Once the postgame handshakes were finished, Armwood High’s band blasted music in the end zone. The players, coaches and fans immediately joined them for a raucous jam session.
They danced. They hugged. They made history.
The Hawks had just knocked off defending Class 7A state champion Lakeland in the region final, a victory that not only kept Armwood’s state title hopes alive but also vaulted the traditional area powerhouse into a top 25 national ranking.
That game, that conquest, put the spotlight on Armwood.
RELATED: Armwood dethrones the defending champ Dreadnaughts
But it was hardly the only noteworthy performance among local football programs. Six other area teams won: Steinbrenner (8A), Gaither (6A), Jesuit (5A), Lakewood (4A), Clearwater Central Catholic (3A) and Seffner Christian (2A).
This marks just the second time the area has ever had seven teams competing in the state semifinals, the other coming in 2013. And to think that this list does not include Plant, a traditional state title contender that missed the playoffs for the first since 2004.
The sheer volume of teams still competing gives the Tampa Bay area notoriety, too.
“It just shows how much talent there is and how much the area has grown in the sport,” longtime Plant coach Robert Weiner said.
There are a lot of factors that go into having so many teams making it this far in the same season.
RELATED: Lakewood’s dominant defense helps forgive a host of mistakes
One of the biggest contributors is the expansion of classifications — and teams — in the playoff brackets. There are now eight classes, all based on school enrollment. That makes for smaller districts, which spreads out teams in the area so they are not competing against each other constantly for the right to move on to the next round.
The seven area state semifinalists are all in different classifications. The only one not represented is Class A, which is considered rural.
In 1993, the Florida High School Athletic Association also added district runnerups as postseason qualifiers. Two years ago, the state’s governing body for sports revamped the format again, going with a points-based system to determine at-large berths.
“The way things are set up now makes it more fair,” said former Armwood coach Sean Callahan, now an assistant at Lakewood. “For years, we were always stuck in the same region as Plant and there was only one of us that was moving on. So that eliminated one quality area team early on each season.
“There’s more balance with the new system and more opportunity to get in and do something once you’re there.”
RELATED: Tampa Bay football teams claim seven region titles
It is not only finding the right system. Sometimes, the stars have to align, too.
This year’s local field includes plenty of established programs accustomed to making deep playoff runs. Then there’s Gaither, Seffner Christian and Steinbrenner, that are making their first-ever final four appearance.
“Some of this is cyclical and you need to have things fall into place at the right time,” Weiner said. “Look at Gaither and Steinbrenner. They both had a solid core that grew up together, continued to get better and gain confidence to the point where it has taken off exponentially. The anatomy of those teams is just perfect right now and there’s a magical quality about them.”
All of this could have a lasting effect. At least four area teams have reached the state semifinals nine times this decade, across multiple counties.
“I think this is a sign of things to come,” Lakewood head coach Cory Moore said. “I think you will see Pinellas County (which has never won a state title) go to the next level in the near future. Of course, with the amount of schools in our area, it can sometimes water things down, but there are outstanding coaches around here and it makes a difference.”
Staff writer Rodney Page contributed to this report.
Magnificent seven
Seven area teams are playing in the state final four Friday, tying the local record for most in one season. Here are some of the other top years for state semifinalists:
2013: 7 (Plant, 8A; East Lake, 7A; Armwood, 6A; Lakewood, 5A; Tampa Catholic, 3A; Clearwater Central Catholic, 3A; Indian Rocks Christian, 2A)
2009: 5 (Plant*, 5A; Armwood, 4A; Jefferson, 3A; Robinson, 2A; Tampa Catholic, 2B)
2011: 5 (Plant*, 8A; Armwood**, 6A; Pasco, 5A; Berkeley Prep, 3A; Admiral Farragut, 2A)
2008: 4 (Largo, 5A; Plant*, Class 4A; Pasco, 3A; Tampa Catholic, 2A)
2010: 4 (Plant, 5A; Armwood, 4A; Jefferson*, 3A; Robinson, 2A)
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"%20viewBox="0%200%204302%203000"/%3E)
2014: 4 (East Lake, 7A; Armwood, 6A; Clearwater Central Catholic, 3A; Indian Rocks Christian, 2A)
2015: 4 (Armwood, 6A; Jesuit, 5A; Clearwater Central Catholic, 3A; Cambridge Christian, 2A).
2016: 4 (Plant, 7A; Jesuit, 5A; Berkeley Prep, 4A; Clearwater Central Catholic, 3A)
2017: 4 (Plant, 7A; Armwood, 6A; Clearwater Central Catholic, 3A; Cambridge Christian, 2A)
2018: 4 (Armwood, 6A; Jesuit, 5A; Clearwater Central Catholic, 3A; Admiral Farragut, 2A)
* Teams went on to win state championships
** State title was eventually vacated
State semifinals
All games 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Class 2A
Seffner Christian (10-3) at Hialeah Champagnat (8-3)
Class 3A
Clearwater Central Catholic (10-3) at Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna (10-2)
Class 4A
Miami Washington (11-2) at Lakewood (12-0)
Class 5A
Jesuit (11-2) at Miami Northwestern (11-2)
Class 6A
Gaither (12-1) at Escambia (13-0)
Class 7A
Edgewater (12-1) at Armwood (12-1)
Class 8A
Steinbrenner (12-1) at Apopka (11-1)
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