Cape Coral Seahawks coach Brad Metheny was not part of last year’s regional semifinal loss to Charlotte, but is reluctant to make any comparisons with the Tarpons for Friday night’s Region 4A-3 rematch in Punta Gorda.

“It’s a different year, and different teams,” said Metheny. “Both have a lot of players back. They knocked us out last year so we’re looking forward to the opportunity to play a great opponent with a great runningback like they have.”

Points will be at a premium, especially where the Seahawks (10-1) are concerned. The Tarpons (11-0) outscored their opponents by a wider margin this season, more than 140 points more than the Seahawks did. The Tarpons’ closest game was a 35-14 victory over Sarasota.

“We don’t want this to become a scoring test,” said Metheny. “The lower the score the better for us. We have to play great team defense, go the the football and contain their running game. We have to get into the second half and still be competitive, then we’ll see what happens.”

Looking at game scores of the five common opponents confirms Metheny’s belief. The point spreads are relatively close, but the Tarpons scored more points against all five.

Cape beat Mariner 56-14 while Charlotte won 62-6. Cape topped Fort Myers 29-8, but Charlotte won 34-0. Same for Port Charlotte and Gulf Coast. The biggest difference was against Palmetto, which lost to Cape 23-3 last week and to Charlotte 46-13 weeks ago.

“The kids are fired up,” said Metheny, “though (several) starters have been out sick this week. They should be ready to play, so we will see.”

One last tidbit to throw out the window even before kickoff – the Seahawks are 5-0 on the road this season while the Tarpons are 6-0 at home.

Lake Highland Prep Highlanders (9-2) at Island Coast Gators (10-1): When the Gators step on their home field Friday night for their Region 2B-3 matchup, they will be walking on unfamiliar ground.

In their short varsity football history, the Gators are playing in the regional finals for the very first time. They were denied that experience last season when they were knocked out of the playoffs in the regional semifinals by the Highlanders 28-0.

“We’ve played them before,” said Gators coach Joe Bowen. “They are a tough team, well coached. We look forward to the challenge. It should be a good game and we are hoping for a different outcome than last year.”

The Gators (10-1) take a nine-game winning streak into the rematch with the Highlanders (9-2), who advanced by beating Dunbar last week.

The Gators are 6-0 at home this season and have a decided advantage with regard to points scored and margin of victory compared to the Highlanders.

The Gators overwhelmed 10 rivals by a 428-27 margin. The Highlanders scored 40 points or more just twice all season.

Defensively, the Gators are far superior with seven shutouts, including six of their last nine games. The Highlanders’ lowest scoring opponent was Dunbar last Friday with six points. They did not record a shutout.

“I don’t give any thought to the win streak,” said Bowen. “We just want to build on last week’s second-half performance.”

Dunbar, one of two common opponents for both teams, scored six points in both games. The other common fie was Tampa Catholic, which the Gators blanked 28-0 last Friday compared to the Highlanders’ 27-10 victory in the regular season.

The Gators, just 1-1 in playoff games, are looking to extend their trail blazing playoff run one more week to the state semifinal round on Dec. 3.

South Fort Myers Wolfpack (10-0) at Naples Eagles (11-0): In the Region 3A-3 semifinals, it’s a battle of unbeaten district champions when the Wolfpack and Eagles collide.

Making just their third appearance in the playoffs, the Wolfpack (2-2 in playoff games overall) are looking to advance to the regional finals for the first time. They are in the regional semifinals for the second straight year.

The Wolfpack are going against a school with a rich playoff heritage with three appearances in the state finals since 2001, winning two state titles.