If you're a fan of the Armwood football program, there is good news to report today ...

Hawks coach Sean Callahan said Thursday he was told by well-known recruiting analyst Tom Lemming on Wednesday night that heralded Armwood defensive end Ryne Giddins has been selected as the CSTV National Defensive Player of the Year.

"He's definitely deserving from our end," Callahan said.

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound senior has 55 tackles this year (35 solo), with 12 tackles for loss and six sacks for the nationally ranked Hawks, who have arguably the country's best defense. And he has done that despite rarely playing more than two quarters in a game.

"The only time he played in the fourth quarter was the Plant game," Callahan said. "He's a team player. He knows his stats could be a lot better if he played more."

Giddins, whom rivals.com rates as the country's 61st best prospect, is being recruited by many of the country's elite programs. He recently told the Times that Florida, USF and North Carolina were among his favorites.

--KEITH NIEBUHR

Armwood running back Sherman Jessie, a starter who has missed the Hawks' past three games with a sprained MCL, will dress for Friday night's playoff opener against Winter Haven but likely won't return to the field until the second round -- if Armwood advances. Jessie, a 5-foot-10, 166-pound junior, has rushed for 341 yards and two touchdowns, and caught 17 passes for a team-high 311 yards.

"He should be 100 percent next week," Hawks coach Sean Callahan said.

With Jessie out, junior Tavari Grant has stepped in and played quite well (he has rushed for 536 yards on only 65 carries). And he isn't the only one. Callahan said he has been excited about the play of freshman Matt Jones and sophomore Corey Miller, too.

"We are so deep at running back," Callahan said. "I think (offensive coordinator) Chris Taylor has done a great job getting everyone to accept their role."

--KEITH NIEBUHR

Countryside's first loss of the season was its last Wednesday night as the Cougars fell to Orlando Timber Creek in three games, 28-26, 25-16, 25-22, in the Class 6A state semifinals.

Senior Madison Trulock led the Cougars with 14 kills and 21 digs, while junior Davionna DiSalvatore added 10 kills and 19 digs. Sophomore setter Sara Wright had 23 assists and 15 digs.

Timber Creek senior Jessica Yingling, a UT committ, led Wolves with 20 kills and also had 24 digs.

-- EDUARDO A. ENCINA

Tampa Prep came back from a two-games-to-none deficit in their FHSAA Class 2A state semifinal match, but the Terrapins' season ended in five games, 25-21, 25-18, 25-21, 25-23, 15-8, to Miami Palmer Trinity tonight at the Lakeland Center.

The Terrapins nearly duplicated their five-game region final win over Northside Christian, but the Tampa Prep fell behind in the final game 3-0 and couldn't recover.

Senior outside hitter Alena Ransom has 15 kills and senior middle hitter Dana Malinowski had 14 kills and 21 digs. Setter Caroline Dillabough had 44 assists and Megan Ashenbrenner had 24 digs.

Palmer Trinity freshman Paulina Prieto, a 6-foot-2 outside hitter, had a game-high 21 kills and senior Laura Posada added 16 kills.

Read more in tomorrow's Times.

-- EDUARDO A. ENCINA

Orlando First Academy (27-4), which beat the Tallahassee Maclay three games to one in today's first Class 2A state semifinal, would be Tampa Prep's opponent in tomorrow's Class 2A state championship game at the Lakeland Center.

Tampa Prep (15-13) faces Miami Palmer Trinity (23-7) tonight in a scheduled 6:45 start.

-- EDUARDO A. ENCINA

When it comes to Plant WR Allen Sampson, there are few who question his ability. But because the junior is only 5-foot-8, 150 pounds, some think his lack of size is a liability and quite possibly could keep major college programs away.

"I've talked to a lot of college coaches regarding him," Plant coach Robert Weiner said. "And his size definitely is an issue when talking to recruiters."

But should it be? Weiner doesn't think so.

"They probably come across 100 guys like him size wise that are good players," Weiner said. "For every 100 guys, there's one at that size who really will make it as a college prospect, and to me, he's the one. He's just got not only the instinct and speed to play at the highest level, he also has the toughness to go along with it."

Thus far in 2008, Sampson has 49 catches for 788 yards and 11 touchdowns. Additionally, he has rushed for 192 yards and two touchdowns on 32 attempts.

--KEITH NIEBUHR

In today's Times, we profiled Connor Revord, a cross country standout at Jesuit who is shooting for both an individual and state title at Saturday's Class 2A state meet in Dade City. Wanting to get some extra insight, I checked in with Revord's Jesuit teammate, Jordan Schilit. Here is some of what he had to say about Revord:

• "He just puts every ounce of energy into every race. He's truly a competitor."
• When the two were freshman (they're both now seniors), they barely knew each other, but Revord made an immediate impact in his first high school race -- the Red Mule 5K: "I remember that he came out of nowhere and did a 16:14."
• "He's had talent his whole life. He's had a top position (in running) his entire life."
• Of losing, for Revord that's "not an option."
• Having a runner of Revord's caliber on the squad has made the Tigers better -- and not just because of the points he accumulates. "There's a ripple effect." That's because everyone on the team tries their best at all times to keep up with him, he said.
• Revord has two top-10 finishes at state, but "I don't think we've seen his best yet. He keeps getting better."

--KEITH NIEBUHR

Berkeley Prep senior setter Christina Theofilos has won this years' Rose Diaz Award, given to the senior volleyball player that best exemplifies leadership and sportsmanship by the Hillsborough County Volleyball Officials Association.

Theofilos, who has committed to play volleyball at Notre Dame, is the Bucs' sole senior starter. She is averging 5.7 assists and 4.1 digs per game.

"She is amazing," Berkeley Prep coach Randy Dagostino said. "There's never a moment when she's not energetic and focused. You see how she plays the game and that's how she is in practice. Her leadership sets an example for our younger players. She is a great example for how the game should be played."

The Bucs (27-2) face Miami Florida Christian in the Class 3A state semifinals Friday at 4 p.m. at the Lakeland Center.

-- EDUARDO A. ENCINA

Because Plant football coach Robert Weiner was ejected against Jefferson two weeks ago, he wasn't allowed to coach the Panthers' regular-season finale last Friday at Robinson. In fact, he wasn't even allowed inside the stadium.

So where was he Friday night?

After giving some thought to attending another game, Weiner ultimately decided to work.

"I spent the time setting up practice sheets and stat sheets -- everything I used to do late Friday after games to get ready for the week ahead," he said. "It was actually a pretty productive couple of hours."

Naturally, it killed Weiner not to be with his team, but he knew the Panthers were in good hands. In his absence, WR coach T.J. Lane served as acting coach. Plant won 42-0 over an improving Robinson squad.

"He did a tremendous job," Weiner said. "He's such an unbelievable coach. But really, I have a lot of unbelievable coaches. Any of them could have done that job. I really put him in that role because his duties replaced what I did in terms of play calling."

Weiner will be back on the sidelines this week when Plant plays host to Lakewood in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs.

--KEITH NIEBUHR