Each week, Prep2Prep will take a look at selected Florida high school football games involving teams from Class 5A, 6A, 7A and 8A. This week we look at the first round of the Florida playoffs with a look ahead to this weekend's matchups.
Class 5A
Cape Coral 37, DeSoto County 21: Cape Coral High senior quarterback Dylan Bontrager threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns on 16-of-23 passing as Cape Coral defeated DeSoto County.
Next up for the Seahawks is a matchup in the 5A-Region 4 semifinals with Island Coast, a 35-7 winner over Booker. The winner of that game will advance to the state quarterfinals.
In other 5A-Region 4 action, Lely defeated Jackson, 28-25 to advance to the semis, where it will take on American Heritage, a 51-0 winner over Immokalee.
River Ridge 29, Tarpon Springs 28: Chris Schwarz had himself a career night rushing against Tarpon Springs and River Ridge needed every bit of it.
Schwarz had a career-high in carries, yards and touchdowns as the junior ran it 55 times for 398 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Royal Knights to a 29-28 victory over Tarpon Springs.
Lakewood 30, Golf 27: Lakewood senior quarterback Ryan Davis combined for 211 yards of total offense and three touchdowns to lead the Spartans to a 30-27 win over Golf.
Davis threw for 150 yards, a touchdown and an interception on 11-of-16 passing and rushed for 61 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries in the win for Lakewood.
The Spartans will meet Tarpon Springs in the 5A-Region 2 semifinals.
In 5A-Region 1, the semifinals are set. A pair of thrillers set up Godby to take on West Florida. Godby got past Mosley, 35-30, while West Florida survived 34-31 over Wakulla.
On the other half of the bracket, Clay hammered Westside, 46-6, to advance to the semis against Bishop Kenny, which knocked off Palatka, 38-15.
Jesuit 35, Auburndale 28: Jesuit High quarterback Trent Wessell didn’t have a major statistical game but the senior most importantly managed to find paydirt often.
Wesell combined for 120 yards but scored four touchdowns to lead the Tigers to a 35-28 victory over Auburndale.
Wesell threw for 81 yards and a touchdown on 5-of-7 passing and rushed for 39 yards and three touchdowns on 10 carries for the Tigers.
The Tigers will face Spoto, a 42-6 winner over Lake Wales.
In other 5A-Region 3 action, Bishop Moore beat Titusville, 24-7 to set up a meeting with Merritt Island, which got past Mount Dora, 21-14.
Class 6A
Navarre 44, Escambia 30: Navarre High senior quarterback Matthew Webb combined for 279 yards of total offense and five touchdowns to lead the Raiders to a 44-30 victory over Escambia.
Webb threw for 173 yards, two touchdowns and one interception on 18-of-32 passing and rushed for 106 yards on 14 carries including three touchdowns in the win.
Navarre will take on Choctawhatchee, which squeezed past Pensacola, 27-24, in the 6A-Region 1 semifinals.
In the other half of the bracket, White earned a trip to the semifinals with a 36-13 win over Creekside. The Commanders will meet St. Augustine, which beat Columbia, 33-21.
The regional semifinals are also set in Regions 2, 3 and 4:
Region 2
Gainesville (24-17 over Mitchell) vs. Sunlake (24-6 over Vanguard)
Venice (35-29 over Hillsborough) vs. Armwood (38-0 over Largo)
Region 3
Mainland (42-7 over South Lake) vs. Edgewater (35-0 over Seabreeze)
Winter Haven (55-15 over Ida Baker) vs. South Fort Myers (23-17 over Lake Gibson)
Region 4
Naples (42-0 over Bayside) vs. Heritage (38-3 over Gulf Coast)
Hallandale (47-20 over Northwestern) vs. Central (49-6 over Boynton Beach)
Class 7A
Niceville 44, Leon 6:Niceville High wide receiver Eli Stove didn’t touch the ball very often but when he did, the junior made the very most of it.
Stove caught three passes for 102 yards and three touchdowns in a 44-6 win over Leon.
With the win, Niceville advances to the regional semifinals and will take on Tate, a 34-24 winner over Lincoln. The other semifinal in 7A-Region 1 pits Oakleaf, a 17-14 winner over Wekiva against Fletcher, which handled Oak Ridge, 33-7.
Tampa Bay Tech 42, Durant 25: Tampa Bay Tech senior quarterback Deon Cain nearly single-handedly defeated Durant High, accounting for 431 yards of total offense and five touchdowns to lead the Titans to a 42-25 win over the Cougars.
Cain rushed for 362 yards and five touchdowns on 28 carries and threw for 69 yards on 7-of-11 passing in the win.
The Titans next face Sickles, which edged Plant City, 9-7, in the 7A-Region 2 semifinals.
In the other 7A-Region 2 semifinal, Lakeland, which got past Lake Nona, 48-38, will face Osceola, a 35-7 winner over Bartow.
The regional semifinals are also set in Regions 3 and 4:
Region 3
East Lake (24-3 over Palmetto) vs. Braden River (44-28 over Pinellas Park)
Fort Myers (36-12 over Melbourne) vs. Charlotte (48-0 over Viera)
Region 4
Royal Palm Beach (30-7 over Fort Lauderdale) vs. Atlantic (21-13 over Blanche Ely)
St. Thomas Aquinas (57-0 over Mater Academy Charter) vs. Plantation (34-13 over American)
Class 8A
Lake Mary 43, Flagler Palm Coast 30: Lake Mary High quarterback Cannon Thompson combined for 345 yards of offense and five touchdowns in the Rams’ 43-30 victory over Palm Coast.
The senior threw for 272 yards on 15-of-29 passing and three touchdowns and rushed for 73 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries.
Thompson hooked up with receiver Nick Westbrook seven times for 191 yards and three touchdowns.
Lake Mary advances to the 8A-Region 1 semifinals for a date with First Coast, a 34-19 winner over DeLand. The other semifinal pits Apopka, a 41-28 winner over Oviedo against West Orange, which defeated Timber Creek 42-21.
Vero Beach 35, St. Petersburg 28:Vero Beach quarterback Carter Stanley combined for 324 yards and three touchdowns as the Indians held off St. Petersburg 35-28.
Stanley, a senior, threw for 270 yards, a touchdown, two interceptions on 22-of-30 passing and ran for two touchdowns and 54 yards on 17 carries in the win for the Indians.
The win sends Vero Beach to the 8A-Region 2 semifinals and a meeting with Manatee, which advanced with a 28-20 win over Central. In the other 8A-Region 2 semifinal, Dr. Phillips, which edged Bloomingdale, 24-21, meets Plant, a 29-7 winner over Boone.
The regional semifinals are also set in Regions 3 and 4:
Region 3
Wellington (53-29 over Park Vista) vs. Palm Beach Gardens (24-20 over Palm Beach Central)
Monarch (forfeit win over Miramar) vs. Flanagan (49-28 over Coral Springs)
Region 4
Coral Gables (19-14 over North Miami) vs. Columbus (31-0 over North Miami Beach)
Belen Jesuit (20-7 over Southridge) vs. Killian (21-3 over Southwest)
