TAMPA — Hillsborough’s drive to the Class 6A, District 8 championship was a smooth one Friday night as the Terriers used a second-quarter burst to post a 46-7 win at King. The win earned Hillsborough the district title and a first-round home playoff game.
After a scoreless first quarter, Hillsborough took control midway through the second.
Running back Nigel Harris put the Terriers on the board with a 55-yard scoring run. A 35-yard Jeremiah Green scamper put Hillsborough (7-1, 5-1) ahead 14-0 with 7:54 left in the half. Almost two minutes later, the Terriers scored again on a 27-yard pass from Dwayne
Lawson to Green. Hillsborough ended the quarter with a defensive touchdown when linebacker Ben George swatted a Kenyatta Young pass in the air, leaped and caught the ball and fell forward into the end zone.
The Terriers kept their foot on the gas with a scoring run from Kenneth Gunn and an short interception return (Christian Flores) in third quarter. King scored on a 1-yard run by Alexander Frederick in the game’s final moments.
“It seemed like it was hard for us to get up for the game at the start,” said long-time Hillsborough coach Earl Garcia. “But we got into it and the kids played hard. We just wanted to get this one done, finish up next week and get ready for the playoffs. It’ll be nice to be at home in the playoffs for a change.”
Rod Gipson, Times correspondent