What a week for high school football, especially in our great State of Florida.
Wednesday was a great day for players as hundreds of talented players signed on Early Signing Day pledging to take their skillsets to play college football.
This year is quite different from the past as Early Signing Day was accelerated a couple weeks from last year’s coronation. Now, signed players will play in the remainder of the playoffs. (That’s a whole different subject on it’s own that we will tap into later)
Friday, The Villages will host two State Championship Games, the inaugural Rural FIT Invitational State Championships at 1PM and the Rural State Championship later that evening at 7:30PM.
Thursday will initiate the State Semifinals for Classes 1A-7A, with one game played Thursday, and the remainder played statewide on Friday. These games are for all the marbles to determine who will head down on the Drive to the 305 to play in the 2024 State Championships to be held at Florida International’s Pitbull Stadium.
One ticket will be punched Thursday night between Clearwater Central Catholic, last year’s State Runner in Class 1M, and host West Palm Beach Cardinal Newman, helmed by former State Champion head coach Jack Daniels from former Dwyer glory. Neither school has claimed a State Championship in their school’s football history.
THURSDAY’S STATE SEMIFINAL GAME
CLASS 1A STATE SEMIFINAL
(3) Clearwater Central Catholic Marauders (11-2)
at
(2) West Palm Beach Cardinal Newman Crusaders (10-1)
Sam Budnyk Field
West Palm Beach, FL
Game Link:
GAME LINK: Clearwater Central Catholic Marauders at West Palm Beach Cardinal Newman Crusaders
https://www.floridagridironpreps.com/game/46694
WEST PALM BEACH CARDINAL NEWMAN CRUSADERS
RECORD: 10-1
HC: Jack Daniels
District Champs
Newman have only suffered one loss this season, a low scoring 14-7 clash to Class 6A powerhouse and current State Semifinalist Gainesville Buchholz.
2024 PLAYOFF WINS
REGION QUARTERFINAL: Evangelical Christian 51-0
REGION SEMIFINAL: Community School of Naples 42-0
REGION FINAL: Naples First Baptist 27-9
The Crusaders have cruised through the playoffs, thumping Evangelical and CSN by a combined 93 points and delivering back-to-back donuts, and only allowed 9 points last week against Naples First Baptist, who were state champions just two years ago in 2022.
CLEARWATER CENTRAL CATHOLIC MARAUDERS
RECORD: 11-2
HC: Chris Harvey
District Champs
Marauders have only suffered two losses this season, back-to-back vs. national powerhouses Venice, and St. Frances Academy out of Baltimore. The loss to then #2 ranked Venice was a slim 27-20 defeat versus a national Class 7A Powerhouse. This defeat put the state on alert as Venice has many blowouts this season, but had to battle fiercely to escape with a 7 point win.
2024 PLAYOFF WINS
REGION QUARTERFINAL: Holy Trinity Episcopal 64-15
REGION SEMIFINAL: Carrollwood Day 45-0
REGION FINAL: Lakeland Christian 35-14
The Marauders have taken no mercy on teams, with a sixty piece spicy with fries on Holy Trinity to send a resounding statement in the initial round of the playoffs. After the 64-15 shalackin, CCC delivered a E-40 on Carrollwood Day 45-0. Last week, Lakeland Christian scored 14, but CCC outpaced the Vikings to reach Thursday night’s State Semifinals with hopes of returning back to the State Championships.
