Greg Gaines leads undefeated Tampa Bay Tech into regional semifinals playoff matchup with Palmetto

Iowa State commit Greg Gaines had a big game last week, and will try to lead unbeaten Tampa Bay Tech over Palmetto.

The Palmetto Tigers and Tampa Bay Tech Titans will square off in the regional semifinals round of the Florida high school football playoffs on Friday night. Here's a look at the matchup:

PALMETTO VS. TAMPA BAY TECH, NOV. 19, 7:30 P.M.

The Palmetto Tigers (5-5) are coming off a 41-6 win over Wiregrass Ranch, where they rushed for over 200 yards. A name to keep an eye on for the Tigers will be senior running back Cleve Benson, who averages 83 rushing yards per game and has nine rushing touchdowns on the season. Freshman quarterback Zander Smith will look to get back on track, as he struggled in the passing game in last week’s game against the Bulls. 

Senior defensive back Sheldrick Simpson will be a name to keep an eye on the Tiger defense, as he had a pair of interceptions in last week’s win. Senior defensive end Cedric Augustine also picked up a couple of sacks in the opening round win last week. 

Despite the five losses the Tigers had in the regular season, all of them were against teams who are playing in the postseason and finished with a combined record of 44-9. “We are ready for anyone, as we faced a difficult schedule this season to prepare for this moment,” Palmetto head coach David Marino said earlier this week.

The Tampa Bay Tech Titans (11-0) are coming off a 30-7 win over Largo in their opening round playoff game last week. Junior quarterback Xavione Washington threw for 294 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the victory. 

A player to watch on the Titans' offense is senior wide receiver Greg Gaines (Iowa State commit), who is coming off a 100-yard night a week ago. A couple of other names to keep an eye on will be senior running backs James Evans IV and Ronald Sims, who combined to rush for over 1,300 yards during the regular season. 

The Titans' defense is full of beasts, especially on the defensive line that features junior defensive end Antonio Camon, who holds offers from Kansas, Louisville, Maryland, Penn State, South Carolina and others. Also keep an eye on junior defensive tackle Jaheim Borden who picked up a team-high 10 tackles in their opening round win over Largo.