Cocoa hosts Sarasota Booker in FHSAA Class 2S semifinal football game
If high school football teams played in one large association from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific, the odds of two teams building much of a history within that group of thousands of teams would be long.
But when teams play within the same state and usually within classifications based on enrollment, familiarity becomes possible, and storylines emerge. That's the case Friday when a familiar name visits Cocoa High, challenging the Tigers in an FHSAA Class 2S semifinal football game with a trip to the state championship on the line. Admission for semifinal games is $11.
Cocoa, 12-1 and winner of 10 games in a row, hosts Sarasota Booker at 7:30 p.m. The two faced each other 16 years ago in a similar situation, but the roles were reversed.
Now 17 years into playing season after season in FHSAA semifinal games, Cocoa plays the Booker program that was an early major roadblock the Tigers faced in their drive to become a state power.
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In 2005, Booker eliminated Cocoa from the playoffs, 33-0.
In 2007, the first year of the semifinal streak, the Tigers traveled to face an 11-1 Booker that had allowed just one postseason touchdown. Cocoa, then 9-3, came away with a 24-21 victory, sending them home to face Naples, which beat Cocoa (28-21) and went on to win the Class 3A state title.
In the win over Booker, Anthony Session covered a muffed Tornadoes punt in the fourth quarter. Tigers quarterback Steven Tagye scrambled for 18 yards on a fourth-and-13 and threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Wilson on another fourth-down play for the go-ahead points. Nicko McNeil rushed for 152 yards in the win.
It was a year later that Cocoa won its first championship and went on to win three consecutively.
This year, Booker comes in 9-4, following three playoff wins that stood out for a No. 7 seed. The Tornadoes defeated the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in Region 4-2S, all on the road.
In the regional quarterfinal, Booker beat previously unbeaten Fort Meade, 33-17. Fort Meade had closed out the regular season with 54-0 and 56-0 wins. A week later, the Tornadoes repaid District 15 opponent Lemon Bay, 14-0. Lemon Bay had won in the regular season, 26-18.
Last week, Booker eliminated 11-win Bishop Verot, 38-32. The Tornadoes forced three turnovers, returning an interception 62 yards for a touchdown. Offensively, Booker rushed for 266 yards and three scores.
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Ahmad Hunter, a 5-foot-7, 200-pound senior, leads Booker in rushing with 850 yards and seven scores this season. Yet, the offense hasn't focused solely on him, with eight players scoring on the ground.
Senior receiver Josiah Booker has caught 45 passes for 739 yards and six touchdowns through the air. He's also a return specialist, averaging 27.3 yards on kickoffs and 17.5 on punt returns, running back one of the punts for a score.
Junior Jordan Radkey (5-11, 260) leads the defense with 93 tackles, 22.5 of those behind the line of scrimmage. The team has compiled 24.5 quarterback sacks and 18 interceptions, returning two for touchdowns.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Cocoa vs. Sarasota Booker in FHSAA Class 2S football semifinal
