PLAYOFFS: Final Round Produces Top Players

Well, we are headed to the state championships Something a few months back that may have been questionable – with Covid and the many cases that were popping up in cities and communities all over the state of Florida. <img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-81443" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/12/Tallahassee2020-XXXX-4-300x187.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="187" /> Sixteen teams will head to Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee for the first time in two decades as eight champions will be crowned over four days. Last week, Baker and Hawthorne (1A), Hialeah Champagnat Catholic and Jacksonville University Christian (2A), Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna and Jacksonville Trinity Christian (3A) – and Fort auderdale Cardinal Gibbons and Jacksonville Bolles (4A) all punched their tickets to the state title game. This past weekend, eight more schools joined that group. Plantation American Heritage and home team Tallahassee Rickards (5A), defending state champion Miami Central and Lake Minneola (6A), defending state champion Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas and Orlando Edgewater in a rematch at 7A – and Sanford Seminole and Kissimmee Osceola. During those games, there were some impressive performances. Here is a look at those games: <strong>5A PLAYOFFS –</strong> Tallahassee Rickards advanced to the state finals as the Raiders held off Dunnellon’s last-minute attempt of a game-tying 2-point conversion with an interception by cornerback <strong>Kameron Bell.</strong> <strong>5A PLAYOFFS – </strong>Plantation American Heritage senior kicker <strong>Chris Maron</strong> booted a 41-yard field goal with no time remaining, sending the Patriots on to the title game, 16-13. Sophomore RB <strong>Mark Fletcher Jr.,</strong> who has been making some noise this year, provided the bulk of the Patriots’ offense, rushing for 177 yards on 27 carries. American Heritage is seeking its fifth state title and first since 2017. The Patriots will face Tallahassee Rickards in the Class 5A title game at 7 p.m. on Friday. <strong>6A PLAYOFFS –</strong> Miami Central sophomore QB <strong>Keyone Jenkins </strong>picked apart the Palmetto Tigers, going 16 of 22 for 366 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. He also rushed for 24 yards and a touchdown on five carries, and ran in a two-point conversion. The defending state champion Rockets (7-1) and head coach <strong>Roland Smith</strong> will face first time finalist Lake Minneola in the 6A championship. <strong>6A PLAYOFFS –</strong> <strong>Sidarius Walker</strong> ran for a 10-yard touchdown in the third overtime and teammate <strong>Ethon Cole </strong>batted down a two-point pass to give Lake Minneola a 49-48 triple-overtime victory over St. Augustine. Senior quarterback <strong>Robbie Sanders</strong> ran for 213 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries, including a 10-yard run in the second overtime for the Hawks (11-1), who played in the first football state semifinal in school history. Sanders also completed 9 of 12 passes for 68 yards for the Hawks. <strong>7A PLAYOFFS -</strong> One of the top kickers in Florida, <strong>Jack Howes</strong>, hit a 40-yard field goal that hit off the crossbar and bounced through the uprights with two seconds to go that sealed a 30-28 roller-coaster win at Niceville and advanced Orlando Edgewater into this Saturday’s 7A championship for the second straight year. <strong>7A PLAYOFFS – </strong>Bidding to return to the state championships, St. Thomas Aquinas (7-1) used scores on back-to-back possessions with a 7-yard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="49995" first="Anthony" last="Hankerson"]</strong> touchdown run and a 33-yard field goal from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="32738" first="Max" last="Larson"]</strong>, coming away with a 37-14 road with against previously unbeaten Valrico Bloomingdale. The Raiders, who lost only to 4A finalist Cardinal Gibbons, also shared a national championship last year. <strong>8A – PLAYOFFS -</strong> Undefeated Sanford Seminole scored twice in the fourth quarter and rallied from a 14-point at Apopka to claim its first trip to a football state championship game since winning a title in 2008. Senior quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="32772" first="Timmy" last="McClain"] accounted</strong> for three touchdowns in the win, including the go-ahead score on a 58-yard run with 3:47 left in the game. McClain rushed 17 times for 136 yards and two scores and finished 13-of-17 passing for 126 and one TD. <strong>8A – PLAYOFFS - </strong>Just when it appeared an early first-quarter Palmetto field goal and 3-0 lead might hold up for the entire game, the Kowboys found a minor miracle. <strong>Alvin Lee</strong> blocked a field goal attempt and <strong>Bo Mascoe</strong>, grabbed the deflected ball and went 79-yards. The Kowboys would add a safety and ended the Panthers’ dreams, 9-3. <strong><em>You Can Contact Larry Blustein with prospect or team information at: <a href="mailto:Foridakids1@aol.com">Foridakids1@aol.com</a>. We are also on Social Media on @PrepRedzonefl.</em></strong>