Jones receiver Larry Miles said that housemate, teammate and friend Dereon Coleman yelled at him during the team’s pregame meal Friday night.

Jones was preparing to face Port Charlotte in a Class 4A state semifinal game and the quarterback thought his main receiver needed more focus.

It apparently worked. Coleman and Jones hooked up for 9 passes for 113 yards and Coleman also hit DJ Hicks 7 times for 112 yards and two touchdowns as Jones got past Port Charlotte 35-23. Miles also scored two running touchdowns.

The victory sends Jones back to the 4A state title game in Miami for the second straight year, where the Tigers will again face Plantation American Heritage. Jones lost to Heritage last year 40-31 in the championship game.

Pictures: Jones High Wins Football Playoff Over Port Charlotte

“I saw those boys playing around [at the team meal] and I didn’t like that. I knew we had to win this game and I had to get onto him. I saw he was locked in after that and I knew it was go time,” Coleman said of Miles. “Our bond is very special. It’s like none other than I have with anybody else. He’s like a brother to me. … We love each other to death.”

Miles said Coleman’s message to lock in helped him focus.

“Before the game, I’m not gonna lie, my quarterback was yelling at me because I was playing around,” Miles said. “After that, I just got quiet and locked in.”

The defense, which defensive coordinator Billy Daniels said had its best practice all season this week, stepped up to shut down Port Charlotte in the second half. The Indians’ only score in the final two quarters was a Pick-6 interception of a Coleman pass, which gave Port Charlotte a 23-21 lead with 8:18 left in the third quarter.

Jones did not get frazzled. While the defense made stops, Jones kept moving the football, but two drives stalled and Jones missed two field goals. Then Bertrand Derose gave Jones the jolt it needed.

Derose recovered a fumble at the Jones 38-yard line, and the Tigers pushed right down the field, scoring on a tough 15-yard Daunte Wallace run during which he broke three tackles and carried defenders. That gave Jones a 28-23 lead with 8:11 remaining.

Jones forced another punt and drove the field again, with Miles scoring from 2 yards out, to put away the game.

Jones coach Elijah Williams lauded the offensive line for its second-half blocking.

“It was hard and we couldn’t run the ball, but we challenged the O-line at halftime and said, ‘We’re gonna have to run the ball to win this game,’ ” Williams said.

And run the ball they did. Wallace had runs of 10 and 15 yards on one scoring drive, and Jones ran the ball on all but one play of its final scoring drive for 48 of the 65 yards.

“That last drive we punched it right down their throat. Took up five minutes,” Williams said.

Coleman said he was relieved to get back to the title game.

“It feels how it’s been feeling the whole season. I’ve been wanting to get back [to the championship game] and now I know we got Heritage and I just got to get my get-back,” said Coleman. “As a quarterback, you gotta stay calm and composed no matter what comes your way, so we just gotta keep doing that and we’re gonna keep winning.”

The defense was solid, especially in the second half. Derose had the fumble recovery, Reggie Harris and Antwoine Glover had key pass breakups and Fred Ards had a huge 10-yard sack on Port Charlotte’s final drive.

“Our guys stood up. I’m so proud of them. Hats off to our kids,” Williams said. “We’re going back-to-back. We gotta win it this time. We gotta get locked in and bring it back home.”

Chris Hays can be found on X.com @OS_ChrisHays.