Seminole Ridge, Glades Central come up short at state tourney
Hawks drop their second consecutive championship game.
BOCA RATON — Seminole Ridge will have to wait at least one more year to claim its sixth state title.
The Hawks fell 19-7 to Tampa-Alonso in the Class 2A state championship at Boca Raton High on Saturday. Seminole Ridge (14-2) has appeared in every state title game since 2012 and has won five championships since 2010, but this was its second straight loss in the championship game.
“I’m as proud of them, if not prouder, of what they’ve done all year,” Hawks coach Scott O’Hara said. “Didn’t get it done today, but not for the lack of effort. They played tremendous, played hard.”
Meanwhile, Glades Central’s breakout season came to an end Saturday. The Raiders (13-2) fell to Miami Edison 13-0 in the Class 1A state semifinals in their first trip to the state playoffs.
In the 2A title game, Seminole Ridge senior Ashley Hollandsworth, who dominated the state semifinal game, scored the game’s first touchdown. She took the snap and passed it back to Haylie Young, who tossed it to her for a 9-yard score with 8:14 left in the second quarter.
Senior cornerback Ariana Payne came up big twice in the first half. She intercepted Alonso’s Jazmin Rhoden on the drive following the Hawks’ touchdown, but it wasn’t her biggest pick of the half.
The Ravens intercepted a Hollandsworth pass following Payne’s first interception and promptly started marching down the field. Alonso got inside the Seminole Ridge 20-yard line when Payne scooped a tipped pass just inches from the ground, ending the Ravens’ momentum in the first half and securing the halftime lead. But that was Seminole Ridge’s best position, as Tampa-Alonso rallied in the second half.
The Hawks beat Cooper City 38-6 Saturday to earn a spot in the championship game.
The team’s two quarterbacks, Hollandsworth and Young, combined for 257 passing yards. Hollandsworth threw three touchdown passes, and Young had two. Hollandsworth also dominated on defense with three interceptions.
Channing O’Brien caught two TD passes, and Hollandsworth, Chloe Griffin, Riley Sullivan and Kelsey Morrison had one each in the semifinal victory.
In the 1A semifinal, Glades Central and Edison were scoreless until late in the first half when Edison scored with 59 seconds left in the second quarter on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Tatyana Fremont to Nikesha Pierre.
“I love this team,” coach Samuel Curry said. “We started from nowhere, so what we’ve done is history. But it’s kind of disappointing because we didn’t finish one of our goals, which is making it to states and winning states.”
Glades Central quarterback Wiskierra Lemene was a playmaker all season, racking up 45 total touchdowns (32 passing, 13 rushing). But Edison’s defense kept the senior quiet, and some receivers could not come down with crucial passes. Lemene finished 13 of 22 for 68 yards and four interceptions.