For the eighth season in a row, Florida High football will be playing in a regional final.

Facing previously undefeated Wakulla (11-1) in the class 2S Region 1 semifinal, the Seminoles (10-2) beat the War Eagles in a thrilling 42-28 victory to book a spot in the regional final and hand Wakulla its only loss of the season.

With the Seminoles dealing with major injuries, game postponements, and a grueling five-game road stretch mid-season, head coach Jarod Hickman felt Friday's win was an example of his team battling through it all.

"Adversity has struck us in so many ways, and I think it did bother this group a little bit earlier in the season and this week provided more adversity," Hickman said. "Our guys really locked in and we played well and I really thought we could have done a few more things to not allow it to be as close, but that's the way it goes."

In the win over the War Eagles, four Seminoles players scored touchdowns. Quarterback Jeremy Johnston threw four touchdown passes, with Ashton Hampton hauling in two, Keisean Inman scoring on a long catch and run and Tyson Howard scoring on a goal-line pass for the game-opening score.

Running back Jayden Threatts scorched the Wakulla defense, posting over 125 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown. Opening the game with a long 60-yard run on Florida High's first offensive play, the junior felt like his big rush gave the Seminoles important early game momentum.

"I feel like that really set the tone for the game," Threatts said. "I thought throughout the game there were more holes opening up and there were a couple of big runs throughout the game."

Taking over the starting running back role after an injury to Micahi Danzy, Threatts has been one of Florida High's most consistent performers. The junior running back scored two touchdowns against Marianna in the opening round of the class 2S playoffs, taking his postseason touchdown tally to three, with nearly 200 yards rushing in two games.

With the Seminoles dealing with the injury bug all season, Threatts feels everyone on Florida High's roster is ready to step up when their moment comes.

"Because we've all been playing with each other for so long, I feel like we're kind of built for this," Threatts said on the next-man-up mentality. "So we're ready when something like that hits."

Listening to Mom's advice

With Hampton having one of the best games of his high school career against the War Eagles, he said the confidence boost he had in his ability before Friday's semifinal came from one person.

His mom.

"My mom told me this morning to dominate," Hampton said. "She woke up this morning and said nobody can stop you on either side of the ball, so just dominate. I listened to what she said and I came out here and performed."

In the second half of the game, Hampton took over. Scoring two touchdowns in the second half of play, including the game-sealing score late in the fourth quarter, the Clemson commit made his biggest plays on defense.

Forcing two turnovers on downs late in the fourth quarter with some acrobatic pass breakups, Hickman feels like Hampton is built for the moments when the lights are shining just a bit brighter.

"That's what the great players do at this time of the year, they take over the game," Hickman said. "Big touchdown in the third quarter, big touchdown, the fourth quarter, but I think it was the defensive plays that were biggest because they're [Wakulla] so dangerous with the quarterback and certainly with the receivers. But Ashton has been doing this for a long time."

Picking up a crucial win on the road, Florida High will be back at home in the regional final after Pensacola Catholic beat top-seeded Walton. Hampton felt the long road stretch during the season helped prepare the Seminoles for the road environment in Wakulla, and he's excited to compete for a regional title at home.

"We played on the road pretty much all season, we had a five-game road stretch and that really prepared us for games like this," Hampton said. "Now since we're winning in the playoffs, we can take it back to the crib, back to the shack."

Big Bend Regional Semifinal results

1R: Madison County 60, Lafayette 7

The Cowboys steamrolled Lafayette in the 1R Region 3 semifinal.

Getting a bye week in the opening round of the 1R playoffs, Madison County did not miss a beat, getting big performances from Ryshard Miller, who scored two touchdowns, and John Christian, who scored four total touchdowns.

The Cowboys will host Union County in the 1R Region 1 final on Friday, Nov. 24.

1R: Port St. Joe 49, Aucilla Christian 14

The Warriors' season comes to an end, finishing with a 9-2 overall record. A week after picking up the school's first state tournament win, Aucilla Christian couldn't keep up with the Sharks on the road.

1S: St. John Paul II 42, Maclay 37

The Panthers are back in the regional final, set to face North Florida Christian next week.

JPII had to dig deep against the Marauders, down 35-28 with just over 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Panthers scored two touchdowns to put the game out of Maclay's reach.

JPII faces NFC in the 1S Region 1 final on Friday, Nov. 24.

1S: NFC 47, Munroe 7

The Eagles fly into the regional final with a 40-point victory over the Bobcats.

After almost three weeks off, NFC looked sharp as the program finds itself one game away from a state final four appearance.

NFC faces JPII in the 1S Region 1 final on Friday, Nov. 24.

3S: Choctawhatchee 38, Lincoln 7

The Trojans season comes to an end in the regional semifinal rounds at the hands of the visiting Choctawhatchee.

Lincoln finish the season with a 9-3 record.

Liam Rooney covers preps sports for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: 4 Big Bend football programs advance to regional finals after semifinal wins