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The Pasco High football team had it all — the celebration and a state final appearance — slip away in a matter of seconds. "How about that?" Pasco coach Tom McHugh said. "Got to experience the very high and the very low in a matter of 5 minutes."
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It wasn't the sexiest of victories, but when the Armwood High defense needed to, it made plays.
Plant High football coach Robert Weiner has preached all season what amazing things his Panthers team can do when no one cares who gets the credit.
Sometime experience can be the 12th man on the field. Just ask Plant.
Jesuit at Pasco
The Armwood High football team was in trouble Friday night, trailing Gainesville by four points with 3 minutes, 51 seconds remaining in the Class 6A-Region 2 final.
Dominick Ciao told his Berkeley Prep football players to expect a dogfight. And for one half, they fought the good fight.
They stood underneath the bright lights at Bryant Stadium on Friday night with their backs turned to the circus unfolding in front of them. There was a video montage introducing the six-time state champion Lakeland Dreadnaughts on the 45-foot jumbo scoreboard, a converted golf cart with an oversized Lakeland helmet leading the players onto the field and a smoke machine for Hollywood effect. Making the program's first region final appearance in 11 years, the Gaither Cowboys thought it was their time. Unfortunately, Lakeland wouldn't allow it to happen.
Wesley Bullock scored two touchdowns in the first quarter and Plant High went on to beat Orlando Dr. Phillips 49-13 in a Class 8A-Region 2 region semifinal game.
It was there. Lingering in the back of Jesuit football coach James Harrell's mind was what happened last season – an epic loss in the playoffs to Robinson. Instead of dismissing the past, Harrell embraced it.
Brandon Ray, apparently, isn't even a freshman yet."He's an eighth-and-a-half-grader," Pasco coach Tom McHugh joked. "He's not even done being a freshman to be called a freshman."Well, this freshman hit a 21-yard field goal as time expired to give the Pirates a 31-28 win over Citra North Marion, allowing Pasco to host the Class 5A-Region 2 final against Jesuit next Friday night.
There have been so many moments where Sunlake's hopes of winning a state title were about to fade.Until Friday, they always found a way to survive. But the mistakes the Seahawks have been so good at forcing their opponents to make finally started to happen to themselves.
The Gaither football team wasn't at its best in Friday's 17-14 win against Tampa Bay Tech in a Class 7A-Region 2 semifinal, but all Cowboys coach Jason Stokes could do after it was over was laugh.
Armwood could have gone either way. Following last week's near-loss to Bradenton Lakewood Ranch, the Hawks went the vengeful route.
The dream season will continue. With a 21-0 shutout victory against Fort Meade in the Class 3A-Region 3 finals on Friday night, undefeated Berkeley Prep advanced to its first state semifinal and will play at Delray Beach American Heritage next week for a chance to play in the state championship.
It took a little longer than usual to pull away, but Plant's string of first-round playoff blowouts is safe at six consecutive years.
Alexander McGough passed for three touchdowns in the second half Friday night to lead Gaither to a comeback victory over Durant, 38-30, in the Class 7A-Region 2 quarterfinals.
From the distant stare on David Mitchell's face, you get the sense something was left on the field Friday night.
With the host Largo Packers scoring two touchdowns in the final 4:20 of the first half to take a 16-7 lead in a bone-rattling defensive battle, one didn't need the aid of an optometrist to see which team had an edge.
Some thought that second-year school Fivay going into Citra North Marion on Friday night was basically a punishment for reaching the Class 5A-Region 2 playoffs.
Moments after Lakewood Ranch had taken a three-point lead, Armwood overcame a nearly devastating upset when quarterback Alvin Bailey scored on a 65-yard run with 2:57 left in the fourth quarter, and the Hawks (11-0) hung on to defeat the Mustangs (5-6) in a Class 6A-Region 2 quarterfinal on Friday night.
When the Robinson football team lost to Jesuit in Week 3, the Knights knew what they needed to do for a rematch.
Tampa Bay Tech running back Cludner Lecount put it plain and simple.
Jesuit got off to a sluggish start, but coach James Harrell wasn't afraid. The Tigers broke open a 14-all game midway through the first half and defeated Port Orange Atlantic 42-14 on Friday night in the Class 5A-Region 2 quarterfinals.
Jerome Samuels had already decided he was going to leap. No question about it. So when he took the handoff on Sunlake's go-ahead 2-point conversion attempt in the fourth quarter against Ocala Vanguard, he got the push he needed from his offensive line and went airborne to try to pull off one of the great upsets in Pasco County playoff history.
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