Lake Mary High School is a Regional Football Champion.
For the first time in program history, the Rams hoisted a Regional Championship trophy and will advance to the FHSAA Semifinals (Final 4) for the first time ever.
And to make things even a little sweeter for Lake Mary, it came at home in a blowout victory over neighborhood rival Seminole.
The Rams (11-2) eased past the Fighting Seminoles (10-2), 42-3, with a running clock the final 10-minutes of the game, in the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 7A-Region 1 Finals at Don T. Reynolds Stadium.
In the reseeding of the Final 4, No. 2 seeded Lake Mary will host No. 3 Dr. Phillips in the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 7A-Semifinals this Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at Don T. Reynolds Stadium.
The Rams and Seminole had advanced to the Regional Championship Game with victories over Volusia County rivals Spruce Creek (8-4) and Orange City-University (9-3), respectively, in the Regional Semifinals.
Here is a short recap:
Lake Mary 52, Spruce Creek 32
Senior running back Isaiah Thomas was the offensive star in this one, carrying the ball 24-times for 170-yards and three touchdowns while also catching a23-yard touchdown pass from Noah Grubbs, who was 10-for-19 passing for 119-yards with a touchdown and two interceptions and also carried the ball twice for 10-yards and a touchdown.
Junior running back Gavin Isaacs also had a big game on the ground, carrying the ball 5-times for 81-yards and a touchdown.
Carson Friedman had the best night among the receiving corps with five receptions for 71 yards and also had 41 yards kickoff returns.
Defensively, Elijah Straker had a big night with five tackles and a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Placekicker Emilio Bacardi continued his outstanding season, accounting for 10 points himself.
Lake Mary 52, Spruce Creek 32
First Quarter
SC _ Anthony Hayden 1 run (2-point attempt failed).
LM _ Isaiah Thomas 22 pass from Noah Grubbs (Emilio Bacardi kick).
Second Quarter
LM _ Isaiah Thomas 2 run (Emilio Bacardi kick).
LM _ Elijah Straker 30 interception return (Emilio Bacardi kick).
LM _ Emilio Bacardi 41 fG.
SC _ Tony Kinsler 80 pass from Jacob Lohman (2-point attempt failed).
SC _ Kam Chamble 24 interception return (2-point attempt failed).
Third Quarter
LM _ Noah Grubbs 1 run (Emilio Bacardi kick).
LM _ Isaiah Thomas 7 run (Emilio Bacardi kick).
SC _ Cameron Oxendine 81 pass from PJ Miller (Kam Chamble pass from PJ Miller).
Fourth Quarter
LM _ Isaiah Thomas 4 run (Emilio Bacardi kick).
LM _ Gavin Isaacs 10 run (Emilio Bacardi kick).
SC _ Kam Chamble 20 pass from Joe Aicher (2-point attest failed).
Seminole 24, Orange City-University 20
Host Seminole played from behind almost the entire game, but came up with the big plays when needed in the fourth quarter to eliminate Orange City-University, 24-20, in a Class 7A-Region 1 Semifinal at Thomas E. Whigham Stadium in the Tim Raines Athletic Complex.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Titans scored a pair of second period touchdowns to take a 14-0 lead into the halftime break.
The Fighting Seminoles got back into the contest with Liam Allen 25-yard field goal and a 2-yard run by quarterback Michael Clayton, but the hosts still found themselves down 14-10 with just 12-minutes to play.
The Tribe sis not take its first lead until there was just over 8-minutes left in the game when Omari Griffin picked off a University pass and returned it 35-yards for a touchdown.
But the Titans quickly regained the lead, capping a quick series with a 25-yard touchdown pass to take a 20-17 lead with 7-minutes remaining.
The hosts had the answer, however, as the Notes took just two plays to find pay dirt again, as Clayton found Devin Voltaire for a 39-yard pass play and on the next snap, Khamani Robinson broke free for a 25-yard game-winning touchdown gallop with 6-minutes to play.
The Seminole defense did the rest, forcing a punt with 4-minutes remaining and the offense was able to kill the clock.
Robinson had a monster night on the ground, carrying the ball 20-times for 149-yards and the touchdown.
Clayton had a good game under center, completing 16-of-27 passes for 146-yards and also running for the touchdown on his only carry of the night.
Anthony Gay III had nine receptions for 87-yards and Voltaire had two catches for 50-yards.
Defensively, Griffin and Terrence Thompson Jr. had interceptions and David Coleman Jr. forced a fumble, while the group also had six sacks _ with Rasheem Turner Jr. and Brandon Sims recording two each _ and two hurries.
Seminole 24, Orange City-University 20
First Quarter
No scoring.
Second Quarter
OCU _ Anthony May 12 run (Owen Baylor kick).
OCU _ Isaiah Baker 4 pass from Malachi Walters (Owen Baylor kick).
Third Quarter
SHS _ Liam Allen 25 FG.
SHS _ Michael Clayton 2 run (Liam Allen kick).
Fourth Quarter
SHS _ Omari Griffin 35 interception return (Liam Allen kick).
OCU _ Barrett Schulz 25 pass from Malachi Walters (Kick blocked).
SHS _ Khamani Robinson 25 run (Liam Allen kick).
Lake Mary 42, Seminole 3
Standout linebacker Luke Prieto set the tone for Lake Mary with a 30-yard interception return that gave the hosts a 7-0 lead that they would not relinquish and the Rams won their first-ever Regional Championship with a 42-3 victory over longtime neighborhood rival Seminole in the Class 7A-Region 1 Final at Don T. Reynolds Stadium.
Noah Grubbs didn’t have one his best games passing, going just 8-for-14 for 184-yards, but three of the completions went for touchdowns as the star junior quarterback reached the 100 touchdown plateau, joining former Lake Nona QB Tucker Israel as the second Orlando area QB to reach 100.
Carson Friedman caught three of those passes for 115-yards and a touchdown, while Chase Hinshaw had a pair of receptions for 47-yards, both of which went for touchdowns.
On the ground, Parker Perales carried the ball 10 times for 98-yards and a touchdown and Jaysen Soto also had 10 carries for 23-yards and a score.
Defensively, Prieto also had a quarterback sack, while Brad Billups and TJ Clayton also had interceptions.
Lake Mary 42, Seminole 3
First Quarter
LM _ Luke Prieto 30 interception return (Emilio Bacardi kick).
SHS _ Liam Allen 37 FG.
LM _ Carson Friedman 65 pass from Noah Grubbs (Emilio Bacardi kick).
Second Quarter
LM _ Chase Hinshaw 20 pass from Hoah Grubbs (Emilio Bacardi kick).
LM _ Jaysen Soto 3 run (Emilio Bacardi kick).
Third Quarter
LM _ Parker Perales 3 run (Emilio Bacardi kick).
Fourth Quarter
LM _ Chase Hinshaw 32 pass from Noah Grubbs (Emilio Bacardi kick).
Here are the FHSAA scores and schedules:
FHSAA Playoffs
Regionals
Quarterfinals
Friday, November 15
Class 6A-Region 1
(3) Pace 49, (6) Oviedo 21.
Class 7A-Region 1
(1) Lake Mary 49, (8) DeLand 14.
(5) Spruce Creek 36, (4) Flagler Palm Coast 35.
(3) Orange City-University 31, (6) Winter Park 23.
(2) Seminole 38, (7) St. Johns-Creekside 28.
Semifinals
Friday, November 22
Class 7A-Region 1
(1) Lake Mary 52, (5) Spruce Creek 32.
(2) Seminole 24, (3) Orange City-University 20.
Finals
Friday, November 29
Class 7A-Region 1
(1) Lake Mary 42, (2) Seminole 3.
Final 4
Class 7A
Friday, December 6
(4) Miami-Columbus at (1) Venice, 7:30 p.m.
(3) Dr. Phillips vs. (2) Lake Mary at Don T. Reynolds Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
