2B
Region 1
Walton(5-5) at Florida High(7-3)
Offensively Walton has little problem putting points on the board with QB Liam Miller(2,658 yards), WR Corliss Stone(64-767), and RB Tray Willaims(753 yards). The other side of the ball is a different story as they have had trouble keeping teams out of the endzone. Florida High is not exposive, but RB/S Josh Thomas and QB Dewayne Harvey will try to put up some points on the ground for the Seminoles and let a talented, hard hitting defense do the rest. A better defense and home field bodes well for Florida High as they move on.
Taylor County(7-3) at Pensacola Catholic(9-1)
Since Chiles hung 39 on the Bulldog's of Taylor County in week 3, the defense has responded with seven solid games in a row, that trend will need to continue as they face the consistently explosive attack of the Crusader's. QB Shaun White (2,256 yards, 24 TD) and RB Marquis Sumler (1,091 yards) are a terrific 1-2 punch that can score points in a hurry. The Pensacola Catholic offense should be too much in this one.
Region 2
West Nassau(8-2) at Ocala Trinity Catholic(8-2)
The Celtic's of Trinity Catholic are no stranger to making playoff runs. They are the last team to beat Pahokee in the playoffs(2005 title game) and were in Orlando last year. They dropped two of their first three, but have responded with 7 straight wins. The offense has scored 56, 70, 57, 63, and 66 points there last five behind QB Gray Crow, WR Kadron Boone, and RB Kedrick Rhodes. They draw a tough first round test with West Nassau. Their two losses to Bolles(21-12) and Trinity Christian(42-28) are to two of the state's top ranked teams in their class. RB Garrett Hammett is the story for the Warrior's, he has rushed for 1,912 yards. In the end, Trinity Catholic is too balanced and they move on.
Williston(7-3) at Bolles(9-1)
Bolles enters the playoffs off an overtime loss to Cocoa, but they have been dominant for much of the year. They did lose standout OT Brent Benedict for the season, but still have QB Chandler Carr, RB Jawan Jamison, and WR Jay Herndon as well as defender's Josh Hood and Desmond Cooper. The Bulldog's are one of the state's most complete teams. The Red Devil's will have a difficult time matching up with Bolles powerful running game. They are going to need to score in this one and will rely on Deonte Welch. Bolles should pull away in the second half.
Region 3
Lake Highland Prep(9-1) at Island Coast(6-4)
You won't find many better stories than Island Coast, they are competing in their first year of varsity football and are district champions. QB Richard Dumas is the play-maker on offense and DE Aaron Lynch headlines a defense that has given up 8 points in their last three games. The defense must find a way to stop talented RB Zach McCarrell, who has rumbled for over 1,000 yards, and QB Bobby Borcky is committed to Colorado State. The Highlander's lone loss came to Tampa Catholic by 5 points, they are too deep for the Gators.
Dunbar(7-3) at Tampa Catholic(9-1)
Tampa Catholic suffered their first defeat last Friday Night vs.Jesuit. They have had little trouble scoring points with QB Christian Green and RB Henry McCloud. Green will need to be at his best vs. a fast defense led by Kion White. Dunbar has looked like a different team with QB Chris James. He will try to get the ball into the hands of talented play-makers Joel German, Darius Deloach, Jorvonte Jones, and Schon Thomas. The Tiger's have been up and down this season, we think they will be up on Friday night as they pull the upset on the road.
Region 4
Pahokee(6-4) at Chaminade(10-0)
It has been a crazy season for Pahokee. They opened with a solid win over Atlantic, two weeks later they were pounded by Dwyer. Later they were forced to forfeit some games and finally they lost the Muck Bowl on Saturday. The end result is that they will take to the road to defend their title. Most of the pieces are in place for a State Title, but they will need to rely on DeJoshua Johnson and Fred Pickett early in the playoffs as Chris Dunkley has a hamstring injury. Waiting for them is undefeated Chaminade with stud QB Jarard Randall and their balance attack (1,585 rushing, 1,202 passing). They are only given up 135 yards yards per game and should be ready for the explosive Pahokee attack. With their recent playoff track record, we are not picking against Pahokee, the Blue Devil's advance.
Gulliver(7-3) at North Broward Prep(8-2)
This is a battle with two D-1 QB's, Gulliver's Michael Strauss and North Broward's Brandon Doughty. Both had had stellar senior campaigns. Gulliver was in the State Title game last year, but were blown out by Bolles. Both QB's will put the offensive players in position to make plays, two of the better ones on the field are NBP's Ethan Grant and Gulliver's Tacoi Sumler. This game probably boils down to mistakes and turnovers, we like the home team in that case.