The Tohopekaliga Tigers and LIberty Chargers were looking to get a win on week one of the regular season, but the Lake Minneola Hawks and Haines City Hornets both had other plans as the Tigers were shut down 71-0 and the Chargers took a loss 27-14 – both on their home fields.
After receiving the kickoff it only took two plays and 20 seconds for the 2020 Class 6A state runners-up Lake Minneola Hawks to begin their domination of the Tohopekaliga Tigers on Friday night. That second play being a 60-yard breakaway run down the sideline and from there it was all Hawks over an outmatched Tigers team.
The Hawks’ 71 points were a combination of touchdowns, 3 safeties, and a field goal. Hawks’ Braylon Knauth scored three of those TDs including a receiving touchdown, a kickoff return, and a punt return for 6 points. The remainder of the points in the game came from the Hawks’ defense and special teams. Antwan Walden had a 50-yard interception return for a TD and from the 3rd quarter, the game was on a running clock.
“Hats off to Minneola, they made a lot of great plays, and it was our job to stop them. We’re a young team, but no excuses. We’ll get older and better quick, and we’ll be ready for next week,” said new Tigers Head Coach Jeff Higgins.
Next Friday Tohopekaliga will travel to Gateway for a 7 pm kickoff in Kissimmee and try to turn the season around early.
There was only one other game in the county last night because of COVID-19 protocols and that was Liberty who hosted Haines City. The visiting Hornets headed home with the win against the Chargers 27-14 but the Chargers battled through the whole game. The Chargers, another young team in the county, will hope to turn it around next week when they travel to St. Cloud for a 7:30 pm kickoff. Other games scheduled for next week are Celebration at Poinciana, Liberty at St. Cloud
Tohopekaliga at Gateway, Heritage at Harmony, and Osceola at Cocoa.
Big shout out to our community business partners: Orlando Health, Kissimmee Utility Authority, Prescriptions Unlimited, Tuffy Tire & Auto Service in St. Cloud, Huff’s Quality Air Conditioning, Inc., Orlando Health St. Cloud Hospital, Big John’s Rockin’ BBQ, and Handyman Hardware in St. Cloud.
