Florida High survives scare, knocks off Pensacola Catholic 34-27
Rory Sharrock
For the third year in a row, Florida High and Pensacola Catholic squared off in the playoffs.
For the third year in a row, the Seminoles walked away as the victors in a close-knit game.
The 2020 edition was a yo-yo affair. Florida High jumped out to a big lead, fell behind, then rallied to clinch a 34-27 win.
"With the leadership that we have on this team, there was never any panic," Seminoles head coach Jarrod Hickman said.
"We made some critical mistakes and allowed them to get back in the game. That's our fault and our job to clean those things up. I think we'll look back and see how many things we left out there. We always play these guys. We know each other well and it's never an easy game."
The Seminoles extended their undefeated record to 10-0. They travel to Jacksonville to face Trinity Christian Academy in the 3A regional finals.
This game marked the closest margin of victory for the Seminoles this season. Their previous competitive outing was a 20-7 final against Rickards on Oct. 23.
It was all systems go for Florida High in the early stages.
The Seminoles led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter. They scored on their opening drive of the second quarter for a 21-0 advantage.
However, their joyful vibe didn't last long.
A woeful combination of turnovers, penalties and missed tackles allowed Pensacola Catholic to climb out of the hole.
Four-star recruit Damarius McGhee rushed for two touchdowns to close out the half and cut the deficit to 21-13.
Turnovers continued to plague the Seminoles in the second half.
Pensacola Catholic snatched a deflected pass for an interception early in the third quarter. It used the short field to march into scoring position.
Moments later, McGhee once again crossed the goal line on a 1-yard run and narrowed the margin to 24-20.
The Crusaders capped off 24 unanswered points when Quentin Gholston punched in a 1-yard touchdown dash to push Pensacola Catholic in front 27-24.
Pensacola Catholic appeared poised to complete another scoring drive until Florida High's Kei'arryien Green took matters into his own hands.
He alertly jumped on a route and returned an interception 45-yards for a touchdown to stop the bleeding for Florida High. His play proved to be the difference in the game, putting the Seminoles back on top, 31-27.
"That was just film study right there. We knew what they liked to run. When coach called the play, I just executed and took it to the crib," Green said.
"This game was a roller coaster. It's win or go home. We have shirts that say heart over hype. We have heart and don't care about any hype."
The Seminoles added a field goal midway through the fourth quarter.
"It was a hard-fought game. I had some bad throws and indecisions. I'll take that on the chin. We got the win and we live to fight another day," quarterback Tre' Donaldson said.
Florida High 34, Pensacola Catholic 27
Pensacola Catholic 0 13 14 0 27
Florida High 14 10 7 3 34
Florida High: Tre' Donaldson 11-yard touchdown run (Brooks Hickman kick), 6:07
Florida High: Jahaz Morgan 18-yard touchdown catch by Tre' Donaldson (Brooks Hickman kick), 4:14
Florida High: Dohntay Williams 5-yard touchdown run (Brooks Hickman kick), 10:58
Pensacola Catholic: Damarius McGhee 1-yard touchdown run (kick missed), 6:29
Pensacola Catholic: Damarius McGhee 1-yard touchdown run (Darren Bredesen kick), 1:13
Florida High: Brooks Hickman field goal, 0:01
Pensacola Catholic: Quentin Gholston 1-yard touchdown run (Darren Bredesen kick), 6:41
Florida High: Kei'arryien Green 45-yard interception return (Brooks Hickman kick), 0:13
Florida High: Brooks Hickman 24-yard field goal, 6:54
Local Playoffs Scoreboard
Rickards 38, West Florida 16
NFC 42, North Florida Educational 0
Taylor County 35, Bozeman 14
Madison County 54, Hilliard 7
Ribault 42, Godby 34 3OT
Atlantic Coast 17, Lincoln 9
Niceville 42, Leon 0
Fleming Island 23, Chiles 7
University Christian 41, JPII 7
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