Griffin Alstott poses with his mother, Nicole, after a six-touchdown performance in the FHSAA state playoffs on Friday night.
Mike Alstott no longer suits up on Sundays, but football is still a big part of his life. After retiring from an 11-year career with the Buccaneers, Alstott, a member of the team's Ring of Honor, has taken up coaching in the Tampa Bay area. Alstott currently serves as the head coach of Northside Christian High School in St. Petersburg, where his son is the team's starting quarterback.
On Friday night, Alstott's Mustangs won 41-11, over Cambridge Christian in the quarterfinals of the FHSAA Class 2A playoffs.
Alstott's son, Griffin, put together a dominant performance, competing 15 passes for 201 yards and five touchdowns, while adding a sixth turndowns on the ground. Griffin is set to follow in his father's footsteps at Purdue University next fall.
"Griffin reads the defenses and puts us in situations to succeed," Mike Alstott told the Tampa Bay Times. "They're not (the coaches') calls. He studies very hard, makes great decisions and the (receivers) are doing the job getting yards after the catch."
Alstott's Mustangs were the underdogs after being defeated by Cambridge Christian in the 2015 season. The Times predicted Cambridge Christian to win, 28-26. Northside Christian now moves into the 2A semifinals where they will face Champagnat Catholic. The winner will meet either University Christian or Victory Christian Academy for the title on December 9th.
Alstott wasn't the only Buccaneer involved in the FHSAA playoffs on Friday night. Head Coach Dirk Koetter's son, Davis, led Berkeley Prep to a 46-2 victory over Tampa Catholic in the quarterfinals of the Class 3A tournament. Davis, a quarterback like his father, is undecided as to where he will attend college. Like Alstott's team, Koetter and Berkeley Prep were underdogs – the Times predicted a 21-14 loss.
