St. Augustine
Perhaps the toughest rode to Orlando is the one St. Augustine must travel. They potential could face all panhandle teams in each round which traditionally has consisted of very tough teams. St. Augustine is a tough team themselves, built with an aggressive defense, and explosive weapons on offense. Head Coach Brian Braddock has taken St. Augustine to the playoffs in consecutive years since he was selected to be the head man. Traditionally a running team, Braddock has adjusted his offense to fit the skills of his players and it’s yielded great results. An undefeated regular season (9-0), third in Northeast Florida total offense (438 yds per game average), top 10 in defense, (202 yds per game), and possessing one of the best pass catching duos in the state. If this team has a weakness it may be their small defensive line which can be susceptible to the run. And their running game, which has a committee approach rather than one particular bell cow back. This team has all the intangibles to make it to state and they start their journey against Tate .
Key Players:
QB Austin Reed ( 2115 yds passing, 28 TD, 3 INT)
WR Karim Brown (952 yds rec, 15 TDs)
WR Cedrin Daniel ( 666yds rec, 7TDs)
DB Jaden McDowell ( 4 int)
DB Lonell Harris
LB Rylan Shugart
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Tate
Head coach Jay Lindsey leads the Aggies into the playoffs with a 7-3 record and as District 1-6A runners up. Based on the points system they were able to secure the #8 seed in the state tournament. This team based out of Cantonment Florida near Pensacola, is a ground and pound squad with a very effective running game. Shermari Jones has led them on the ground along with Hunter Riggan. They run behind big Tyler Dorsett and a big offensive line, who like to maul you for four quarters. They have been consistently good against average or bad teams, and consistently not so good against very good teams in 2017. Losses to Escambia and West Florida show difficulty to hang with offensive power houses, and they certainly run into one in the first round with the Jackets.
Key Players:
OL Tyler Dorsett
RB Shermari Jones (1076 Rushing yds 15 TDs)
QB/RB Hunter Riggan ( 905 yds rushing 9 TDs) (1112 pass yds 12 TDs 7 INT)
LB Jaderian Johnson
2017 Florida High School Football Playoff Brackets: FHSAA Class 6A
