LAKE WALES, Fla. — First it was the ice bath.

Then it was a water bottle shower. 

When you advance to your first state title game in 28 years, like the Lake Wales Highlanders, you get to go a little crazy.

What You Need To Know

  •  The Highlanders are a perfect 14-0

  •  Lake Wales has advanced to the state championship for the first time in 28 years

  •  The offense averages 41 points per game, while the defense limits opponents to five points per game

“The feeling, I can’t describe it,” senior quarterback Trent Grotjan said. “We're going to state.”

With their perfect season on the line, Lake Wales wasted little time in setting a tone against their state semifinal opponent, Columbia. Before the first half was over, the Highlanders led 28-7. And then they piled it on in the second half to cruise to a 37-7 win. This is a team that knows how to score. They averaged 41 points per game this season. And they know how to keep their opponent out of the end zone. They allowed an average of only five points per game.

“They doubted us,” head coach Tavaris Johnson said. “We heard a lot of '5-5 season.' Said that we’re not big enough. They said we can’t win with a sophomore line, but we proved them wrong tonight.”

This is a tight unit. Their bond has only grown stronger with every win on Friday nights.

“It always shows up in games. We got each other’s back,” Grotjan said. “Defense got offense back. Offense got defense back.” 

“I get a little choked up because you just don’t know how hard these young men have worked, day in and day out,” Tavaris said. “I tell you what, they believe in themselves.”

That belief began before the season kicked off. Players bought in and now they are being rewarded with a trip to the ship.

“Once the season started, we had a vision,” Grotjan said. “We made it come true.”