The Miami Stingarees will battle it out with the Columbus Explorers in a Class 8A regional final at Tropical Park on Friday afternoon. The Explorers defeated the Stingarees 21-20 earlier this year in a district contest. The winner of this playoff game will take the winner between Atlantic and Western in a state semifinal next week.
Miami(10-1) was seeded seventh in Region 4 of Class 8A. The Stingarees compiled road victories over Palmetto 28-0 in a regional quarterfinal and defending Class 8A state champion Southridge 27-21 last week in a regional semifinal. They have outscored their opponents 457-160 and averaged 41 points for per game this year.
The Stingarees backfield will led the way on offense. Running back Johnny Ford is expected to get the majority of carries followed by Marcus Barthell. Quarterback Isaias Castellon will remain in the pocket and pass to wide receivers Lamont Finnie, Bernard Marshall, Marcus Flemming and Keythan Drayton.
Columbus(10-1) have some players that helped the school reach the Class 8A state title game in 2014. After a loss to Miami Northwestern in Week 2, the Explorers have won nine consecutive games. They blanked Homestead 50-0 in a regional quarterfinal and stopped South Dade 28-14 in a regional semifinal last week. They have outscored their opponents 369-107 this season and given up nine points per game.
The Explorers offense puts more emphasis on their passing game. Wide receivers Tyler Harrell, Kalani Norris, Henry Parrish Jr. and Gary Cooper look to make pass receptions from quarterback Anthony Arguelles. Running back Demetries Ford will get the bulk of the carries from the backfield.
No comments:
Post a Comment