High school football: Cream rises to the top as regional rivals push toward state
Lake Minneola (10-1) at Lakeland (11-0)
When: 7:30 p.m., Friday
Where: Bryant Stadium
Outlook: Lake Minneola's only loss is to Daytona Beach Mainland, 39-26. Mainland is still alive in the 3S playoffs. Lake Minneola boasts an explosive offense that averages 46.6 points and 396.6 yards that is nearly balanced — 206.5 passing and 190.1 rushing. The Hawks allow 14.0 points per game. Quarterback Quinn Riemann has completed 126 of 180 passes for 2,097 yards with 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Running back John Celestin has rushed for 1,522 yards and 33 touchdowns. Wide receiver Braylon Knauth has caught 46 passes for 862 yards and nine touchdowns. David Ramos has caught 37 passes for 705 yards. This is the first meeting between the two schools and is the third week in a row that the Hawks are playing a Polk County team, outscoring Bartow and Winter Haven by a combined 111-34. Lakeland has outscored its first two playoff opponents by a combined 96-10. Lakeland averages 42.0 points and 336.5 yards of offense — 130.0 passing, 236.5 rushing. The Dreadnaughts allow 7.6 points per game. They have three running backs with more than 500 yards rushing: Damarius Rucker (864 yards, 11 TDS), Don'Ares Johnson (583 yards) and Markell Johnson (559 yards). Quarterback Zach Pleuss has completed 90 of 133 passes for 1,390 yards with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions. Tyler Williams (25 receptions, 373 yards), Daidren Zipperer (21-445) and Jhoelle Velazquez (20-275) are the top three receivers. Rolijah Hardy leads Lakeland with 43 solo tackles. Larry Jones leads with 13 sacks, and Idris King has 11 sacks. This is the Class 4S, Region 2 final. Lakeland is seeded No. 1, and Lake Minneola is seeded No. 2.
Zephyrhills (9-3) at Lake Wales (12-0)
When: 7:30 p.m., Friday
Where: Legion Field, 250 N. Lakeshore Blvd., Lake Wales
Outlook: No. 3 team in Class 3S, Lake Wales, is having another historic season. This is the second time in three years the Highlanders have entered a regional final game 12-0. Senior running back Corey Harris Jr. played a huge role in advancing Lake Wales to the regional finals, as he mustered up 199 yards on 11 carries and touchdown runs of 91 and 51 yards in the regional semifinal game vs. Vanguard last week. He was an absolute beast on defense as well, garnering two sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery as a senior strong safety. For the year, Harris has 657 yards and eight touchdowns. Defensively, he has put up 57 tackles, three sacks and an interception. But Lake Wales has a great team. Helping Harris Jr. at the running back position is senior runner Xavier Marlow, who has 448 yards and four touchdowns. Sophomore running back Jordan Henderson has put up 429 yards and three touchdowns. And, of course, senior quarterback Trent Grotjan is up to 1,621 passing yards and 24 touchdowns. Much like Lake Wales, Zephyrhills, the No. 13 team in 3S, is a solid football program. The Bulldogs have won five in a row and six out of the past seven. Leading the helm is junior quarterback Brendyn Colella, who is up to 1,510 yards passing and 23 touchdowns.
Lakeland Christian (9-1) at John Carroll (9-1)
When: 7:30 p.m., Friday
Where: 101 N. Hancock Road, Minneola
Outlook: The Vikings have been a prominent program in Polk County. Since 2014, the program has lost two or fewer games six times. Before Lakeland Christian’s last semifinal win — a 16-15 victory over Victory Christian last week — the Vikings averaged 42 points the last two games of the season. The No. 6 team in Class 1S is led by senior running back Jacob Allen, who broke free for a 28-yard touchdown to give Lakeland Christian its first and only lead in the ballgame. For the year, he has accumulated six touchdowns. Defensively, Lakeland Christian has given up 15 or fewer points in five out of 10 games this season. For John Carroll, the program has won seven or more games in three straight seasons. The Rams are led by 1000-yard rusher Tony Colebrook.
Frostproof (10-2) at Bishop Verot (9-2)
When: 7:30 p.m., Friday
Where: 5598 Sunrise Drive, Fort Myers
Outlook: Frostproof is having its best stretch of years since the 1990s when the program also won playoff games in three consecutive seasons. With a win over DeSoto County last week, it’s the first time in 14 years the program has reached the regional finals and is able to play during Thanksgiving week. Last week, junior running back Donavan Solomon ran the ball 15 times for 102 yards and a score. For the year, he has amassed 1,476 yards and 14 touchdowns. Solomon, unfortunately, on his last carry ran for 8 yards before a defender hit his knee. The aftermath: Solomon landed on his head. Solomon couldn’t return to the game after being tended to on the sidelines. He is questionable for this regional final game. Also leading the Bulldogs is senior quarterback Nathan Jenkins, who is up to 292 yards and eight touchdowns; he also has 552 yards on the ground and nine scores. Bishop Verot is enjoying its best season since 2019. The No. 7 team in Class 2S boasts a fun-and-gun type offense, scoring 42 or more points in five out of the past six games. The offense is led by sophomore quarterback Carter Smith with his 2,665 yards and 27 touchdowns.
Roy Fuoco can be reached at roy.fuoco@theledger.com or at 863-802-7526. Follow him on Twitter: @RoyFuoco. Robert Magobet can be reached at rmagobet@gannett.com or at 856-905-4537. Follow him on Twitter: @RMagobet31
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: High school football: Regional rivals push toward state with do-or-die Friday games
