Day 3 of the FHSAA football state championships preview
We are down to the final 144 minutes of high school football this 2023 season and it has been an absolute blast.
It has taken us from all the way as far south to Tropical Park in Miami over to the Florida Panhandle to Eagles Stadium in Niceville.
That's quite a ways, but the high school football season in the Sunshine State is always a roller coaster and these final three matchups give you a little bit of everything to cap off the three days of the FHSAA state championships.
Let's take a closer look at each game that will be taking place today.
CLASS 2M: Miami Norland (14-0) vs. Berkeley Prep (12-2)
PREVIEW: Unstoppable running backs facing a seemingly immovable defensive front is what to watch for when the Buccaneers and Vikings clash on Saturday morning's tilt for 2M state championship. When taking a look at each team's strengths, Norland has one of the best defensive fronts in the entire state while Berkeley Prep's ground attack has proven themselves to be formidable after producing a pair of 1,000-yard backs once again. Leading the Vikings' front is Pittsburgh commitment Jeremiah Marcelin leads the team with 45 tackles, 13 for a loss, six sacks and middle linebacker Anthony Mattison, who has a team-high 81 tackles. The engine to the Norland attack is junior quarterback Ennio Yapoor, who has thrown for 3,960 yards, 28 touchdowns compared to just four interceptions. Berkeley Prep counters with the 1-2 tandem of running backs Dallas Golden (1,284 yards, 18 touchdowns) and Joseph Troupe (1,386 yards, 16 touchdowns).
ANDY'S PICK: Miami Norland 28, Berkeley Prep 6
CLASS 3M: St. Thomas Aquinas (13-1) vs. Homestead (12-1)
PREVIEW: This is a rematch from last year's 3M state championship game, with St. Thomas Aquinas walked away with a 38-21 victory over Homestead. This time around, the game is shaping up to becoming better than a year ago. The Raiders only loss of the season came at the very beginning against St. John Bosco (California), but since then. Roger Harriott's group has won 13 games in a row. On offense, St. Thomas Aquinas is led by Ohio State commitment Jordan Lyle, who has rushed for a team-high 1,259 yards and scored 20 touchdowns. Navigating the offense under center is Andrew Indorf (2,036 yards, 25 touchdowns), who has a pair of Power 5 level receivers in James Madison II and Chance Robinson to throw to. On the Homestead side, they'll lean heavily on the backfield duo of quarterback Joshua Townsend and running back Isaac Brown, who is committed to Louisville.
ANDY'S PICK: St. Thomas Aquinas 35, Homestead 20
CLASS 4S: Venice (12-2) vs. Lakeland (11-3)
PREVIEW: The finale of the FHSAA finals is another rematch from last year, which ended up being the swan song for longtime Lakeland head coach Bill Castle. The Dreadnaughts came away 21-14 winners over the Indians, but John Peacock and crew are in search of revenge heading in. Both teams are vastly different compared to a year ago and have upgraded in certain areas. Lakeland quarterback Zander Smith, who transferred in from Palmetto over the off-season, has guided the offense with 1,758 passing yards and 22 touchdowns. Four running backs for Lakeland have rushed for 250 or more yards, with Markel Johnson leading the way with 620. Malik Morris has made a difference on both sides of the ball for Lakeland, also rushing for two touchdowns in the state semifinal win over Buchholz last week. On the Venice side of things, Central Michigan commitment Jadyn Glasser has made this offense more potent than last year's group, throwing for 2,729 yards and 28 touchdowns. Glasser is joined by a pair of talented running backs in Jamarice Wilder (1,160 yards) and Alvin Johnson III (1,018 yards). Florida State commitment Charles Lester III and Duke commitment Ryan Daly anchors a defense that generated 44 sacks and 15 interceptions of opposing quarterbacks.
ANDY'S PICK: Venice 42, Lakeland 38
FHSAA 2023 CHAMPIONSHIPS BRACKETS
2023 FHSAA CLASS 4M STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
2023 FHSAA CLASS 4S STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
2023 FHSAA CLASS 3M STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
2023 FHSAA CLASS 3S STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
2023 FHSAA CLASS 2M STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
2023 FHSAA CLASS 2S STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
2023 FHSAA CLASS 1M STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
2023 FHSAA CLASS 1S STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
2023 FHSAA CLASS 1R STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl
