Polk Playoff Round 3 Recap and Insights

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Polk County vs Central Florida Round 3 Playoffs&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>5A: Lakeland (11-2) at Orlando Edgewater (12-1)&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wow. What a Round 3 battle between two heavyweight programs. 27–14 Lakeland. The Dreadnaughts' defense and special teams controlled the night at Orlando Edgewater and earned a hard-fought road win. A complete team effort to advance.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Florida commit [player_tooltip player_id='1247490' first='Malik' last='Morris'] and 2027 edge rushers [player_tooltip player_id='1671138' first='Santana' last='Harvey'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1655458' first='Drew' last='Sapp'] were disruptive all game and gave the Edgewater offensive line problems. USF commit CJ Cresser and 2027 returner JoJo Howard sealed momentum with key plays on special teams. In the secondary, 2028 standouts Dominick Harris-Payne, Deonte Fielder, [player_tooltip player_id='1671213' first='Jordan' last='Young'], and Ahmad Watts held their own in big moments. Linebackers Zephaniah Rogers and [player_tooltip player_id='1581926' first='Ziggy' last='Riley'] set the tone — no surprise there.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Give Edgewater and first-year HC Patrick Browning real credit. That group competed all season and the senior class played with pride. The Eagles will rebound strong under Browning, who clearly set the foundation in Year 1. The Emanuel brothers — UConn commit Carter Emanuel and 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='1692870' first='Cole' last='Emanuel'] — were a reliable connection all year, with Saphir Miller making big-time plays on the perimeter. [player_tooltip player_id='1251718' first='Michael' last='McClenton'], JJ Edwards, and Aiden Anderson battled to the final whistle. [player_tooltip player_id='1779029' first='Damian' last='Moore'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1603553' first='Elijah' last='Frazier'] gave quality production on the ground.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>4A: Lake Wales (10-3) at Orlando Jones (11-2)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lake Wales fell behind 21–0 at halftime against Orlando Jones, ultimately dropping the game 21–10. A tough finish, but nothing but respect for the Highlanders and this senior class. They'll reload quickly with a strong 2027 group and younger talent. 2029 QB Kingston Lloyd gained valuable varsity reps this season and returns to an offense featuring playmakers like four-star [player_tooltip player_id='1670990' first='Kaneilius' last='Purdy'] and Kamari Smith.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jones advances behind a balanced performance. 2026 Miami commit [player_tooltip player_id='405300' first='Dereon' last='Coleman'] was sharp, connecting with steady targets [player_tooltip player_id='1368296' first='Larry' last='Miles'] and DJ Hicks. Add in physical rushing from 2026 back [player_tooltip player_id='1953436' first='Daunte' last='Wallace'] behind a strong offensive line, and that offense keeps defenses honest. Defensively, Fred Ards and Bertrand Derose made their presence felt. It's a complete team in 4A — and they've got a legitimate path to the championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Final Thoughts</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Only the Lakeland Dreadnaughts remain from Polk County. It's been another strong year covering student-athletes throughout the area. A couple more games, and we close the chapter on the 2025–2026 season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->