2023-11-11 06:08:16
Wakulla football beats Gadsden County in the 2S playoffs
Wakulla football beats Gadsden County in 2S playoffs
There has been one goal in the mind of the Wakulla football team all season, to win a state championship.
The War Eagles (11-0) got one step closer to that dream on Friday night, beating Gadsden County (6-5) 46-14 in the 2S Region 1 quarterfinals. Wakulla’s dynamic duo of Haden Klees and Samron Brinson set the tone, with Klees throwing for five touchdowns, with Brinson catching three of the touchdowns including a 56-yarder early in the first quarter.
“It set the tone for the whole game,” Brinson said. “We come out there and boom get the touchdown, everyone’s got confidence to feel like we got this, we just need to keep pushing.”
Klees threw touchdowns to both Devontae Roberts and North Floirda Christian transfer Leon Washington Jr. Klees connected with Roberts on the game’s first play for a 60-yard score, and Washington took a shovel pass into the endzone after fighting through the Gadsden County defense.
The duo of Klees and Brinson, who have been playing football together since their Pop Warner days, helped lead the second-half offensive explosion from Wakulla, putting up 29 unanswered points in the second half after the game was 17-14 at the break.
A blocked punt returned for a touchdown on the defense’s first drive gave the War Eagles offense the confidence it needed to win, and Klees and Brinson connected two times in the second half for scores.
Wakulla head coach Scott Klees said his team was never phased by the close game and felt he needed some play-calling changes heading into the second half, and that his team knew what it was capable of.
“I was proud of our guys and I was proud of how hard they played. We don’t panic at all and that’s the biggest thing about this team,” Klees said. “There’s been times we’ve been down, there have been times we haven’t played very well or we didn’t execute. Our players picked me up and came out in the second half and really played well.”
Finding ways to win in the second half has become a theme for Wakulla this season, having close games at halftime against North Florida Christian, Suwannee, Chiles and Friday’s game against Gadsden County, the War Eagles seemingly always find a way to get it done. Klees thinks the ability to perform in those moments is a testament to his team’s depth across the board.
Both H. Klees and Brinson share the same belief as their coach, with the pair feeling like anyone on the team is capable of stepping up and making a play at any time.
“It gives us all the confidence in the world,” Klees said. “I know if I don’t have the best game, I got trust in all of my guys, and I take our guys over anybody. It doesn’t matter who it is, doesn’t matter where they’re from, it doesn’t matter what, I’ll give our guys a chance over anybody and I just love our guys.”
With four games remaining now for Wakulla to reach its goal of a state championship, the War Eagles face a big test in the regional semifinals, hosting Florida High. The Seminoles beat Marianna 41-17 in the 2S Region 1 quarterfinals, setting up another all-Big Bend showdown.
With the Seminoles and War Eagles being two of the top teams in 2S, Klees is excited about the level of competition coming to Crawfordville next week.
“Coach Hickman does a fantastic job, he’s an unbelievable coach,” Klees said. “They’re well disciplined with a lot of good athletes. So you’re gonna see a bunch of college athletes on this field next Friday night that are gonna fly around and hit, it’s gonna be a one-of-a-kind game.”
Wakulla and Florida High will kickoff at 7:30 p.m. at J.D. Jones Stadium on Friday, Nov. 17.
In Waku: 14, 11, 7, 14
Gadsden County: 7, 7, 0, 0
Florida High downs Marianna 41-17, sets up showdown with Wakulla
Win and advance.
That’s the motto for the Florida High School football team over the next four weeks.
The Seminoles (9-2) checked a win off the list, beating the visiting Marianna (6-5) 41-17 at Mike Hickman Stadium in the Florida High School Athletic Association 2S Regional Quarterfinals.
The Seminoles only trailed 3-0 early in the first quarter before erupting for 27 unanswered points to propel them to victory.
It was FSUS’ fifth consecutive win and second time beating Marianna this season.
“At this point, it’s about winning,” FSUS head coach Jarrod Hickman said after the win.
“You got to play your best football and keep improving because your opponents will only get better.”
Next week, the three-seed Seminoles will play at two-seed Wakulla (11-0) in the FHSAA 2S Regional Semifinals. The War Eagles hosted and defeated seven-seed Gadsden County 46-14 on Friday.
The Seminoles are hoping to prime themselves for another run to the state championship game. They lost the 2S title game to Cocoa last season.
Hickman feels that the streaking Seminoles are peaking at the right time.
“That’s a really good football team that we’re playing next week,” Hickman gave props to Wakulla.
“It’s important that we play our best football at the end of the year to shape our football team to where we want to be. But it doesn’t matter what you did last week. It’s one week at a time.”
But FSUS has had to get to this point of the season missing key players, most notably Florida State commit running back Micahi Danzy, who hasn’t played since Week 5 after suffering a left thigh injury.
So, others are required to ascend.
For example, junior running back Jayden Threatts rushed for two touchdowns Friday.
Fellow junior and defensive tackle Maurice Adams Jr. also showed up, sacking the Marianna quarterback twice.
“We’ve built depth,” Hickman said of his roster makeup. “I’m super proud of those guys that have stepped up.
“We’re going to need every bit of it.”
FSUS: 13, 7, 21, 0
Marianna: 3, 0 7, 7
Lincoln shutout Matanzas 49-0, face Choctawhatchee in semis
It is back to winning ways for the Trojans, opening the 3S playoffs with a 49-0 victory over Matanzas. Balancing the offensive playcalling between the rush and the pass, senior Jashawn Washington scored three touchdowns, including two on the ground, one six-yard run and the other a 51-yarder, and one touchdown catch.
The other scores from the Trojan offense came from Mekhi Maddox, Will Tawney, Jukil Whitehead and Christian Lawrence, with all four accounting for one touchdown each en route to the 49 points scored. Leading the defensive effort was linebacker Gavin James, who had nine total tackles including three for a loss.
Lincoln will host three-seeded Choctawhatchee, who beat Columbia 37-14, on Friday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m.
Aucilla Christian beat Wewahitchka, face road trip to Port St. Joe next
Aucilla Christian bounces back from its first loss of the season with a commanding win over Wewahitchka, winning 27-6 in the opening round of the 1R Region 2 playoffs. Landon LaRosa stole the show for the Warriors, throwing six passes for 125 yards and a touchdown alongside his 15 carries for 56 yards.
Eli Conrad and Tucker Wiles accounted for three touchdowns, with Conrad catching one score along with his four catches for 67 yards. Wiles rushed for two touchdowns on 10 carries for 43 yards, and added one receiving touchdown. Marcus Sexton recorded a team-high 10 tackles and the Aucilla Christian defense came up with three interceptions.
Aucilla Christian will travel to Port St. Joe on Friday, Nov. 17, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.
Liam Rooney covers preps sports for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at [email protected] or on Twitter @__liamrooney
Gerald Thomas, III covers Florida A&M University Athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at [email protected] or on Twitter @3peatgee.
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