No. 6 Springstead Eagles at No. 1 Armwood Hawks
Class 6A Regional Final
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Lyle Flagg Field, Seffner
TV: BHSN Channel 47 and HD 1147, with live highlights from the Merritt Island at Lake Wales game.
Live Streaming: Click here to get information on how to watch the game online.
Coaches: Mike Garofano is in his first year as Springstead’s head coach (11-10); Sean Callahan is in his 24th season as Armwood’s head coach (192-100).
How they match up: Springstead is representing an entire county. No Hernando County team has ever advanced this far in the postseason. The Eagles are riding the momentum of an 11-game win streak. But they face a perennial postseason powerhouse in Armwood.
The Hawks are making their Bay Area-best 11th-consecutive regional final appearance, boasting its sixth undefeated season in the past 11 years.
The Eagles feature a balanced offense with FB Daniel Wright (1,143 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns) and dual-threat QB Tyler Mahla (1,177 rushing yards, 762 passing yards and 24 touchdowns). They’ll face arguably the toughest defense to date, with Armwood DE Byron Cowart setting a tone up front and SS Kyle Gibson making it difficult to throw the ball.
Springstead’s defense will face a tough challenge from the Hawks QB Noah Johnson (1,637 passing yards, 703 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns). Johnson amassed 405 total yards and three touchdowns in last week’s come-from-behind win vs. Jefferson. RB Greg Newton and FB Craig Carrington help Armwood chew up chunks of yardage and game clock.
The winner advances to the state semifinals to play the winner of the Choctawhatchee-Bartram Trail game.
Other local teams playoff games:
Class 8A Regional Final: Plant at Ft. Pierce Central – The winner advances to the state semifinals to play the winner of the Apopka-First Coast game.
Class 7A Regional Finals: Sickles at Kissimmee Osceola – The winner advances to the state semifinals to play the winner of the Fletcher-Niceville game.
Port Charlotte at East Lake – The winner advances to the state semifinals to play the winner of the St. Thomas Aquinas-Dwyer game.
Class 5A Regional Finals: Lakewood at South Sumter – The winner advances to the state semifinals to play the winner of the Pensacola Catholic-Clay game.
Merritt Island at Lake Wales – The winner advances to the state semifinals to play the winner of the Hardee-American Heritage game.
Class 3A state semifinals: The winners advance to the 3A state championship game on Dec. 7.
Jacksonville Trinity Christian at Tampa Catholic
Clearwater Central Catholic at Miami Westminster Christian
Class 2A state semifinals: The winners advance to the 2A state championship game on Dec. 6.
Victory Christian Academy at North Florida Christian
Champagnat at Indian Rocks Christian