{"id":271862,"date":"2026-05-15T05:47:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T05:47:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/271862\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T05:47:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T05:47:11","slug":"seminole-ridge-flag-football-now-focused-on-states-in-tampa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/271862\/","title":{"rendered":"Seminole Ridge Flag Football Now Focused On States In Tampa"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Seminole Ridge High School celebrates winning the regional championship. Photo by Richard Areyzaga Jr.<\/p>\n

The Seminole Ridge High School varsity flag football team is two wins away from earning a second straight Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 3A state title, which would be the seventh state flag football title in school history.<\/p>\n

The Hawks (18-2) are now getting ready to play in the Class 3A state semifinal game at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 15 against East Lake High School (13-5) from Tarpon Springs. That semifinal game, and the Class 3A final on Saturday, May 16, will be held in Tampa at the AdventHealth Training Center, which is the indoor practice facility of the NFL\u2019s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.<\/p>\n

If Seminole Ridge defeats the Eagles from East Lake, the Hawks will then advance to the championship game against either Lawton Chiles High School from Tallahassee or St. Thomas Aquinas High School from Fort Lauderdale. That final will kick off at 6 p.m. and can be watched on the NFHS Network, as can all eight semifinal games in the four state classifications.<\/p>\n

To earn its way to the state final four, Seminole Ridge had to win three straight regional playoff games in recent weeks. As the top seed in Region 2, the Hawks played all three regional games at home at Callery-Judge Stadium in Westlake.<\/p>\n

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In the regional quarterfinal on Wednesday, April 29, Seminole Ridge blanked Auburndale High School, 46-0. In a regional semifinal on Monday, May 4, the Hawks dominated Springstead High School, 33-6. Next, in the regional final on Thursday, May 7, Seminole Ridge faced the Gators from Land O\u2019 Lakes High School. It was a rematch of a regular season game on Feb. 28, which Seminole Ridge won by the slimmest of margins, 13-12. This time, Seminole Ridge won 20-12, but it was a hard-fought victory.<\/p>\n

Coach Scott O\u2019Hara knew that his team would have to work hard to defeat Land O\u2019 Lakes, since there was so much riding on the outcome of the game. \u201cI expected a tough game, and it was just that,\u201d O\u2019Hara said.<\/p>\n

Seminole Ridge scored touchdowns on its first two drives and led 13-0 at the end of the first quarter, based on a pair of touchdown passes from quarterback Aubrey Fogel to teammates Avaree Brant and Jazlyn Ruiz. But Land O\u2019 Lakes responded late in the second quarter to make the score 13-6, courtesy of a 55-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Sophia Spiegel to freshman receiver Ryleigh Eaton. The score remained 13-6 at halftime.<\/p>\n

It remained a one-score game throughout the third quarter and going into the final stanza. Midway through the fourth quarter, Fogel connected with Ava Dowdell for a 23-yard touchdown pass. The point-after-touchdown pass to Chachi Saunders gave the Hawks what appeared to be an unsurmountable 20-6 lead with just a few minutes left to play in the game, but within a minute, the Gators drove down the field and scored another touchdown to make it 20-12. The visiting Gators didn\u2019t have enough timeouts to stop the clock, nor enough time to force a Seminole Ridge punt. At the final whistle, every member of the Seminole Ridge team erupted into a simultaneous celebration.<\/p>\n

In the game against Land O\u2019 Lakes, Fogel was 21-for-39 for 267 yards and three touchdown passes. Ruiz had seven catches for 64 yards. Saunders caught three passes for 77 yards. Defensively, Brant had 10 flag pulls and a quarterback sack.<\/p>\n

In other flag football news, the Wolverines from Wellington High School were the second seed in Region 3 of the FHSAA\u2019s Class 4A. On Wednesday, April 29, Wellington hosted Jupiter High School in a regional quarterfinal. The visiting Warriors were no match for Wellington, and the Wolverines prevailed 39-0.<\/p>\n

The next game, a regional semifinal on Monday, May 4, pitted second-seeded Wellington against third-seeded Fort Pierce Central. Despite Wellington having the home field advantage, Fort Pierce looked more comfortable and played with enough energy, speed and quickness to win, 18-6.<\/p>\n

In the game\u2019s waning minutes, with Fort Pierce leading 12-6 and Wellington mounting a major drive to score and possibly take the lead, a Fort Pierce defender intercepted a Wellington pass and took the ball the length of the field for a pick-six touchdown. Soon thereafter, the game\u2019s official clock expired, which ended Wellington\u2019s season with a 12-3 record.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Broncos from Palm Beach Central High School also received a bid to play in Region 3 of Class 4A. In its regional quarterfinal on April 29, Palm Beach Central traveled to play Fort Pierce Central. The Broncos lost by one touchdown, 13-6. Palm Beach Central finished the season with a record of 13-5.<\/p>\n

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