Columbus At Miami Palmetto Preview

     The Columbus Explorers challenge the Miami Palmetto Panthers on Friday night at Harris Field in a Class 8A regional final. The winner will take on either Venice or West Orange in a state semifinal next week. 

     Both schools have faced each other on eight different occasions with Columbus having a 7-1 advantage. The Explorers edge the Panthers 10-7 during Week 10 of the regular season. 

     Columbus(8-3) captured the South Florida Tri-County High School Football gold bracket title last year. The Explorers have won seven consecutive contests and outscored their opponents 326-125 this season. They slammed Dr. Krop 54-0 in a regular quarterfinal and upended Western 27-8 in a regional semifinal. 

     Miami Palmetto(9-2) made it all the way to the state semifinal round in 2020. They have outscored their opponents 330-121 this year. The Panthers jumped on Coral Glades 56-21 in the regional quarterfinal and held off Deerfield Beach 27-14 in the regional semifinal.