Area teams boost final numbers
A year after Central Florida was shut out of state football finals in Orlando, seven area teams are still alive going into Friday’s third round of the playoffs.
That’s potentially great news for the Florida High School Athletic Association and Central Florida Sports Commission, host partners for the championship games at the Citrus Bowl. Success at the turnstile always is going to hinge on how the brackets play out.
Last year, with two Tampa schools being the closest to a “home team,” paid attendance was 27,164 for eight finals. That’s the lowest count in nine years and less than half of the 2006 record (56,435 in Miami).
If Dr. Phillips (12-0), Apopka (10-2), Kissimmee Osceola (12-0), Oviedo (11-1) or Daytona Beach Mainland (9-3) qualifies, that number should climb back toward the 2010 level (33,653 paid). Get two of those teams — or the maximumthree — to title games, and you’re back in the stratosphere of 2007. That’s when Boone and Osceola were finalists, and an announced crowd of 52,750 showed up for the first year of the championships in Orlando.
The calendar is kind, with the big-school finals weekend (Dec. 14-15) falling almost two weeks before Christmas.
Class 7A juggernaut Bradenton Manatee (12-0) should provide the extra juice of being national No. 1.
First Academy, which is 12-0 and a win away, would certainly boost next week’s small-school turnout if the Royals win at Madison County (11-1) on Friday. TFA might load up every child grades K-12 for the quick trip up John Young Parkway to the Citrus Bowl.
Another bump would be getting record-busting Yulee (9-3) running back Derrick Henry past reigning state champ Jacksonville Bolles (11-1) to the 4A final on Saturday night, Dec. 8. The 6-foot-3, 241-pound Alabama commit has11,828 yards in four years, a national record. He scored his 51st TDof the year last week, breaking the state single-season record of 50 set two years ago by former DP great Demetrius Hart.
Henry’s season yardage total of 3,944 leads the nation and is knocking on the door of the state standard of 4,087, set by Frostproof’s Travis Henry in 14 games in 1996.
Given Orlando’s central location, I believe Henry would easily surpass Tim Tebow’s 2005 finals appearance in Miami for 4A champ Ponte Vedra Nease as the biggest individual draw in title-game history.
Road to Orlando
Class 7A Osceola has the area’s kindest playoff path. The Kowboys are home for the third consecutive round against Lithia Newsome (8-4) on Friday, and if they advance, they are guaranteed to host next week’s semifinal against the Tallahassee Lincoln (10-1) at Oviedo winner.
DP also will host its third consecutive playoff round Friday against tough Tarpon Springs East Lake (11-1), but the Panthers would travel next week. The Region 2 champ will go to the winner of Friday’s Region 1 title game, which pits Apopka at Neptune Beach Fletcher (11-1).
Mainland, which pulled out dramatic victories at undefeated Lakeland Lake Gibson and10-1 Winter Haven the past two weeks, goes farther to face Naples (11-0), on Friday. If the Bucs prevail, they will be back at home for next week’s 6A South semifinal against Miami Central (9-2) or Palm Bay (8-4).
First Academy will face a tall task Friday, playing perennial power Madison at the Cowboys’ home stadium, dubbed “Boot Hill.” The winner will punch a ticket to the Saturday afternoon, Dec. 8, 3A state final on Dec. 8.
South Daytona Warner Christian (11-1) is knocking at the door of the Friday afternoon, Dec. 7, 2A state championship game on Dec. 7. The Eagles will host Jacksonville University Christian (11-1) on Friday night.
Football future
New enrollment counts posted Wednesday by the FHSAA show what some tweaks in district realignment for the 2013 and 2014 football seasons could be. Evans is very likely to move from 7A back to 8A, as could Osceola. Wekiva likely will slide from 8A to 7A, as could Hagerty and Lyman. Edgewater may drop from 7A to 6A, and East River could fall two classes to 6A.
Extra points
First Academy football has scored 551 points, an average of 45.9 per game. That’s second in area history behind the 724 points Dr. Phillips compiled in 15 games in its 2010 state final season. The Panthers averaged 48.3 that year. . . .
Evans’ 6-6 power forward, Dre Clayton, expects to make his senior basketball debut Tuesday against Edgewater. The USF signee has been out with a strained groin. . . .
The Olympia (2-0) at Dr. Phillips (2-1) boys basketball rivalry game, originally set for Friday, will be played tonight so as not to conflict with the Panthers’ playoff football game.