Dr. Phillips owns experience edge
Dr. Phillips enters the Class 8A high school football state championship game this week with a distinct edge over the opposition.
Aside from playing close to home at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium, the Panthers (12-2) head into Saturday’s state final against Delray Beach Atlantic (12-1) already having experienced the ups and downs of deep playoff runs over the past three years.
Dr. Phillips finished state runners-up in 2016 and reached region finals in 2014 and 2015.
“It should give us some type of advantage because anytime you’re looking for an advantage you’re talking about experience,” said Dr. Phillips coach
during a conference call Monday.
“Hopefully they understand what it takes to prepare and what it’s going to be like when we get there,” he said of his team. “But it’s not all experience, it’s going to come down to who plays the most fundamental game.”
Atlantic, in a final for the first time since finishing runners-up four times in six years from 1973 to 1978, is entering uncharted territory. The Eagles will land in Orlando with players and coaches who haven’t been on such a stage.
“We don’t really treat it as a state-championship game for us, we’re just looking at it as another game for us to try to get better and hopefully come out of it with a victory,” said fifth-year Atlantic coach
Jackson credited summer workouts with NFL players such as and for helping instill discipline and growth within the team.
Atlantic is 0-4 in state finals. DP is 0-2, including a 14-10 loss to Miami Southridge a year ago.
“We had a tough loss there last year in the statechampionship game against Southridge, so our whole year we’ve been thinking about this moment,” Wells said. “Everything we’ve done has been about getting back and finishing what we didn’t finish last year.”
Two of the top girls basketball teams in the area meet for a district clash of contrasting styles tonight.
Wekiva (4-1) hosts West Orange (5-0) at 6.
“It’s just two different styles of basketball,” West Orange coach
said. “We’re more finesse and they’re more up tempo and aggressive.”
The Warriors returned four starters from a team that beat Wekiva in the regular season last year but fell short 53-51 in a district final and 53-42 in a region semifinal.
Lake Highland transfer adds a new dimension to West Orange as a post player and 3-point shooter. She complements all-area junior
Wekiva is missing four injured players, including top rebounder
who suffered an ankle injury in a loss to Winter Haven at the Florida Prospects Thanksgiving Classic.
But it has Apopka transfer averaging nearly 17 points, nine rebounds and four steals per game alongside standout senior Prep