ST. AUGUSTINE YELLOW JACKETS (12-0) at No. 1 ARMWOOD HAWKS (13-0)

When: Friday, December 1, 2017, 7:30 P.M.

Where: Lyle Flagg Field, 12000 East U.S. Highway 92, Seffner, FL 33584

TV: Spectrum Sports (Channel 47 and HD 1147)

Coaches:  ST. AUGUSTINE- Brian Braddock (23-2, 2nd Season), ARMWOOD- Evan Davis (13-0, 1st Season) 

How They Match Up:

Two undefeated teams go to battle Friday night in Seffner with a trip to the Class 7A state championship game on the line.  The Armwood Hawks flew unscathed and unbeaten through their fourth undefeated regular season in the past five years.  They’ve continued that march into the regional final with a chance to earn a spot in the state title tilt for the fourth time in five years (and sixth time in eight years).  Nearly half of the players on Armwood’s current roster could end up playing Division I college football, and senior quarterback Devin Black (2,102 passing yards, 28 total TD, 4 INT) has continued his maturation to become one of the elite dual threat QBs in the state.  Black has to feel like a kid in a candy store with all the weapons he has to work with.  Ohio State commit Brian Snead has racked up 3,528 rushing yards and 48 touchdowns over the course of his career (1,226 yards and 16 TD in 2017), and top tier colleges throughout the nation are fighting over the right to sign senior wide receiver/running back Jerome Ford (911 yards from scrimmage, 13 total TD).  Senior wide receiver Warren Thompson (460 receiving yards, 5 TD) is committed to Oregon, as is senior defensive end Malcolm Lamar (48 tackles, 19 tackles for a loss, 5 sacks), a manchild who’s virtually unblockable.  The same could be said about the other bookend, Fitzroy Gardner (90 tackles, 33 tackles for a loss, 16 sacks), who has made an incredible impact after transferring in from Lennard.  Armwood’s defense has allowed a ridiculous 5.9 points per game, and the Hawks leading tackler is James Miller (132 tackles, 9 sacks), who has six blocked kicks and an unfathomable 39 tackles for a loss.  Armwood has tallied 203 tackles for a loss on the season with linebackers Ricardo Watson (69 tackles, 27 tackles for a loss), De’Shard Hughes (76 tackles, 20 tackles for a loss), and Caleb Southerland (32 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss) all getting in on the action.  Senior nose guard Allah Whittaker (43 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss) is a bear inside, while senior safety Jhonny Quest (65 tackles) has impressed in the secondary.

St. Augustine eyes its first trip to the state championship game since 2007.  The Yellow Jackets are unbelievably balanced (228.9 rush yards per game, 223.7 pass yards per game) and have gotten a big boost from former Plant Panther Dexter Brown (1,614 rushing yards, 17 total TD) in the backfield.  Brown has nearly 800 rushing yards in three playoff games, including 365 and 4 TD against Navarre.  And he’s not the only Brown wreaking havoc.  Senior wide receiver Karim Brown (1,226 receiving yards, 16 TD) is the go-to guy for senior quarterback Austin Reed (2,654 passing yards, 36 total TD, 6 INT), a Southern Illinois commit who waited his turn behind Cole Northup for two years before getting his opportunity to shine.  Junior linebacker Rylan Shugart (62 tackles, 9 tackles for a loss, 3 sacks)is the centerpiece of the Yellow Jackets defense, and junior defensive end Robert Zuzu (55 tackles, 8 tackles for a loss, 4 sacks) is a smart young man with a never-ending motor.

Three Facts to Know:

1.  HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS- The Hawks earned home field advantage throughout the playoffs by racking up the highest points average in all of Class 6A based on the new postseason scoring system.  And being home definitely means something in their case!  Armwood is riding a 42-game home winning streak and owns a 36-2 record all-time in the playoffs.  The last time the Hawks lost at Lyle Flagg Field was on September 7, 2012 to American Heritage (Delray).  And they haven’t lost at home in the playoffs since 2002.

2.  POINTS APLENTY- St. Augustine has been a scoring machine all year, scoring 31 or more points in each of its 12 victories.  The Yellow Jackets are averaging 44.4 points per game, and they’ve been at their peak in the postseason.  St. Augustine scored 49 points in round one against Tate, 52 in round two against Navarre, and 49 last week in a regional final win over Crestview.

3.  FAMILY COMES FIRST- The Hawks used to break down at the end of practice by saying “1, 2, 3, hard work, 4, 5, 6 playoffs, 7, 8, 9 state championship!”  Senior captain Brian Snead made a notable change to that chant.  Snead told his teammates he wanted them to end on “family” instead of “state championship”.  It’s a great example of Snead’s evolution as a leader and the tight-knit group the Hawks have become.