The Gateway Panthers will try to take a stand against Tohopekaliga in Wednesday's bowl game. (Photo/Taylor McFee)
Thanks to wins in the final week of the regular season, Gateway and Tohopekaliga finished the football season 5-5 and have qualified to play in a postseason bowl game, and will meet Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at THS.
The teams will share the gate proceeds, the coaches said.
The local rivals have not played each other since 2021 when Tohopekaliga won 14-10 at Gateway in Week 2. The teams also played in the 2018 spring game that the Tigers also won. Tohopekaliga High was cut out of much of Gateway's attendance district when it opened in 2018, and many of its first players started out in high school football at Gateway.
While the Panthers led wire-to-wire in a 33-15 win at Celebration Thursday to produce their first five-win season or better since 2018, Tohopekaliga needed two touchdowns in the fourth quarter Friday for a comeback 30-28 win at Avon Park.
"I think our kids deserve a chance to play (a bowl game), based on what they've accomplished to win five games," GHS Coach Marlin Roberts said.
“We were in total rebuild mode this year and played a tougher schedule than we did last season and have a chance now to match last year’s win total," THS Coach Anthony Paradiso said.
Harmony also finished 5-5, but players and coaches elected not to try to set up a bowl game.
This week is a bye week for FHSAA playoff teams; the association will announce regional brackets on Thursday, with first-round matchups on Nov. 14.
