Florida High Football Advances with 42-31 Victory

On November 14, the Florida High Seminoles (5-6) faced the Baldwin Indians (2-3) in a Class 2A regional quarterfinal playoff matchup, coming away with 42-31 victory.

With a spot in the regional semifinals on the line and a chance to take on the number one ranked team in Class 2A, the Bolles Bulldogs, both teams entered the night looking to extend their season. What followed was an exciting and back and forth battle filled with big plays, momentum swings, and plenty of highs and lows from start to finish.

On a freezing night, Florida High brought the heat early with a long opening return that set the Seminoles up with great starting field position. After converting on a third down with a strong catch from receiver Jaylan Lurry, a penalty stalled the opening drive and Baldwin took over. The Indians showed signs of life early when running back Nashawn Jacobs broke loose for a 30 yard gain, but the drive ended in a punt, beginning a trend over the next few possessions.

Baldwin struck first late in the opening quarter on a tricky play and a big catch from Harrison Farnum, followed by quarterback Stephen Screws showcasing his ability to maneuver inside and outside the pocket and stay in place long enough to extend the play and move his team into the red zone. After missing on their first three attempts, Baldwin settled for a field goal to take a 3 to 0 lead.

Florida High answered in the second quarter when Jaylan Lurry hauled in a deep pass, and Brysin Brown followed with a long run to set the Seminoles up deep in Baldwin territory. Quarterback Jayme Miller capped the drive with a designed run to give Florida High a 7 to 3 lead.

With about a minute remaining in the half, Jaylan Lurry delivered again. He made a tough catch and plowed through multiple defenders for a touchdown, pushing the score to 14 to 3. Baldwin responded immediately with a deep completion and a touchdown to Jaiden Barnett, trimming the score to 14 to 10 going into halftime.

Baldwin opened the second half with another long run from Nashawn Jacobs, followed by another touchdown pass to Jaiden Barnett, giving the Indians a 17 to 14 lead.

Florida High answered with a steady drive that ended with receiver Gabriel Miley holding on to a touchdown pass to put the Seminoles back in front 21 to 17. On Baldwin’s next play, Florida High recovered a fumble and capitalized instantly when receiver Derrick Caldwell caught a touchdown to extend the lead to 28 to 17.

Early in the fourth quarter, running back Michael Jones broke loose for his first touchdown of the night, stretching the lead to 35 to 17. Baldwin answered with a deep touchdown pass to receiver John Harvey, cutting the score to 35 to 24. Florida High responded almost immediately on the next drive when Michael Jones scored his second touchdown of the night to push the lead to 42 to 24.

Baldwin added one more touchdown by John Harvey to make it 42 to 31, and after forcing the Seminoles to punt, the Indians had one final chance to cut the deficit. Their last drive stalled, and they turned the ball over on downs. Florida High took possession, ran out the clock, and secured the playoff win.

Notable performances for Florida High included quarterback Jayme Miller (So.) with three passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown, and running back Michael Jones (Jr.) with two rushing touchdowns. For Baldwin, quarterback Stephen Screws (Sr.) finished with four passing touchdowns, while receivers Jaiden Barnett (So.) and John Harvey (Sr.) each recorded two touchdown receptions.