ST. PETERSBURG — Coach Paul Maechtle chose a perfect time to unveil the latest wrinkle in his team's offense.
With Southeast playing in a three-team round-robin tiebreaker for two playoff spots — the third year in a row the Seminoles found themselves in a district tiebreaker — Maechtle moved Jonathan Dowling, a defensive back, to wide receiver for the first time in his career.
The move paid off with 8:09 left in the Noles' quarter against host St. Pete Northeast, as Dowling caught a 32-yard touchdown pass from Dyron Speight.
Less than two minutes later, Southeast's LeTrey Fagins returned an interception 32 yards for a touchdown, and just like that the Noles (7-2, 4-1) were on their way to the playoffs with a 14-0 victory.
The tiebreaker format had the teams playing each other for a quarter. The first-quarter victory assured Southeast of one of the two playoff spots up for grabs. The second quarter featured Southeast against St. Pete Lakewood for the Class 4A-District 9 championship. A loss would drop Southeast into the No. 2 spot, but the postseason was assured.
Southeast lost 20-9 at St. Pete Lakewood on Friday night, forcing the three-way tiebreaker.
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