Three down and two to go.
The Apopka Blue Darters won the Class 8-A Region 1 championship with a thrilling 28-27 victory against #1-ranked Seminole High School last Friday night in Sanford. It was their third playoff win, and it propels Apopka into the final four in the state championship postseason tournament.
Tonight, they will take the two-hour drive down the Florida Turnpike to Port St. Lucie to face the Treasure Coast Titans in the Class 8-A semifinals.
This will be the third straight away game for the Blue Darters in the playoffs. For the season, they are 5-1 on the road, while the Titans are 5-0 on their home field.
Apopka and Treasure Coast have no common opponents in 2021, but both teams are on a seven-game winning streak. The Blue Darters have outscored their opponents 268-39 in those games. The Titans defeated Palm Beach Central 34-0 in the Class 8 Region 2 championship last Friday night.
The Titans come into the semifinal clash averaging 42.27 points per game while allowing 16.27. Apopka is averaging 30.76 points per game, but its defense has been the catalyst of this streak, allowing just 7.31 points per game.
In the final USA Today Florida Network Poll of 8-A schools, Treasure Coast was ranked #3, while Apopka was ranked #7.
The winner of the Blue Darters-Titans game moves on to the State 8A Championship and will face the winner of the Miami Columbus (9-3) and Venice (12-1) game. Venice was ranked #2 in the final USA Today Florida Network Poll for 8A schools.
The Blue Darters have a history against Miami Columbus, defeating them 30-23 in the 2014 state championship, and more recently losing to them in the 2019 state championship 21-20.
The state semifinal kickoff is at 7:30 pm on Friday night at the South County Regional Stadium in Port St. Lucie. The address is 560 NW University Blvd Port St Lucie, FL 34986
The Titans are making the program's first Final Four appearance while Apopka has won three state titles since 2001.
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