By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor

St. Cloud’s football players and coaches knew in September that they might come back to Lakeland High’s Bryant Stadium later in the season.

They will. Friday at 7:30 p.m., the Bulldogs, 3-7, will face the unbeaten and No. 1-ranked  Dreadnaughts, 10-0, in the opening round of the Class 7A regional playoffs.

Lakeland won the Sept. 2 regular season opener, 48-14, against the Bulldogs.

St. Cloud Coach Chad Ansbaugh said that not much has changed about Lakeland since September, except, “They’re probably better inside than they were then,” he said.

That’s daunting news for Bulldogs quarterback Phillip Steinmetz, who was hit repeatedly by the Dreadnaughts defensive line in September. Steinmetz missed the next game against Rockledge because of that pounding.

Ansbaugh said that the St. Cloud offensive line has improved since the season opener.

“We had two first-year starters in that one,” Ansbaugh said. “We had some protection problems in that game, certainly, but it’s a shared responsibility. We have to block better, and Phillip has to do a better job of getting the ball out quickly. He knows that.”

St. Cloud did not finish the regular season well, losing 48-14 at Citra North Marion last week in a game that saw the Bulldogs fall behind 22-0 midway through the first quarter.

“Not to make excuses, but that might have been asking a lot for our guys to play a long road game on a Friday when there was no school and a week after the game against Harmony,” Ansbaugh said. “We didn’t have our best week of practice.”

Also, North Marion might be the best team the Bulldogs have seen this season, at least since Lakeland, Ansbaugh said. The Colts, 8-2, won the 5A-5 district championship and host a playoff game Friday.

“They’re huge, one of the biggest high school teams I’ve seen,” Ansbaugh said. “After playing them, I’m not sure our guys are going to be surprised by anything they see this week.”

Both Lakeland and St. Cloud have had unhappy encounters with the Florida High School Athletic Association this season. The Bulldogs forfeited two wins and lost their coach, Mike Short, who resigned after the FHSAA discovered that St. Cloud used junior varsity players in JV and varsity games during the same week. The school also was tagged for using a player from Gateway who transferred to St. Cloud this year when a former Gateway coach also joined the St. Cloud coaching staff, a violation of state bylaws, but a FHSAA appeals committee later absolved the school from any wrongdoing.

Lakeland saw three potential starters sit out this season because the FHSAA decreed that the players did not properly establish residency in Lakeland’s zone after transferring from George Jenkins High. One of those players was quarterback Jadrian Clark, counted on to lead the Lakeland offense this year.

But, the Dreadnaughts haven’t missed a beat with Raheeme Dumas stepping in. He passed for 1,261 yards and rushed for 668. His prime target is Miami-bound receiver Ricquan Southward (35-747, 7 TDs).

The Dreadnaughts, as always, have a prime-time runner in senior Taylor Placides (676 yards), who missed the first two games with a broken leg.

“They’re going to do what Lakeland always does, and that’s pound the ball at you,” Ansbaugh said.

Lakeland’s defensive front seven is considered one of the best in the state, led by the school’s all-time sack leader (18), senior Jalen Stevenson.

If they can block Lakeland, the Bulldogs can do some damage offensively. St. Cloud has one of the most dangerous passing attacks in Central Florida. Steinmetz has thrown for over 1,700 yards and 18 TDs this season, and receivers Austyn Jandrew (8 TDs), Cole Harvey (6 TDs) and Brett Biller (3 TDs) have been consistent this season.

Running back Eric Pfeifer (969 yards, 16 TDs), who scored six touchdowns and rushed for 240 yards against Harmony, could be a key against the Dreadnaughts, Ansbaugh said.

“I think we have one of the best running backs we’ve had here with Eric, so if we can take advantage of him, that could take some of the pressure off our passing game,” Ansbaugh said.