GULFPORT — PHU’s experienced football team won its spring game convincingly against Tarpon Springs HS, and the varsity has now knocked off Boca Ciega down in Gulfport on Friday night, 10-0.
The real games begin next Friday (Aug. 25) when the Hurricanes travel to Osceola HS in Seminole.
Like the spring game, the varsity played one half and change, and the junior varsity played the rest. Senior running back Mykhel Boebert scored the lone touchdown in a varsity 10-0 win, and junior placekicker Mitch Stricker added a field goal.
In the JV portion of the game (in the second half), the defense actually shut out Boca Ciega’s varsity offense. The Hurricanes pulled their varsity starters early, but the Pirates did not. If not for a key fumble recovery, the PHU JVs would have had a scoreless tie with Boca Ciega’s varsity — but PHU’s JVs fell 7-0.
Overall, it’s a good start heading into a season of high hopes. PHU returns starters at nearly every position off a 6-4 season in 2022 — its first winning season since 2016. The Hurricanes play host to their two toughest opponents in Steinbrenner and nasty rival East Lake, who both have handled PHU easily in district play in recent years.
Expectations are high with PHU football. Full position-by-position previews will be released next week on https://palmharborsports.com/ leading into the season opener.
Linked here is the 2023 schedule: https://www.maxpreps.com/…/palm…/football/schedule/
Please come out and show your support this season, as this group is special. No team in PHU’s 27-year history has won more than eight games. Could this be that kind of year?
