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Florida high school football players suspended before opener.
Hernando High School will be without up to seven players in its football opener as a result of a preseason brawl with Sunlake. The FHSAA handed down suspensions on Wednesday in response to the scuffle.
That altercation came after back-to-back late hit penalties on the Hernando Leopards. They will be shorthanded when the regular season starts on Friday.
Hernando faced Sunlake in an exhibition contest prior to the start of the regular season. Trailing 15-14, the Seahawks made a push to take the lead.
After advancing the ball inside the 30-yard line, a Hernando late hit drew flags. The Leopards were then penalized for another late hit on the very next play, sparking chaos.
Sunlake brawled with Hernando.
The two schools are separated by about a 45-minute drive. Sunlake plays in Land O’Lakes, part of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater region. Hernando High School is in Brooksville, 25 miles up the road.
Bing Maps
A map showing the trip from Land O'Lakes to Brooksville in Florida.
Things got chippy in the closing moments of their preseason matchup. Tensions boiled over after the series of late hits.
Players from both benches rushed onto the field after the second flag was thrown. A fight erupted near the goal line.
Officials eventually got the situation under control but opted not to move forward with the game. The contest was called in the fourth quarter with Hernando still leading, 15-14.
Leopards head coach Wyndell Alexander had the following to say about the stoppage:
“When (the fight) happened, there was no sense playing. It was getting dirty.”
He added that he did not want the incident to define his team.
On Wednesday, two days before the season opener with Lake Brantley, punishment was handed down. Alexander says that up to seven players will be suspended for the first game.
Sunlake head coach Chris Digiacomo took responsibility for his team’s actions, even if they came in response to unsportsmanlike conduct.
“The incident that occurred Friday night is unfortunate for both teams and certainly does not reflect the ideals that we strive for in our program and at Sunlake High School. Ultimately, we need to take responsibility for our own actions, and we will do so.”
The Seahawks, too, open their regular season on Friday against Central. Digiacomo expects to lose a few contributors for his debut.
Both teams are pushing for a playoff invite.
Each coach is attempting to guide their program to the postseason. Neither has been leading their respective schools long.
Digiacomo is entering his first year with Sunlake. The Seahawks are coming off a 4-6 campaign. They have not produced a winning season since 2016.
Former coach Jay Fulmer was dismissed from the program days before the start of spring camp. Details on that firing remain unclear. Fulmer was entering his fourth season. Digiacomo is now the program’s sixth head coach in eight years.
Alexander, meanwhile, was hired in 2025. The Leopards went 7-4 in his first season. His predecessor, John Scargle, stepped down in May of last year to take a job in Pennsylvania.
Hernando made the Florida high school football playoffs last year but was quickly ousted by Bishop Moore, 61-6. Alexander is hoping for a deeper run this season.
Those playoff pursuits have gotten off to tumultuous starts with the suspensions. Both teams will be shorthanded when they take the field on Friday.