Lake Mary shatters DeLand’s dreams as Jones and Bishop Moore surge toward glory in a season-defining showdown.QQ

Seven Orlando-area teams made it to the quarterfinal round of the FHSAA football playoffs Friday night. Just three advanced as Lake Mary, Jones and Bishop Moore moved on to the semifinal round.

Lake Mary, using the potent combo of quarterback Noah Grubbs and receiver Barrett Schulz, knocked out previously unbeaten DeLand in Class 7A. Jones stretched its nine-game win streak by dispatching of Lake Wales for the second time this year in 4A. And 3A Bishop Moore got another sterling performance from running back Amar’e Johnson to eliminate Eau Gallie.

Previously unbeaten Edgewater lost to Lakeland in 5A and Dr. Phillips in 7A and South Lake in 6A ran into top-seed buzzsaws Vero Beach and Armwood.

Due to the Class 3A Region 4 championship between Miami Northwestern and Miami Central being moved to Saturday, the FHSAA will not update its rankings until late Saturday or early Sunday. Semifinal matchups and sites are expected to be announced afterword.

7A Region 1 championship

Lake Mary 40, DeLand 31

Grubbs and Schulz, a transfer from Orange City University, put on a show. They combined for eight completions, good for 154 yards and two touchdowns for Lake Mary (10-3).

Grubbs completed 18-of-29 passes for 272 yards and three touchdowns. The Rams expect to be the No. 2 seed and play at home vs. Venice next week. The Indians dismantled the Rams 52-19 in last year’s state championship game.

“They’re defying gravity,” Lake Mary coach Scott Perry said of Grubbs and Schulz. “Barrett goes up and gets the ball and Noah puts it where it needs to be. It was really special to watch those guys work.”

Lake Mary came up with a key turnover late in the third quarter. After Grubbs scored on a 1-yard run to boost Lake Mary back in front 26-25, the Rams squibbed the ball on the kickoff and recovered it at the DeLand 35-yard line. Grubbs connected with Schulz for a 23-yard pass to the 8. Two plays later Grubbs passed to Terrance Dixon for a TD that put Lake Mary up 33-25 with 2:48 left in the third quarter.

DeLand hit right back with an 80-yard touchdown run by Taihj Moore, but the Bulldogs failed to convert a two-point try, and Lake Mary maintained a 33-31 lead.

DeLand put together a fourth-quarter drive that headed toward a potential go-ahead score. But Lake Mary forced a field goal try. Christian Baez, who hit a 36-yard field goal earlier in the game, missed wide right on a 33-yard attempt with 7:51 left.

DeLand, usually a very disciplined team, had holding penalties that nullified two touchdown runs, one an 86-yarder by Gardner Nordman. That spelled the only loss of the season for the Bulldogs (12-1), who were No. 1 in the FHSAA power rankings for all eight classifications.

“We had two touchdowns called back with the penalties, had the kick squib out of our hands and we missed a field goal. We had our chances,” DeLand coach Rick Darlington said. “Every game comes down to a handful of plays. And tonight we didn’t end up on the right side of those plays.”

DeLand came in averaging nearly 50 points per game and more than 400 yards. The Bulldogs did manage to rack up 400 yards, but the Lake Mary defense made big plays when needed.

Moore had 21 carries for 161 yards and scored twice. His teammate, Marceles Carey had nine carries for 87 yards.

Jamarion Coleman, another Orange City University transfer to Lake Mary, picked off a pass and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown with 27 seconds left in the game to seal the victory.

“Our guys kept fighting and kept fighting and made some plays when we had to and so I’m really proud of them,” Perry said. “And now the road to the state championship comes through Lake Mary.”

4A Region 2 championship

Jones 24, Lake Wales 10

Jones started the game with short touchdown runs by Kameron Lee along with Duante Wallace and quarterback Dereon Coleman hit DJ Hicks with a 46-yard touchdown pass as the Tigers (11-2) bolted out to a 21-0 lead.

Jones coach Elijah Williams was pleased with the efforts of his defense.

“Man, it was lights-out,” Williams said. “That was a huge challenge. They’ve got some playmakers over there that can really score some points.”

Jones, in a state semifinal for the fifth straight year, expects to become the top seed and stay home to play Port Charlotte (11-2) next week. Previous No. 1 Archbishop McCarthy lost Friday to American Heritage-Plantation.

3A Region 2 championship

Bishop Moore 31, Eau Gallie 28

In a much-anticipated rematch, the Hornets were able to avenge last year’s region final loss to the Commodores. Johnson, who moved to Orlando from West Virginia prior to last season, broke Bishop Moore’s single-season rushing record with 214 yards and three touchdowns. He has 2,094 yards for the year.

“I’m so blessed. My O-line blocked amazing for me tonight. Even the receivers blocked well,” Johnson said. “I write goals at the start of every season, and I expected this for myself.”

The Hornets are in the final four for the first time since their 2015 state-championship season. Bishop Moore is the No. 4 seed as the rankings stand and will travel to Miami Northwestern or Jacksonville Raines next week — pending the result of the Saturday night game.

Asked which team he would rather face, Bishop Moore coach Matt Hedrick said, “There is no good answer to that question.”

Bishop Moore led 31-14 before holding off an Eau Gallie rally.

“The kids worked really hard and they earned the right to win,” Hedrick said. “It’s a special group — a low-maintenance, high-character group of young men. It was a great team win and I’m excited for them to win a regional championship.”

5A Region 2 championship

Lakeland 28, Edgewater 14

Lakeland (11-2) got a pair of long kickoff return touchdowns from Christopher Cresser that turned out to be the difference, spoiling Edgewater’s undefeated season.

Cresser’s 99-yard return to open the second half gave the Dreadnaughts a 14-0 lead after a defensive first half. His 95-yarder early in the fourth quarter took the air out of the crowd at Edgewater (12-1) after the Eagles tied the game at 14-14.

“I’m really lucky to have gotten the chance to coach these guys in a memorable season,” first-year Eagles coach Patrick Browning said. “It was a fun team to coach with a great group of seniors.”

One of those seniors was quarterback Carter Emanuel, who had an up-and-down night. He was 26-of-43 for 251 yards and two touchdowns, but he also had three interceptions, including a pick-6 late in the fourth quarter that sealed Lakeland’s win.

7A Region 3 championship

Vero Beach 49, Dr. Phillips 23

Dr. Phillips quarterback Camren West scored on a 96-yard run to start the game, but it was all Vero after that. FSU commit Efrem White scored four touchdowns for Vero (13-0), which avenged a 2024 playoff loss to DP.

The Panthers ended the season at 9-4.

6A Region 2 championship

Armwood 42, South Lake 0

Armwood (13-0) jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter over outmanned South Lake (11-2).

South Lake coach Brad Lord said afterward, “That was a different beast. I don’t see them losing. That’s the best team I’ve seen since Manatee with Tommy Frazier [1990-91].”