American Heritage vs. Cardinal Gibbons
Headlining a loaded regional final playoff slate around Florida on Friday night is this Class 2M showdown between American Heritage (11-1) and Cardinal Gibbons (11-1), two teams on winning streaks and ranked in the top 5 of our Class 1-2 Top 25. Both squads are loaded with talent, but the Patriots were the better team in the last meeting – they handed the Chiefs their lone loss of the season back on October 1 by a final score of 21-2.
Prediction: American Heritage 24, Cardinal Gibbons 14
Edgewater vs. Jones
Edgewater (12-0) was victorious in one of the state’s top matchups last Friday night, defeating Tampa Bay Tech 28-24 to remain unbeaten. The path through the Class 3M playoffs doesn’t get any easier this week as the Eagles will square off against Jones (10-2), an opponent they defeated 14-13 earlier this season.
Prediction: Edgewater 24, Jones 21
Chaminade-Madonna vs. Cardinal Newman
There are two big unbeaten-vs-unbeaten matchups in the regional final round this Friday night, one of which is in Class 1M as Chaminade-Madonna (10-0) and Cardinal Newman (11-0) collide. The Crusaders defense has allowed only 91 total points this season, but will undoubtedly be facing its toughest opponent yet in the high-powered Lions offense, which is averaging 50.5 PPG. One of these winning streaks must come to end in this Florida playoff clash.
Prediction: Chaminade-Madonna 35, Cardinal Newman 17
St. Thomas Aquinas vs. Blanche Ely
The second of those unbeaten matchups comes in Class 3M as St. Thomas Aquinas (11-0) and Blanche Ely (10-0) face off. The Raiders have been dominant through the regional quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, with big wins over Coconut Creek and Atlantic, but they’ll certainly be put to the test by a Tigers team that has allowed only 84 points all season.
Prediction: St. Thomas Aquinas 35, Blanche Ely 14
Trinity Christian vs. University Christian
Two top teams from the Jacksonville area, Trinity Christian (11-0) and University Christian (10-1), will meet Friday night in a rematch from earlier this season. The Conquerors handed the Christians their only defeat of the season by a final tally of 20-13, and this game could play out similarly with a one-score outcome.
Prediction: Trinity Christian 24, University Christian 20
Hawthorne vs. Pahokee
Two more winning streaks are on the line in Florida playoff action in this showdown between the top two Class 1R teams in our Class 1-2 Top 25 rankings. Hawthorne has yet to lose en route to a 9-0 record and a combined 267-90 victory margin, while Pahokee (9-2) has not lost a game since the calendar flipped to October.
Prediction: Hawthorne 28, Pahokee 24
