CLASS 8A STATE SEMIFINALS
Apopka at Plant: Pretty much two of the best teams in Class 8A are going to clash at Dad’s Stadium in Tampa. Plant rarely loses at home under head coach Robert Weiner, but Apopka might just make the rare fact show an ugly head tonight. Rick Darlington’s squad has now won 12 straight games and a lot of them have not been pretty. Can the Panthers hold the Blue Darters to under 30 points? That is going to be the question of the night.
Prediction: Apopka 31, Plant 24
Palm Beach Gardens at South Dade: Not the state semifinal anyone was expecting and not the two team we would be thinking that would possibly represent in Orlando from Class 8A South, but they are here and they have done what has needed to be done to get here. Palm Beach Gardens is riding high after an upset win over favorite Miramar, but South Dade has now turned into a big favorite. The Buccaneers have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball, but this game should not be taken lightly that the Gators would lose badly on. It won’t be like that at all.
Prediction: South Dade 27, Palm Beach Gardens 24
CLASS 7A STATE SEMIFINALS
Osceola-Kissimmee at Niceville: Long road trip for Osceola does them no favors going up against a very powerful Niceville team that is seeing its best season since its last run to Orlando in 2009. Of course, the Kowboys with a K would love to bring back home a win and play next week in virtually in front of a home crowd in the Class 7A State Final, but the Eagles have too many weapons on both sides of the ball to be stopped cold.
Prediction: Niceville 34, Osceola 20
Dwyer at East Lake: Either of these two teams would represent Class 7A South very well next week in the state finals, but only one is going to make it there. Both teams have explosive offenses and both have defenses that can shut other teams down for the entire game. Really this is a tough game to pick on, but someone has to win and someone has to lose.
Prediction: Dwyer 27, East Lake 25
CLASS 6A STATE SEMIFINALS
Bartram Trail at Armwood: Rematch of the 2011 Class 6A state semifinals, but Bartram Trail is riding some very magical waves unlike the last meeting in which they had a solid record going into this game. The Bears of Bartram Trail started the season 0-5 while the Hawks have yet to been defeated. This game will be too much for Bartram Trail to handle.
Prediction: Armwood 35, Bartram Trail 14
Mainland at Miami Central: Long road trip for Mainland and Miami Central is playing around familiar surroundings for the fourth week in a row at Traz Powell Stadium in Miami. Both teams are good and despite the fact that Joseph Yearby is out for the Rockets, that does not decrease the importance of playing a great game for the Buccaneers. This one might not be really that close once you start to add in everything we know about Miami Central.
Prediction: Miami Central 38, Mainland 17
CLASS 5A STATE SEMIFINALS
Lakewood at Clay: No one saw this state semifinal coming at all. Both of the teams have been running through a magical wave of great plays and finding ways to win the game no one thought they would win. The question now is…who will be the Class 5A North representative next week in Orlando? This is why the game will be played on the field.
Prediction: Clay 20, Lakewood 17
American Heritage-Plantation at Lake Wales: A long road trip for the Patriots of American Heritage, but the Highlanders of Lake Wales are on alert for another strong running attack from Sony Michle. Both teams are teams you want to play in next week’s Class 5A State Final game. Really at this point, we feel American Heritage has more weapons on the field that will allow them to advance to Orlando.
Prediction: American Heritage 30, Lake Wales 20
