Hillsborough 20, Sickles 10, Final

Nope, this was not the way Earl Garcia drew this one up.

Despite one late game deficit, two broken headsets and three fumbles, Garcia's Hillsborough football team managed to secure its fourth Class 6A-District 8 win of the season, beating Sickles, 20-10.

"Frustrating night, man," Garcia said as friends and family filed by congratulating the Terriers coach. "Our guys weren't flat, we were excited."

The excitement wasn't just for the playoff implications that permeated the scope of the game, but also for historical reasons. The victory marked career win No. 200 for Garcia. He trails former Chamberlain coach Billy Turner (254) for the most wins by a football coach in Hillsborough County.

Following Friday night's games, Hillsborough and Armwood are the lone unbeaten teams in district play. The win all but seals a playoff spot for the Terriers.

It was a tough road for both offenses in the first two quarters. Even with the 100 passing yards by Terriers quarterback Jeremy Agrinzonis, the Hillsborough (6-1, 4-0) running attack mustered just 33 yards. Agrinzonis finished 10 of 19 for 132 yards and an interception.

It was the same song for the Gryphons (4-2, 1-2) as they manage just 52 yards of offense in the first half.

Each team's second drive of the game ended following interceptions, but it was Hillsborough cracking the scoreless deadlock with a 1-yard Nigel Harris touchdown run at the 8:17 mark of the second quarter.

Meanwhile, Terriers defensive end Jordan Sherit had little in his way. The junior collected five sacks, a fumble recovery and a batted ball Friday night.

"It all started with the momentum at the beginning of the game," Sherit said. "We just had to take control of the game. The winner of this game goes to the playoffs, so win or go home at this point. We wanted to determine our destiny in this district. We had to come out strong and I think we did well. I'm proud of our team."

The Terriers came in having beaten district opponents Strawberry Crest (43-0), Leto (51-13) and Jefferson (48-20). They'll travel to Armwood next week and then host King to end its district schedule. A 2-0 finish and they collected a district title. If they split — beat King and lose to Armwood — they'll likely collect the 6A-8 runner-up spot.

"It's basically a lock, but we don't want to do that. We don't want to play for second," Garcia said. "If we had the Bucs on the schedule I'd be optimistic. I'm always thinking we're going to go over to Armwood and have some fun over there next Thursday night."

Two possessions following the Hillsborough score in the second quarter, Sickles answered with a 39-yard Andres Vasquez field goal, cutting the deficit to 7-3.

Sickles then took its lone lead of the night on its first drive of the third quarter. Running back LaDondra Crittenden gashed the Terriers defense for 41 yards on the drive, capping it with a 9-yard scoring run. That put Sickles up 10-7 with 8:31 remaining in the third.

It was a short-lived advantage as Hillsborough needed just one drive to climb back on top. Anthony Brown, who finished with 18 carries for 107 yards, scored his lone TD of the night on the ensuing series. The 9-yard run put Hillsborough ahead, 13-10.

The night's mood for Hillsborough was slightly tempered as corner back Jeremiah Green sat out after spending most of Thursday in the hospital due to an abscessed tooth.

The loss drops Sickles in the district and may have ended any chance for postseason play. The Gryphons beat King and lost to district lead Armwood and now needs to win out and get help from others.

 
H — Harris 1 run (Sato kick)
S — FG Vazquez 39
S — Crittenden 9 run (Vazquez kick)
H — Brown 14 run (kick blocked)
H — Harris 18 run (Sato kick)