December 15th, 1:00pm EST – 6A State Final: Miami Central vs. Gainesville – Join Mike Ridaught (Play-by-play), Tyler TenBieg (Color) and Chelsea Rae (Sidelines) for the Class 6A state championship game from the Citrus Bowl in Orlando (FL).
Radio: FM-104.9 Gainesville/High Springs/Lake City
While the offenses are getting most of the attention going into Saturday’s Class 6A state title showdown between No. 1 Gainesville and No. 4 Miami Central, it will be the tougher, stouter defense that will likely decide which team emerges as champion.
The Hurricanes’ defense, which has shown up in big wins all season, plans to cap the Rockets’ potent attack at the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium. That’s saying a lot considering Central’s offense has totaled 179 points in four playoff wins, and had 498 total yards (326 in the second half) in a 48-33 win at No. 2 Naples in last Friday’s state semifinal. – Read More
December 11th, 6:00pm – Join host Mike Ridaught and his special guests: Trenton Football, Larry Savage and Cliff Olsen. We’ll recognize our Trophy Shop Athlete-of-the-Week presented by Mark McGriff’s State Farm Insurance of Gainesville, recap our Sonic Player-of-the-Game for last Friday, take a look back at our picks for the week and preview this week’s championship games.
Trenton Tigers (Guests): Defensive back Jonathan Smith, OLB/WB Hunter Parrish, Defensive Coordinator Lyle Wilkerson and Head Coach Andrew Thomas.
Sonic Player-of-the-Game
December 7, was Case Harrison of the Gainesville football team. Harrison had four catches for 76 yards and three touchdowns as GHS defeated Navarre, 62-26, in the Class 6A state semifinals and advanced to their first state championship game appearance in 32 years. The senior had TD catches of 28, 9 and 19 yards – all in the second half.
Trophy Shop Athlete-of-the-Week Presented by Mark McGriff’s State Farm Insurance of Gainesville for the week of December 3rd
Cedric Stokes of the Trenton football team. Stokes carried the ball 35 times for 192 yards and two touchdowns in a 42-21 loss to Northview (Bratt) in the Class 1A state championship game. The senior, who also was recognized as the Florida Dairy Farmer’s 1A Player-of-the-Year, ran for an area-best 2,014 yards and 28 TD’s, while adding 69 tackles and four INTs in leading the 13-1 Tigers to their first state final.
Dr. Phillips (Orlando) at Apopka
Columbus (Miami) at Cypress Bay (Weston)
Lincoln (Tallahassee) at Osceola (Kissimmee)
Manatee (Bradenton) at St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale)
Gainesville at Navarre
Miami Central at Naples
Godby (Tallahassee) at Robinson (Tampa)
Immokalee at Miami Jackson
Bolles (Jacksonville) vs. Booker T. Washington (Miami) – 4A Final (Saturday)
Madison County vs. University (Fort Lauderdale) – 3A Final (Saturday)
University Christian (Jacksonville) vs. Dade Christian (Miami) – 2A Final
Trenton vs. Northview (Bratt) – 1A Final
December 7th, 8:00pm EST (7:00 CST) –6A State Semifinal Gainesville (13-0) at Navarre (12-1). Join Mike Ridaught (Play-by-play).
Final: Gainesville 62, Navarre 26
Radio: FM-104.9 Gainesville/High Springs/Lake City
Class 6A Semifinals
By Mike Ridaught
The top two teams in Class 6A remain on a collision course for the state championship game in Orlando, putting their unbeaten records on the line in the state semifinals.
Top-ranked Gainesville handed Seffner Armwood its worst playoff loss in school history with a 42-10 win in last week’s regional finals.
The Hurricanes (13-0), who are seeking their first state championship game appearance since defeating Titusville for the 3A state title in 1980, are led by running backs Ralph Webb and Tony James.
Last week, Webb, a senior, rushed for a season-high 213 yards and three touchdowns, while junior Tony James had 128 yards on the ground. The pair, known as ‘lightning and thunder,’ has combined for 2,678 yards and 30 TDs this season.
Plus, senior quarterback Mark Cato (1,907 yards, 26 TDs) has kept defenses honest with his ability to spread the ball around to UF commit Chris Thompson (18.9 yards per reception, 6 TDs), Kenric Young (29 catches, 487 yards, 7 TDs) and leading receiver Case Harrison (46 catches, 742 yards, 7 TDs).
But now GHS must go on the road for the first time in the postseason to face a Navarre team that upset Lake City Columbia, 28-21, to advance to their first state semifinal in the school’s brief history.
Only a one-point loss at Pensacola in Week #2 separates Navarre and first-year coach Jay Walls from an unbeaten season.
Last week, the Raiders (12-1) jumped out to a 21-0 lead and kept the Tigers out of the end zone following Columbia’s lone touchdown on the first play of the second half.
The bend-but-don’t-break defense, which intercepted a pass with 26 seconds to play to preserve the victory, has helped Navarre get to this point, but there are players to watch on offense too.
Senior wide receiver Jordan Leggett has 53 catches for 904 yards and seven touchdowns, while running back Jay Warren has rushed for 1,636 yards and 16 TDs.
In the other semifinal, second-ranked Naples hosts 6A state runners-up, Miami Central.
In order for the visitors to come away with a victory, they must stop a high octane offense.
Naples, which won the 3A state title in 2007, is averaging 50.3 points per game. In fact, the Golden Eagles (12-0) scored a season-low in points last Friday in a 41-13 win over Daytona Beach Mainland.
The key might be slowing down running back Manny Morgan, a candidate for the 7A Player-of-the-Year, who has rushed for 1,739 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Junior quarterback Kilton Anderson has been just as effective with 1,177 yards passing, 16 TDs and only four interceptions.
Miami Central counters with junior running back Joseph Yearby, who is averaging seven yards per carry and has scored 14 TDs for the Rockets (10-2).
But, the defense might give them their best chance of pulling the upset.
The Rockets, who have won nine in a row since a 44-34 loss at nationally-ranked #1 Bradenton Manatee, are playing their best defense of the season and have only allowed 16 points total in their three playoff wins.
The Class 6A state title game is scheduled for Saturday, December 15, at 1:07 p.m. in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.
–Follow on twitter @ridaught & online at www.theprepzone.com
December 7th, 7:05pm – Christopher Columbus vs. Cypress Bay Football Playoffs LIVE at Cypress Bay High School, Weston, Florida. FHSAA Class 8A Semifinals.
The 8A Region Four Champions Columbus Explorers make a quick hop north across the Dade County line into Broward to take on the Region 3 Champs the Cypress Bay Lightning in Weston. Head Coach Mark Guandolo and his Lightning are making a return to the state semis after a convincing defeat over Seminole Ridge 31-14. Before that, they defeated Miramar 34-14 and Deerfield Beach 41-13. This is their second appearance in the state semis in the last three seasons. Columbus are trying to make their first appearance in the state finals since 1982 and are returning to the state semis for the second consecutive season after losing to Miramar in 2011 by a 14-6 score. They avenged a regular season ending loss to Killian by dispatching the Cougars 36-19 in the regional finals last week, while defeating Dr. Krop and Coral Gables respectively by an average margin of 46-8 the first two rounds. – Read More at FlaVarsity.com
December 4th, 6:30pm – Join host Mike Ridaught and his special guests: Cornerstone boys basketball coach Carlos Villalobos and his players. We’ll recognize our Trophy Shop Athlete-of-the-Week presented by Mark McGriff’s State Farm Insurance of Gainesville, recap our Sonic Player-of-the-Game for last Friday, take a look back at our picks for the week and reference the last football Prep Zone Power Poll.
Special guests: Cornerstone Academy boys basketball coach Carlos Villalobos, along with junior center Adam Dagen, junior forward Chandler Maynard, junior guard Jamison Wyatt, freshman guard Samuel Pohlenz.
Sonic Player-of-the-Game
Friday, November 30th, was Ralph Webb of the Gainesville football team. Webb rushed for a season-high 213 yards and three touchdowns as Gainesville handed Armwood (Seffner) its worst playoff loss in school history with a 42-10 win in the Class 6A Regional Finals. Following an early fumble, the senior responded with a 20-yard scoring run to give the ‘Canes their first lead, 7-3, near the end of the first quarter. He also added touchdown runs of 53 and six yards.
NOTE: We recommended he share this with his offensive line who don’t get near the credit they deserve. They helped GHS have two running backs with over 100 yards rushing in the game (Tony James -128).
Trophy Shop Athlete-of-the-Week Presented by Mark McGriff’s State Farm Insurance of Gainesville for the week of November 26th
Jonathan Smith of the Trenton football team. Smith caught the game-winning two-point conversion in overtime to send Trenton to its first state football championship game in school history with a 36-35 win over Newberry in the Class 1A State Semifinals. The senior, who caught three passes for 42 yards, also recorded 13 total tackles, including four for a loss, and forced a fumble.
1. (1) Manatee (Bradenton, Fla.), 13-0
Manatee continued its nearly perfect play with a 51-0 thrashing of Fort Pierce Central.
7. (9) University (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 11-0
University is one step closer to its first state title after downing Clearwater Central Catholic 42-0.
18. (20) Washington (Miami), 12-1
Washington looked extremely potent offensively in a 43-13 victory over perennial small school power Cocoa.
25. (NR) Gainesville (Fla.), 13-0
Gainesville opened eyes around the state by beating Armwood 42-10, handing the Tampa-area power its worst loss in more than a decade.
The high school basketball season is in high gear which means it’s time for Source Hoops and the Florida Association of Basketball Coaches(FABC) to release the Class 1A – 8A Poll. The season is still young so we expect a few teams currently not ranked to play their way into the poll. We encourage sportswriters and high school coaches around the state to send us information in reference to teams in your area. The poll will be released bi-weekly on Mondays until the conclusion of the FHSAA State Finals.
The high school basketball season is in high gear which means it’s time for Source Hoops and the Florida Association of Basketball Coaches (FABC) to release the Class 1A – 8A Poll. The season is still young so we expect a few teams currently not ranked to play their way into the poll. We encourage sportswriters and high school coaches around the state to send us information in reference to teams in your area. The poll will be released bi-weekly on Mondays until the conclusion of the FHSAA State Finals.
Apopka at Fletcher (Neptune Beach)
Columbia (Lake City) at Navarre
Armwood (Seffner) at Gainesville
Mainland (Daytona Beach) at Naples
Pasco (Dade City) at Robinson (Tampa)
Godby (Tallahassee) at Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville)
Bolles (Jacksonville) at Yulee
Booker T. Washington (Miami) at Cocoa
First Academy (Orlando) at Madison County
University (Fort Lauderdale) at Clearwater Central Catholic
University Christian (Jacksonville) at Warner Christian (South Daytona)
Trenton at Newberry
