Dunbar football one step away from state title game. Unbeaten St. Augustine stands in the way

In Lee County, high school football postseason success must be measured on a sliding scale.

That’s the unfortunate reality when only three Lee teams in the 57-year history of the FHSAA State Series ever reached a state championship game with none claiming the ultimate prize.

By that standard, the Dunbar High School football team, which will face St. Augustine Friday in the Class 3S state semifinals, already has one of the county’s best all-time playoff resumes. The Tigers are just the third program to earn back-to-back trips to the state semifinals, joining North Fort Myers (1972-73) and Fort Myers (1991-92).

But Dunbar (11-2) is looking to exceed that standard, especially after squandering a nine-point second-half lead to Daytona Beach Mainland in last year’s 30-23 final four loss at North Law Firm Stadium.

“Different team, same dream,” Tigers coach Sammy Brown said. “I mean every time you put on the pads as a kid, you’re coming up through the ranks and you want to try and win a state title. The kids worked hard, they made it this far and we’ll see what happens Friday.”

Brown said the experience of seeing that dream slip away against Mainland underscored the importance of maximizing every opportunity, especially in the postseason.

“You can’t take anything for granted,” he said. “You’ve got to savor the moment and handle your business when it presents itself. We go by the motto OHIO: Only Handle It Once. So we want to make sure we take care of this on Friday night and get to the next step.”

Dunbar’s maximized every second in its three playoff wins so far. The Tigers defeated Fort Myers 21-17 when Green Wave receiver Madrid Tucker was ruled out of bounds on what would have been a game-winning touchdown catch as time expired. Then they knocked off No. 1 seeded Golden Gate 12-7 when Dunbar’s Hezekiah Jones intercepted Titans’ quarterback Sam Powell at the goal line with 10 seconds remaining. Finally, the Tigers shocked Naples 12-10 at Staver Field on senior Kelby Tyre’s walk-off 96-yard kickoff return.

“This is a little closer than I’d like them to be but it’s been exciting,” said Brown, whose team has won 13 of its past 14 games decided by one touchdown or less. “It also shows the character and the development of the kids, the fight in the dog you know, so it’s been great.”

The Yellow Jackets (12-0) meanwhile have rarely been challenged this season, save for a 34-31 win over Class 2M state semifinalist Jacksonville Bartram Trail in September. St. Augustine’s won every one of its other games by double-digits and the average score of its three playoff victories is 39-17.

"Whether the offense answers when the defense is struggling, or whether the defense answers when the offense has something go wrong, that's the key for us," Yellow Jackets coach Brian Braddock said.

St. Augustine, which is playing for its fourth all-time state championship game appearance, boasts an explosive and balanced attack that features a 2,000-yard passer in junior Wake Forest commit Locklan Hewitt, a 1,000-yard rusher in senior Devonte Lyons and three receivers with at least 750 yards in junior three-star recruit Carl Jenkins Jr., junior Trenton Jones and senior Myles Simmons.

“They’re very talented. Everybody at this level right now, the last four guys, you’ve got to have a little bit of talent and a little bit of luck along the way,” Brown said. “They’ve got a great offensive scheme, the backs and receivers are highly recruited and the quarterback is spot on. On defense they fly around; they’re really good.”

Dunbar will counter a playmaking defense of its own, once again led by its secondary. Facing a similar Mainland offense, the Tigers had three interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown, but surrendered more than 500 yards, including 300-plus through the air as the Buccaneers staged a second-half comeback.

“It’s great to make it back final four again but this time we know what we’ve got to do differently,” said Dunbar senior wide receiver TJ Abrams, a Florida commit. “They’re a great ballclub being 12-0. You can’t underestimate anybody that’s made it this far in the playoffs. We just have to do what the coaches are telling us to do because if we execute, they’re setting us up for a victory.”

Abrams, who along with fellow senior wideout Eric Fletcher have combined for 74 catches, 1,623 total offensive yards and 22 touchdowns, said winning the individual battle between the Yellow Jackets’ receivers and the Dunbar defensive backs is a must.

“We’ve got to,” he said. “I know our DBs are going to step up and make sure of that.”

Tyre, who leads Dunbar with five interceptions and six passes defensed, said he’ll likely be tasked with shadowing the 6-foot-2 Jenkins.

“It a good challenge for us to show what our DBs can do,” Tyre said. “We’ve got to keep fighting, keep our foot on the gas pedal and never let up.”

Dunbar will be leaving Thursday for Gainesville where they’ll spend the night and then start their gameday preparations before completing the rest of the five-hour drive to St. Augustine for Friday’s showdown. That’s similar to the travel plans the Tigers used for their trip to Lowndes High in Valdosta, Ga. in October, something Brown said prepared his players for this week’s road trip.

“They know how to pack, stay overnight and then concentrate and get ready for the next day,” he said “Hopefully, it pays off.”

If it does, Dunbar would become the first Lee team to play for a state title since Estero in 1998.

“We want to try and get there for the community and for the kids,” Brown said. “They came here thinking one day they had the opportunity to win a state championship. We fell short last year just getting there. This year, we’ve got a 50-50 shot. We’ve just got to travel well, get some rest, prepare, do some things right and we should be OK.”

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Class 3S final four: Dunbar seeks to make history at St. Augustine