Top 10 Playoff Games To See
We have now reached the second round of the 2022 Florida high school state playoffs – the State Semifinals. After an opening week that saw things go as planned, we now will see things start to get interesting as the…
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Continue ReadingWe have now reached the second round of the 2022 Florida high school state playoffs – the State Semifinals.
After an opening week that saw things go as planned, we now will see things start to get interesting as the race for Tallahassee and Fort Lauderdale begin to heat up.
While there are so many impressive matchups coming your way this week, we will pick out 10 that appear to be games that will truly be worth checking out.
Here are the 10 week picked out:
Class 4-Metro, Region 1
No. 3 Winter Park (10-1) at No. 2 Apopka (9-2). A very interesting matchup with two schools very much on the rise. The defending state runner up Blue Darters have truly been impressive down the stretch and being at home could make a difference. Other than an upset to Ocoee, the Wildcats have answered every bell.
Class 4-Metro, Region 2
No. 4 Tampa Plant (9-2) at No. 1 Tarpon Springs East Lake (9-1). The Panthers are on borrowed time, after coming from three scores down against Riverview Sumner and that makes them very dangerous against a team that has enjoyed their best season in many years and will be at home. Plant cannot afford to fall behind and come back two straight weeks, so this comes down to breaking out of the gate fast.
Class 4-Metro, Region 3
No. 5 Parkland Douglas (8-3) at No. 1 Wellington Palm Beach Central (10-1). Other than one loss this season, things have progressed the way that the Broncos figured they would this after a stellar spring and summer. In the Eagles, they will be facing off against a team that has won six straight and has averaged over 40 points in each game. They got to this round by outscoring Lantana Santaluces, 48-44, but they better be ready for the toughest team they have played this season – on the road!
Class 3-Metro, Region 1
No. 5 Tampa Bay Tech (9-2) at No. 1 Orlando Edgewater (11-0). This is one of those games that should have been a region final, but because the Titans had to forfeit one game and then lost another, they dropped to a No. 5 seed. The Eagles have had an amazing season, and that is why they are the top seed in the region as well as being the best in the classification statewide. Being at home and having amazing talent could be the difference, but keep in mind that Tampa Bay Tech is the defending state runner up.
Class 3-Metro, Region 3
No. 3 Pompano Beach Blanche Ely (10-0) at No. 2 Fort Lauderdale Dillard (7-3), Saturday. The “Broward Soul Bowl” which was cut short a few weeks ago, will get together for real with so much more at stake. The Panthers were supposed to be in this position, picked as one of the state’s best teams. They lost to the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the state. The Tigers have had one of the biggest turnarounds in the state this season – coming off a losing season in 2021 and bouncing back to go unbeaten. They were leading Dillard a few weeks back when the game was called, and have plenty of confidence heading into this huge matchup.
Class 2-Metro, Region 4
No 4 Miami Northwestern (6-4) at No. 1 Miami Central (10-0). While the Bulls had the clock run on them the last time these two huge rivals got together, many promise that things will be different this time around. They have cruised down the homestretch, but have not played anyone like the Rockets. Central is one of the nation’s best teams with very few flaws, and other than Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna and Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, they would be major favorites against anyone else in the state. They believe that what happened in the first meeting will repeat itself as the region semifinals is a drop in the bucket to what they are after.
Class 4-Suburban, Region 1
No. 7 Crestview (7-4) at No. 3 Gainesville Buchholz (8-2). When the Bulldogs knocked off No. 2 seed Niceville in the opening round, everyone who follows high school football across the state was surprised – to say the least. But this team believes that they can win against anyone, and the losses they have suffered have been close. The Bobcats started off the season on a high note, but have not played that type of football down the stretch. Still, they have plenty of talent and will be at home as Crestview has to travel the five hours and a time change for this contest.
Class 3-Suburban, Region 4
No. 3 North Fort Myers (7-1) at No. 2 Fort Myers Dunbar (7-1). Here are two teams that have had an up and downs season as far as games that were shifted around or postponed mainly because of Hurricane Ian. These are programs that are loaded with talent and great coaching, and while Dunbar has been the most successful of the two over the years, NFM has come alive this season and are ready to make a big run toward the state playoffs.
Class 2-Suburban, Region 1
No. 4 Pensacola Catholic (10-1) at No. 1 Tallahassee FSU High (11-0). On the surface the Seminoles have a huge advantage with a home game and a streak of regular season wins that go back to last year. Knocked out last season by eventual state champion Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna, everyone on this team believes that is certainly the year they win a title at home. Pensacola Catholic is a consistent team that has played well on both sides of the ball, and even though they have won 10 games, being on the road against a big favorite puts the Crusaders in a situation of having to play their best football.
Class 1-Rural, Region 4
No. 3 Chiefland (7-2) at No. 2 Pahokee (8-2). While it didn’t look like the Blue Devils would reach this game after a few weeks of the season, they turned things around and used the amazing talent and coaching that they have. Being at home and not having to travel the nearly 400 miles will be huge, but do not sleep on this Chiefland team. They have plenty of talent, but will it be enough? We will find that answer out on Friday as they will need to play their best football of the season.
You Can Contact Larry Blustein with prospect or team information at: Floridakids1@aol.com.