suck repeatedly, your grammar and spelling tells me you attend Largo High!

Lil' Lang went where?????? Don't let him lie to yall!! 5'-7" corners don't go d-1. He is tellin yall a story. Richard Lang his big bro was the man!

[Nadia]

Bobby Santana..best defensive back in the county.

lol you couldnt spell preppy right either

[Laura P]

BOBBY SANTANA for sure is the best defensive back in the county. There is no question about it.

[Linda N.]

My vote is for Bobby Santana for the best DB in Pinellas County.

My vote is for Matt Gilghrest of Dunedin. All these other kids are a joke. Youve never heard their name. Matt makes the paper week in and week out. He was ranked #4 player in the county in your midseason report. C'mon people lets get real. Gilghrest all the way.

[ETC]

7:34 10/20:

You obviously have no idea what your talking about Frank Lang did play division 1 football for Cincinnatti No need for him to like to anybody he even started part as a freshman as a Free safety and made a spectacular interception on a ESPN 2 game against Marshall i think.

So check the facts before you go saying someone is lying.

first of all how can you vote for bobby santana when phu gave up 400 yards passing and chris sackman had 230 yards recieving the best corner did play in that game though and his name was antwan liverpool

bobby santana is by far the best db

[JK]

Bobby Santana all the way!!!! He is defenetly the hardest hitting back in the county!!!

matt gilghrest for dunedin is numba one

[Fatboy 63]

I know Marquise Gamble #2 from Tarpon Springs is the best defensive back in pinellas county he never gets burned or misses any tackles just look at his stats.

mike towns and matt gilghrest

Justin Roberson of the Countryside Cougars has my vote. He makes some excellent defensive plays for our team. Not only can he jump like crazy high but occasionally, we get an interception.

He's number 3, Justin Roberson.

ccc played a nail biter tonight against avon park...they won on a last second touchdown pass...Jordan becker scored with no time remaining
ccc showed that they have a few good defensive backs tonight
ccc picked off three of tk hill's passes
nate lenz, anthony cochran, and dante roberts all had a pick
Nate lenz is one of the top linebackers in the county and i think that anthony cochran and dante roberts are two of the better defensive backs in pinellas county. Micah Poole is also a very talented defensive back. He has unbelievable speed and is only a sophmore

bobby santana

Gibbs has three of the best db in the county including Anthony Fraiser, Larry Murphy, and Chris Harmon played like shut down db's last nite, only allowing less than 10yds of passing yards

Juan McKinney is the best DB in the county he has the perfect size and speed and vision 2 play safet

marquise gamble #2 from tarpon hes been in the paper as a game-breaker more than ANYONE on this blog

bobby santana sucks he looks for the big hit all game and doesnt do his job on the field he couldnt cover a reciver if his life depended on it

[me]

#2 Marquies Gamble.
Tarpon Springs.

[me]

#2 Marquies Gamble.
Tarpon Springs.

ANTWAN CARSON-NORTHEAST #42
6"2 200 LBS.
JUNIOR

-The guy is a straight up playmaker. Hes all of over the field making pics, getting tackles, and makin plays. Good speed for a big man too.

Although Dunedin lost to Clearwater, Dunedin's D-backs held Clearwater to 70yds passing. To top that off Dunedin burned the Clearwater DBs for an 81 yd scoring pass to Mike Towns (the paper incorrectly listed Sadarian Hoston as the receiver). Gilghrest and Towns are the best DBs in the county. Dunedin also held Countryside's passing to less than 70 yds.

Ill vote fpr Bobby Santana of Palm Harbor if he can step up next Friday against Dunedin with some picks and scores to upset Dunedin so Clearwater can play in the tie breaker for the playoffs. C'mon Palm Harbor you don't want to end your season without a district win, do you? As for the Dunedin post Clearwater receivers, especially Rusty Melges were open all night, it's just that Loucks wasn't that accurate, largely do to Dunedin's impressive pass rush. GO PHU! BEAT DUNEDIN!

bobby santana wit the big hits!!!!!!

josh zorland is the best when he shows up but he has an off year i guess...he has incredible size and will be amazing at the next level...#35=beast

jeff phillips #20 (money 20 baby)

my vote goes out to Timothy Saylor...he is by far the best...

Bobby Santana #3 phu, hes the most hard hitting, and hardest working DB ive seen in a long time

[patricia]

I vote for Justin Roberson #3 from Countryside. He makes some big plays for the Cougars and is a dedicated player. Go Cougars!!

Bobby Santana is the best db out there. There is no one that is as dedicated and hard working as him!! #3 is god!

[jamaal spragg]

bobby santana is the hardest hitting and skilled db in pinellas county by far. hes got my vote

Juan mckinney

[danny]

jeremy davis of osceola...he had 2 ints. last night at southeast

Juan Mckinney

juan mckinney

[sergio allen]

jaun mckinney best DB in this county hands down

phu get this week against dunedin give clearwater a chance to play for a playoff i know you dont want to go winless in the district so all the people repping bobby santana play big this week and cause some turnovers

[juan mckinney]

man played his heart out friday night and deserves this more then anyone

[taylor]

juan mckinney for sure

juan mckinney

juan mckinney

[Matthew Pike]

eric terrell #10 from nehi is the best db in the county.

BOBBY SANTANA BABY!!!!

juan mckinney osceola played his heart out friday...my vote is 4 him

[HappyG]

BOBBY SANTANA STOLE MY GIRLFRIEND!! MY VOTE IS FOR ALEX SMITH, PHU'S REAL HERO

Jermy Davis he had 2 ints friday against southeast which made a game changen play
"top corner n the county"

#24 speedster paul britten is the best DB with a great amount of tackles

[Yeah we sure have all heard alot about paul britten alot this year guys..]

Yeah we sure have all heard alot about paul britten alot this year

ANTWAN CARSON-NORTHAST

D1 Prospect

[Adam K]

My vote goes to Bobby Santana #3-PHU!

Bobby Santana No Doubt

[Austin T.]

tough tough brake for osceola..vs. southeast. juan mckinney who nearly fractured his arm at db on friday still had the heart to go out in OT and run his route...although he dropped the pass in the endzone for the game he played every play to the best of his ability .. hes quick and will keep running after a player till he hits the ground or the endzone (if the reciever. catches the ball that is...) he reads quarterbacks like he does harry potter. the kids great...and he has a shiney grill that intimidates other players..(the glare from the grill kills em 2) this kids an athlete. and youll see him in the playoffs withoseola for sure...

o that kid who named the top four.. u got that right.OSCEOLA....#2
and largo is a "C" school with an "A+"athletics program theyre not all that stupid.

[Tyler]

Juan Mckinney

[Seany P]

Juan McKennie at Osceola High steps up and makes the tackle and has like 3 picks already. Best SS in the county big part of our success

Josh Zorland hasnt been getting the breaks this year. He has been key in situations when PHU needed him. He can lay the wood harder then anyone out there.#35

[Mike jaz!]

my vote goes to juan mckinney of the OHS warriors.. he has great vision and makes the big hits when the game is on the line

Now first of all I have never wrote anything on here. I think this is a wonderful thing that the paper do for these kids and if you know anything about me I want to see people do better than me. Tyrone Mouson was my DB coach an all he would say is get deep. For all the DB's who are in this voting poll remember one thing Big Time Players Make Big Time Plays. Please keep me out of this, Thank you.

juan MCkinney of the OHS warrior northeast here we come

[Bob Finkelson]

Best DB in Pinellas County? No question Eric Terrell, Northeast High.

#30 chris harmon is fast and has great coverage and loves to come up on the run

Anthony Cochran from CCC gets my vote for best defensive back in county. The kid just flat out knows how to play football.

antwan liverpool for clearwater is the best db in the county get healthy man

i would like to say that gibbs has three of the best DB's in the county, #21larry murphy, #30chris harmon, #4anthony fraizer.

Chris harmon is a all-around good DB with great vision and speed

Anthony Cochran, Clearwater Central Catholic has my vote.

[Josh VoVillia]

I see Antwan Carson everyday in practice and in the game this guy is truely the best defensive back if you look at his highlight reels you would know he's the best go NORTHEAST 6-1 VIKINGS

Bobby Santana...PHU

Antwan Carson #42 Northeast High (7-1)
GO VIKINGS!!!

[Becky]

Bobby Santana is a great defensive back. Way to go Bobby!

These polls disgust me... They're just popularity contests. Chris Harmon may be the worst foorball player I've ever seen in my life! He can't cover, granted he has speed, but he can't play anybody man. Second, he won't come and stop the run. If you get a sweep to the outside on him, count 6 because he won't stop it. And on top of all that he can't get off a block. The kid is garbage...

These polls disgust me... They're just popularity contests. Chris Harmon may be the worst foorball player I've ever seen in my life! He can't cover, granted he has speed, but he can't play anybody man. Second, he won't come and stop the run. If you get a sweep to the outside on him, count 6 because he won't stop it. And on top of all that he can't get off a block. The kid is garbage...

ALEX SMITH PHU

BLOBBY SANTANA

Mr.Gamble sucks ask him about how he use to play lil league ball when he playd for tarpon n what was they record? ask em bout them dixie VP that year-he just been having luck so far n who did tarpon play....? NOBODY whats theyre recored....? he's not a BALLER

GIBBS? PLAYOFFS? PROBABLY IN 2011....

MIKE TOWNS LOL TO SHORT 4 6'0 RECEIVERS

CCC's Anthony Cochran has my vote.

I also agree with Mike Towns

antwan carson best db in county

TOP QUESTION
NORTHEAST OR OSCEOLA
WHOS GONNA WIN?

Mike Towns

[Dwayne Demps]

Voting for Northeast's #10 Eric Terrell for best DB in the county.

Juan McKinney

Justin Roberson looks so good from behind best db in the county with out a doubt bitches C-Side!!!

dominc bell number 5

My vote goes for Mike Towns #24

[Margie Lewis]

I vote for Bobby Santana of Palm Harbor U. He is the best Dman. Go Hurricanes!!

Billy Richards from Northside is the best Db in the county

[Mike Jones]

Mike Towns WHO? Mike Towns WHO? #24 Mike Towns

dominick bell from pinellas park

[jack weston]

twan carson no doubt

HOW CAN THIS B A CONTEST ANTWAN CARSON IS NO DOUBT THE BEST IN THE COUNTY

[ronnie lane]

i am the best reciever in the county and i gotta admit antwan carson for northeast got that defense

[TWAN CARSON HIMSELF]

What wud it be like if i didnt vote for myself other than that if i dont win i dare a quarterback to throw it against me they'll soon learn holla

[Tommy Cannon]

da realest safety in it i gotta represent northeast and go wit antwan carson. twan i feel u if they dont see you in the paper for best d back they'll see you in the paper after the game on friday

[Lisa Passuello]

I want to vote for Antwan Carson. He is a model student, as well as an outstanding football player. He is a star here at Northeast, and I am proud to nominate him.

twan carson\

carson 42 northeast

42 northeast

Bryant Lumpkin, Seminole

[Jennifer Hoffman]

I vote for Bobby Santana of Palm Harbor U. He is the best D-Man in the county!!!!

[N/A]

Bobby Santana..PHU #3 all the way baby.

[JEREMY DAVIS OF OSCEOLA]

HAD TWO INT. AGAINST SOUTHEAST FRIDAY TO CHANGE THE GAME AN IS A HEAD BAGGER TO RUNNING BACK AN RECIVER

larry murphy #21

Just to let everybody know, Alex Smith is not a defensive back period.

For all saying Paul Gallant sucks: Why would he have gotten personal calls from Jim Tressel, Mack Brown, Urban Meyer, and Pete Carroll? Mark it down, he's the next Charles Woodson.

[Chuck Earl Roulph]

Antwan sucks he is not a good free safty he only googles his self HAHAHA

[Dick Van Dike]

Richard Pflaumer sucks if he ever got in the game he would screw up everything round school he gets beat up cuz he runs his mouth. He soft