The American Heritage Patriots face the Baker County Wildcats for the FHSAA Class 5A state championship on Friday afternoon at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. The Patriots are the defending state champions.
American Heritage(12-0) have dominated this classification over the last couple of seasons. They have won the Class 5A crown three times in the last four years. The Patriots are undefeated and head into this contest on a 26-game winning streak. It is the first playoff game this year that the school will not be playing at home in Plantation. They shut out Merritt Island 52-0 in a regional quarterfinal, defeated Bishop Moore 56-27 in a regional semifinal, edged Cardinal Gibbons 58-57 in triple overtime during a regional final and beat Immokalee 28-21 last week in a state semifinal. American Heritage has outscored their opponents 505-175 this season and averaged 42 points per game.
The Patriots have quarterback Cameron Smith who can pass and if necessary run with the ball. They got numerous options at running back with Jordan Johnson, Miles Jones and Tyler Jones. Smith has several targets that consist of wide receivers Anthony Schwartz, Marcus Lodge, Tyler March, Josh Alexander, Miles Jones and tight end Beau Johnson. Their defense is anchored by defensive backs Patrick Surtain Jr, Tyson Campbell, Dyllon Lester, Anthony Brown along with defensive tackle Nesta Silvera and middle linebacker Calvin Hart.
Baker County(13-1) comes into this game on a 13-game win streak following a loss in their season opener at St. Augustine. The Wildcats played their first three playoff games at home as they took Nature Coast Tech 34-7 in a regional quarterfinal, handled Menendez 37-28 in a regional semifinal and topped Clay 29-14 in a regional final. Baker County went on the road last week for a state semifinal and defeated West Florida 48-28. They have outscored their opponents 456-238 and averaged 32 points for per game this season.
The Wildcats made adjustments earlier this year when their leading rusher from last season running back Josh Heygood decided not to play football in 2017 and concentrate on baseball. Running back Seth Paige is expected to get most of the carries from the backfield along with Savoy Jefferson. Chase Reynolds is at quarterback and he will connect passes to wide receivers Lee Graham, Wesley Belford and John Green. They have a big defensive line that includes Chase Hancock, Tay Reed and Brian West.
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