North Florida Christian's chase for a state championship comes to an end in the state semifinals.

The Eagles fell to Cardinal Mooney 41-14 in the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 1S semifinals, with the Cougars booking a spot in next Friday's state championship game at Bragg Memorial Stadium. NFC's hopes for a 12th state championship in program history were dashed in Sarasota.

The Cougars got off to a flying start, blocking an NFC punt and scooping the ball up for a touchdown. A second-quarter explosion from Cardinal Mooney put the game out of reach for the Eagles, with the score at halftime reading 27-0. An attempted second-half comeback fell short, and the game ended 41-14 in favor of the hosts.

Quarterback JP Pickles found Lucky Baldwin early in the third quarter and Major Hart II added a rushing touchdown for the Eagles' only scores of the night. NFC couldn't stop Cardinal Mooney's run game, with running back Carson Beach scoring four touchdowns for the Cougars.

Finishing the season with a 9-4 record, the Eagles made an appearance in the state semifinals for the first time since 2018. The Cougars are headed to Tallahassee to face Trinity Catholic in the class 1S state title game.

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: NFC football falls in the state semifinals of the FHSAA playoffs