FLAG FOOTBALL: Class 1A FHSAA Flag Football State Finals preview

Mandarin High School in Jacksonville will be hosting the 2022 FHSAA Flag Football State Championships at The Corral with four games taking place on Friday with the two-state championship games slated for Saturday afternoon.

Here is an in-depth preview of each of the four teams coming to Jacksonville this weekend in Class 1A:

CLASS 1A SEEDING ORDER

No. 1 Tampa Robinson
No. 2 Fort Walton Beach Choctawhatchee
No. 3 Miami Edison
No. 4 Jensen Beach

CLASS 1A STATE SEMIFINALS MATCHUPS

FRIDAY

No. 1 Robinson vs. No. 4 Jensen Beach – 2 p.m. ET

No. 2 Choctawhatchee vs. No. 3 Miami Edison – 3:45 p.m. ET

CLASS 1A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

SATURDAY

TBD – 2 p.m. ET

CHOCTAWHATCHEE INDIANS

HEAD COACH: Jim Bay, 7th year

RECORD: 14-2

PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB/LB Rowan Franklin, Sr.; WR/CB Kendall Wilson, Sr.; WR/LB Trinity Myers, Sr.; WR/S Marissa Brown, Sr.; Slot/CB Morgan Grace, So.; C Narissa Clay, Sr.; R Trinity Thomas, So.

HOW THEY GOT HERE

3/16 – d. Niceville, 27-0
3/17 – d. Crestview, 14-6
3/28 – d. Fort Walton Beach, 33-0
4/1 – LOST TO Ruskin Lennard, 20-6
4/2 – d. Daytona Beach Mainland, 27-7
4/2 – LOST TO Tallahassee FAMU DRS, 26-6
4/7 – d. Tallahassee Lincoln, 27-13
4/13 – d. Gulf Breeze, 6-0
4/15 – d. Crestview, 38-19
4/16 – d. Tallahassee Godby, 40-7
4/22 – d. Pace, 33-26

District 1A-1 Tournament
4/27 – d. Tallahassee Godby, 30-7
4/29 – d. Tallahassee FAMU DRS, 26-25

Regional Playoffs
5/3 – d. Tallahassee Godby, 14-0
5/5 – d. Jacksonville Stanton, 24-0
5/9 – d. Middleburg, 14-0

WHAT TO KNOW: Choctaw, as everyone calls them, is back in the final four for the first time since 2017, and with that comes a new experience for this team that the Head Coach Jim Bay and assistant coach Matt Pacheco have determined is better than the 2017 team. However, now with the final four here, the challenge has gotten tougher as teams like Miami Edison and potentially Tampa Robinson stand in the way of Choctaw’s first-ever state championship. Of the biggest names to keep an eye on the first one is Rowan Franklin who has been an instrumental leader for the Indians the last two seasons from under center. Two others to keep an eye on including Kendall Wilson and Trinity Myers, who can easily find the seam in the passing game and cause havoc for opposing offenses. However, all three players just mention here, are also effective on the defense as well.

JENSEN BEACH FALCONS

HEAD COACH: Aaron Gilbert, 4th year

RECORD: 18-3

PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Courtney Cromer, Sr. (438/655 passing, 3,391 yds, 53 TDs, 19 INTs; 2 rushing TDs; RB/R Bella Faherty, Sr. (50 car, 378 yds, 3 TDs; 56 rec, 510 yds, 10 TDs; 86 flag pulls, 21 sacks); WR/S Julia Thurlow, Sr. (99 rec, 964 yds, 19 TDs; 66 flag pulls, 12 INTs); WR/DB Lauren Duke, Jr. (78 rec, 785 yds, 16 TDs; 32 flag pulls, 20 INTs); LB Angelina Arguelles, Sr. (72 flag pulls, 1 INT); C/LB Mia Quiles, Jr. (57 flag pulls, 1 INT)

HOW THEY GOT HERE

Regular Season
3/8 – d. Vero Beach, 26-20
3/10 – d. Stuart South Fork, 27-0
3/22 – d. Port St. Lucie, 42-0
3/24 – d. Riviera Beach Inlet Grove, 53-0
3/29 – d. Wellington, 12-9
3/30 – d. Port St. Lucie Treasure Coast, 27-0
3/31 – LOST TO Stuart Martin County, 7-6 (OT)
4/5 – d. Fort Pierce Lincoln Park Academy, 22-0
4/8 – d. Port St. Lucie Centennial, 21-6
4/12 – d. West Palm Beach Forest Hill, 19-13
4/14 – d. Fort Pierce John Carroll, 13-7
4/19 – LOST TO Royal Palm Beach, 6-0 (OT)
4/20 – d. Okeechobee, 20-6
4/21 – d. Palm Beach Gardens Dwyer, 37-6

District 1A-12 Tournament
4/25 – d. Pahokee, 58-0
4/26 – d. West Palm Beach Oxbridge Academy, 47-0
4/28 – d. Riviera Beach Suncoast, 7-0

Regional Playoffs
5/3 – d. Daytona Beach Seabreeze, 6-0 (OT)
5/5 – d. Ocala Trinity Catholic, 20-15
5/9 – d. Orlando Jones, 20-14

WHAT TO KNOW: Jensen Beach was a final four team last season and made their second straight trip to the final four and their third overall in program history. The core nucleus of the Falcons’ team that fell to Tallahassee FAMU DRS, the Class 1A State Runner-up last year, returned this season and improved even further than what the team was that had emerged out of their district as the No. 5 seed by being the No. 1 seed in their district tournament this season. The interesting thing about Jensen Beach this year is the number of overtime games they have been involved in, so this will be a factor to see if they are caught in an overtime situation during the final four on how that could pay off for them. Courtney Cromer is one of the biggest stars for the Falcons on both sides of the ball along with Julia Thurlow and Lauren Duke, which have all had major impacts to get the team back to Jacksonville this weekend. Overall, this team has a lot of willpower, and just because they are coming as the No. 4 seed does not mean taking them lightly either.

MIAMI EDISON RED RAIDERS

HEAD COACH: Vincent Hall, 7th year

RECORD: 14-1

PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB/S Lonesha Howell, Sr. (363/438 passing, 2,982 yds, 48 TDs, 6 INTs; 49 car, 463 yds, 14 TDs; 1 receiving TD; 38 flag pulls, 5 sacks, 9 INTs); WR/LB/DB Alexandra Harris, Jr. (71 rec, 728 yds, 12 TDs; 24 car, 202 yds; 60 flag pulls; 5 INTs); WR/R/DB Joann Gilmore, Sr. (33 rec, 488 yds, 5 TDs, 70 flag pulls, 23 sacks, 1 INT); WR/DB Shanell Norris, Jr. (53 rec, 449 yds, 7 TDs; 35 flag pulls, 2 sacks, 6 INTs); C/P Felicia Wright, Jr. (49 rec, 365 yds, 11 TDs); R/RB Sarly Joseph, Sr. (95 flag pulls, 36 sacks, 1 INT)

HOW THEY GOT HERE

Regular Season
3/7 – d. North Miami Beach, 47-0
3/11 – d. Hialeah American, 39-0
3/18 – d. North Miami Mourning, 55-0
3/31 – d. Hialeah American, 34-0
4/2 – d. Miami Dr. Krop, 13-0
4/2 – d. Miami High, 38-0
4/4 – d. South Miami, 47-0
4/7 – d. Miami Central, 13-7
4/13 – d. Miami SLAM Academy, 24-0
4/19 – LOST TO Westlake Seminole Ridge, 12-6

District 1A-15 Tournament
4/26 – d. Miami SLAM Academy, 39-0
4/29 – d. Miami Central, 26-0

Regional Playoffs
5/3 – d. Miami Killian, 14-12
5/5 – d. Miami Central, 24-13
5/9 – d. Miami Somerset Silver Palms, 19-0

WHAT TO KNOW: This is Miami Edison’s fourth trip in program history to the final four and the second straight year they are back. This is another program that saw a lot of returning starters back once again this season that fell to the eventual Class 1A State Championship last season in Tampa Robinson. Lonesha Howell is the one to watch on the offensive side of the ball as she is usually the main threat either in the air or on the ground when she needs to call her own number to keep things going. Defensively, Sarly Joseph is an offensive wrecker given her sack total in just the 15 total games that the Red Raiders have played in through the regional finals. The biggest disadvantage for Miami Edison is depth as they are only carrying a roster of 12 players into the final four and that could hurt given every other team in the final four has at least 18 to 19 players available on their roster for depth.

ROBINSON KNIGHTS

HEAD COACH: Josh Saunders, 16th year

RECORD: 20-1

PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Brianna Stearns, Sr. (290/456 passing, 3,352 yds, 58 TDs, 12 INTs); QB Sydney Hall (148/247 passing, 1,593 yds, 24 TDs, 9 INTs; 18 flag pulls); RB Adriana Williams, Jr. (84 rec, 1,163 yds, 16 TDs; 54 car, 443 yds, 6 TDs; 19 flag pulls, 6 sacks, ); WR/S Katejion Robinson, Jr. (70 rec, 1,058 yds, 25 TDs); WR/LB Christal Rolack, Sr. (65 rec, 820 yds, 13 TDs; 117 flag pulls, 10 INTs); WR/CB Jaylen Stasio (53 rec, 624 yds, 11 TDs); R Julia Guillermo, Jr. (90 flag pulls, 32 sacks)

HOW THEY GOT HERE

Regular Season
3/9 – d. Riverview, 25-0
3/11 – d. Tampa Wharton, 33-0
3/23 – d. Tampa Plant, 35-0
3/28 – d. Tampa Sickles, 52-0
4/1 – d. Tallahassee FAMU DRS, 27-19
4/2 – LOST TO Lithia Newsome, 13-6
4/2 – d. Ruskin Lennard, 27-6
4/4 – d. Dover Strawberry Crest, 55-0
4/8 – d. Tampa Hillsborough, 18-0
4/9 – d. Westlake Seminole Ridge, 6-0
4/9 – d. Plant City, 37-0
4/11 – d. Riverview Sumner, 39-6
4/13 – d. Ruskin Lennard, 27-25
4/16 – d. Cooper City, 34-6
4/18 – d. Lutz Steinbrenner, 41-6

District 1A-7 Tournament
4/26 – d. Seminole, 40-0
4/27 – d. St. Petersburg Lakewood, 50-0
4/29 – d. Seminole Osceola, 20-0

Regional Playoffs
5/3 – d. Parrish Community, 46-6
5/5 – d. Tampa Chamberlain, 33-0
5/9 – d. St. Petersburg, 14-6

WHAT TO KNOW: When you are looking for the Gold Standard of flag football programs in this state or if someone mentions top programs in the state, the Robinson Knights are that team that everyone mentions first. They are also the program that everyone mentions they wish they could beat or get a chance at beating, which is something so few have done over the years. Matter of fact Robinson has only lost 28 games dating back to 2007 – yes 28 games. And since winning the first state championship in 2014, Robinson has lost five times. This year saw the Knights see their 55-game win streak snapped at the hands of defending Class 2A State Champion, Newsome, so you can see just how rare it is to be a team that is now seeking their seventh state championship in the last eight years (excluding 2020). Being the winners of five straight state championships is a feat no other program in the state has been able to do, so going for No. 6 will be something that cements this program even further into the history books. Keep an eye on Brianna Stearns who has had an impressive season under center, but if a game score starts to get up there, don’t be surprised to see Sydney Hall jump in to finish things off. Defensively, Christal Rolack and Julia Guillermo will be the ones to watch as they will create the most havoc for opposing offenses. Now, while this might not be the best overall team that Robinson has had, they are certainly the favorite to win the Class 1A state championship once again this weekend.

PREDICTIONS FOR CLASS 1A STATE SEMIFINALS

Robinson over Jensen Beach

Choctaw over Miami Edison