Region 4A-3 quarterfinals
Lakewood Ranch (6-4) at Cape Coral (10-0)
What to watch for — Lakewood Ranch: The Mustangs and the Seahawks have had one common opponent this season — Baker. The Bulldogs defeated Lakewood Ranch 37-8 and lost to Cape Coral 25-0. “I think it will be an interesting matchup,” Baker coach Brian Conn said. “There are not too many teams that can match up with Cape’s athletes. But Lakewood Ranch is a physical team. I’ve got to think that Cape Coral will come away with the victory.” The Mustangs are led by QB Reggie Lindsey (90-of-182 for 1,278 yards and 11 TDs with eight INTs), RB Taryn Laws (202 carries for 912 yards) and WR Octavious Washington (39 catches for 642 yards and 7 TDs). Former University of Miami and NFL QB Ken Dorsey coaches the QBs. Cape Coral: The Seahawks had their first 10-0 season since 1993 and the second in program history. But coach Mike Goebbel has deleted the 10-rung ladder from his weekly talk and replaced it with a five-rung ladder — with only the first rung labeled “Lakewood Ranch.” Teams now stand five wins from a state championship. Goebbel said he did not want his players talking about a potential second-round playoff matchup against Charlotte, which defeated Cape Coral 44-0 in the spring game. “I don’t allow it,” Goebbel said. “I live week to week with blinders on. With this game and it’s importance, I don’t know how they could spend time thinking about anybody else.” Cape Coral senior RB Spencer Boyd has a knee injury, but Goebbel did not rule him out of action. If Boyd doesn’t play, the Seahawks will turn to senior Jeremy Davis (63 carries for 697 yards and 12 TDs) or junior Pevin Lewis. “He could probably start for every team we’ve played this year,” Goebbel said. “He’s a junior, and he got caught behind two pretty good guys. He’s got some speed, too.” Then there’s do-everything senior QB Jaylen Watkins, who has passed for 996 yards and 13 TDs and rushed for 826 yards and 10 TDs.
The News-Press pick: Cape Coral 31, Lakewood Ranch 20
Baker (8-2) at Charlotte (9-1)
What to watch for — Baker: The Bulldogs have had a rough stretch of injuries as they enter the postseason. Starting RB Joseph Byrd (112 carries, 672 yards, 11 TDs) is out for the season. So is LB Dylan Carbone. Coach Brian Conn gave more carries to Brandon Cruz, only to have him suffer an injury, which meant a shift for Jacob York (23 catches for 305 yards and 5 TDs) from WR to RB. Sean Francis remains healthy at QB, having completed 74-of-142 passes for 1,109 yards with 9 TDs but 13 INTs. He also has rushed 95 times for 424 yards and 8 TDs. Conn has moved two offensive guards into spot duty at LB. The Bulldogs lost to Cape Coral 25-0 two weeks ago but then defeated Mariner 28-21 last week. “We’ve been fighting some injuries,” Conn said. “We’re not playing the best football we have all year.” Charlotte: The Tarpons have one of the state’s top RBs in junior Mike Bellamy (153 carries, 1,721 yards, 26 TDs, 11.25 yards per carry) but also can throw it with senior QB Kyle Midgett (103-of-177 for 1,752 yards and 24 TDs). Alex Mut leads the team at WR with 49 catches for 807 yards and 13 TDs. “Obviously, they have no weak areas,” Conn said. “The thing is about Charlotte, everybody talks about Bellamy. But their other 21 starters are pretty good. If Bellamy gets out on the edge, he can really get going. He’s got some pretty good guys blocking for him. We want to try to limit those opportunities.” Charlotte coach Binky Waldrop said his team has set several program records on offense but that those no longer matter. “It’s playoff time,” he said. “We can’t have a letdown. The kids are really excited about the next few weeks coming up. But we’ve got to play one week at a time.”
The News-Press pick: Charlotte 35, Baker 7
Region 3A-3 quarterfinal
South Fort Myers (9-1) at Barron Collier (9-1)
What to watch for — South Fort Myers: The Wolfpack qualified for the state playoffs as the District 3A-11 runner-up. Junior QB Dallas Crawford is just nine yards shy of 2,000 passing yards and has tossed 20 TDs while for 408 yards and 4 TDs. His favorite target this season has been junior WR Sammy Watkins, who has 848 receiving yards and 8 TD. The duo has made an impact on defense as well. Crawford has 46 tackles and eight interceptions while Watkins has 16 tackles and three interceptions. “Those two do a very good job for us,” South coach Grant Redhead said. “We have to be ready for a 48-minute war.” Redhead spent 2004 as Barron coach Mark Ivey’s offensive coordinator when Ivey was the coach at Cypress Lake. Barron Collier: The Cougars qualified for the state playoffs and earned a home game by topping Lely 38-27 two weeks ago to win the District 3A-12 title. Barron topped South Fort Myers 45-40 in the kickoff classic. The teams combined for nearly 700 yards of offense in that game but Redhead said both have changed since then. “Personnel-wise, we’re both different,” he said. “We’ve both still got our niches that we do well though.” In their last two games, the Cougars have had a bit of a resurgence offensively. They racked up 430 yards of total offense two weeks ago against Lely and 602 yards of total offense in a 45-28 victory over Gulf Coast last week.
The News-Press pick: South Fort Myers 36, Barron Collier 28
Lehigh (5-5) at Riverdale (9-1)
Radio: WMYR-AM (1410)
What to watch for — Lehigh: The Lightning have dropped their past four meetings with Riverdale, including a 30-7 loss on Sept. 17. “I think since that point we’ve grown as individuals; we’ve grown as men,” said Lehigh coach Pete Fominaya, whose team won five of its final six to qualify for the postseason. Senior Larry Overstreet move to QB sparked the Lightning’s rally. He’s averaged 152 yards of total offense per game during that stretch and scored 9 of his 11 TDs. The key for Lehigh will be shutting down a Raiders’ running game that averages 208 yards per game. “When I look into my teammates’ eyes,” said Lightning junior DB Jamaris Brown, “I know they’re ready.” Riverdale: The Raiders’ success this season has been predicated on maximizing their resources. Eight different players have scored three or more TDs for Riverdale and six have rushed for 100-plus yards. “All of us step up and are good players; all of us are stars,” said senior DB Denzel Hagan. The Raiders defense has allowed seven or fewer points in six games this season. If Riverdale can shut down the run and force Lehigh to pass, the Lightning will be in trouble. Lehigh QBs have completed just 28 percent of their passes for 4 TDs and 13 INTs.
The News-Press pick: Riverdale 27, Lehigh 12
Region 2B-6 semifinals
Orlando Lake Highland Prep (9-1) at Island Coast (6-4)
What to watch for — Lake Highland Prep: The Highlanders have a prolific offense that averages 32.5 points per game. Coach Tim Borckey’s team runs a very balanced offense. That is, one play it may line up in the spread formation while the next it might line up with three running backs. Senior Zack McCarrell leads the Highlanders’ rushing attack with 1,060 yards and 10 TDs. He has also intercepted five passes on defense. Senior QB Bobby Borcky has passed for 869 yards and 11 TDs with just three interceptions. The Highlanders have 25 sacks as a team this season and four players have four or more sacks. They enter tonight’s game on a six-game winning streak. Island Coast: This game is the first playoff contest in the Gators’ 3-year history. Coach Joe Bowen was impressed by what he saw from the Highlanders on film. “They’re a pretty darn good football team,” he said. “They have a high-powered offense. There are some favorable matchups for us but anything can happen on Friday night.” The Gators have hung their hats on their defense this season. Junior DE Aaron Lynch leads the team with 14 sacks while sophomore LB Willie Fleming has 118 tackles. Sophomore QB Michael Dumas leads Island Coast’s vaunted rushing attack with 638 yards from scrimmage. As a team, the Gators have rushed for 2,642 yards and have five different backs with at least 300 rushing yards. However, the team has passed for just 192 total yards.
The News-Press pick: Lake Highland 28, Island Coast 13
Dunbar (7-3) at Tampa Catholic (8-1)
What to watch for — Dunbar: The Tigers won three consecutive games to close out the regular season. Dunbar senior RB Darius Deloach leads the team with 395 rushing yards. Sophomore QB Tyrese Jiles has passed for 719 yards and 8 TDs with 8 INTs. Senior WR Joel German is the team’s top target, catching 31 passes for 606 yards and 6 TDs. Defensively, the Tigers are led by senior LB Keon White (143 tackles) and senior DE Desmond Kearse (16 sacks). Tampa Catholic: The Crusaders dropped a 24-14 decision to rival Tampa Jesuit last week, snapping an eight-game winning streak. Tampa Catholic boasts a run-heavy offense which averages 246 yards per game. Senior RB Henry McCloud leads the team with 1,218 rushing yards and 16 TDs. Senior QB Christian Green is a dual threat who has scholarship offers from Florida, Georgia, Southern Cal, South Florida and Florida State. He has passed for 439 yards and 5 TDs and rushed for 546 yards and 10 TDs.
The News-Press pick: Tampa Catholic 21, Dunbar 15
Region 1B-3 semifinal
Evangelical Christian (8-2) at Lakeland Victory Christian (9-1)
What to watch for — Evangelical Christian: The Sentinels lost 49-46 to Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian last week but saw senior QB Colton Lynch set a Lee County record for total offense, upping his season total to 2,878 yards (1,351 rushing, 1,527 passing). That surpassed former Cypress Lake QB Christian Parsons’ mark of 2,794. The key will be the play of Evangelical Christian’s defense, which has allowed 84 points in its last two games. “We are in a situation where we are definitely going to have to tighten up on the defensive side of the ball,” ECS coach Brian Lynch said. Victory Christian: The Storm have won nine consecutive games entering tonight. They are averaging a little over 46 points per game while surrendering just about 12 points per game. Victory Christian made the Class 1B state semifinals last year before bowing out to eventual state champion Jupiter Christian. The Storm have won every game this season by 18 points or more, including seven games by 35 points or more. Senior RB Tanner Bowling leads the Storm rushing attack while senior QB Steven Stanley leads Victory Christian through the air. Stanley tossed three TDs and ran for two more in Victory Christian’s last game, a 56-3 win over Tampa Cambridge two weeks ago. “He’s a really good quarterback who does a lot of scrambling,” Lynch said.
The News-Press pick: ECS 40, Victory Christian 37
