Noles Smell Blood in Water Early in Ponte Vedra

The Florida High varsity Seminoles traveled to St. Johns County Friday night to take on the Sharks of Ponte Vedra High (4S District 4). The home team fans turned out in droves for their home opener on what must have been neon night for the student body. Although the outcome of the game didn’t go their way, they were relentless in support for their team. Through the marshy field and belligerent cheers of the Sharks’ student section, the Noles came out on top by a final score of 24-13.

Friday’s game was characteristic of the two previous games: the Seminole defense and special teams played hard-nosed, hard-hitting football, keeping the opposition under 20 on the scoreboard and the young Florida High offense grinding and doing what was needed to secure the win.

The Sharks won the coin toss and deferred receiving to the second half. They constantly avoided the Seminole senior return men but found that junior wide receiver Keisean Inman was up to the task. Inman’s 37-yard return set Florida High up on the Sharks 38-yard line to begin their first possession of the night. Two productive rushes by junior running back Micahi Danzy moved the Noles down to the 1 yard line, giving senior running back Rhyder Poppell the opportunity to punch the ball in on the fourth play of the drive. Sophomore kicker Cole Allbaugh’s extra point put the Noles up 7-0 in the opening minutes of the game.

The Sharks’ first possession of the game started with a touchback off the foot of senior kicker Brooks Hickman. After picking up an initial first down off a 10-yard pass reception, the Seminoles shut down the drive after a couple of key tackles by the linebacker tandem of senior Chris Cotton and junior Darrick McGhee, who was delivering blistering hits for the entire first half. The Noles must have smelled something fishy because they were able to foil a fake punt on a fourth-and-seven. Senior defensive back Trent Morrison was able to wrap up after the direct snap, and with the help of senior defensive back Tay Young and junior defensive back Tyson Howard, squelched the fake punt attempt.

Florida High was able to work the ball down field on their second possession with a combination of passing and rushing plays, including a 20-yard dart from junior quarterback Jeremy Johnston to wide receiver Inman. A touchdown pass to Hickman was negated by a Seminole penalty and the Noles eventually had to settle for a field goal, putting them up 10-0 half way through the first half.

The Sharks were not able to do much against the Noles on land or air all night and their second possession saw three consecutive pass incompletions and ended in the three and out. A 50-yard punt gave Florida High the ball on their own 47-yard line. The Noles returned the favor with a three-and-out of their own. However, a hard hit by Danzy dislodged the ball from the Shark return man and the loose ball was picked up by sophomore defensive back Jessiah McGrew, who ran it in for a Florida High special teams touchdown. The visiting Noles were now quickly up 17-0.

The Sharks’ next drive, which was at the start of the second quarter, was promising but ended on a holding penalty on a pass completion that would have given the Sharks a first down. That series included an array of giant hits by Cotton, McGhee and senior nose guard Eli Williams. The resulting third-and-long saw an incredible effort by sophomore defensive lineman Nias Dorsey, who was able to get off the ground and track down the ball to deliver a crushing blow to the Sharks’ running back, who could be seen clearing some cobwebs before getting off the ground.

After a Florida High three-and-out, the Sharks managed to put up their first points of the game on a 25-yard catch-and-run. The first half ended with Florida High up 17-7.

Penalties plagued the Sharks’ first drive of the second half, but a bad exchange on a first-and-10 on their own 30 lead to a fumble and recovery by sophomore defensive lineman Bryson Merkel. An unfortunate unsportsmanlike conduct penalty by Florida High forced the Seminoles to start that drive on the Sharks’ 45-yard line. The remainder of the third quarter saw a series of three-and-outs by both teams. One highlight for the Noles was an interception by McGrew, his second takeaway of the night.

An interference penalty against Ponte Vedra on a pass attempt to junior wide receiver Ashton Hampton resulted in the ball being spotted on the Sharks’ 2-yard line. Poppell was able to punch the ball in for another Florida High touchdown. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Noles were up 24-7 with time running out for the Sharks. They were able to drive the ball down the field on their next possession and score on a short run by the Ponte Vedra quarterback. The subsequent extra point try was no good, and the game’s final score of 24-13 was set, giving the Noles their second regular season win of the season.

Florida High’s offense was able to clean up a lot of the mistakes from last week, only making one offensive turnover compared to four in its win against Trinity Catholic. Competing like they did against a larger 4S school demonstrated that they are continuing to move in the right direction. Although there were no big special teams returns this week, largely due to the swampy field condition that hampered every facet of the game, the turnovers that they created kept momentum with he Noles. Our defense also stepped up once again, proving we are not fish out of water, even in very hostile territory.

The Noles and our fans are looking forward to a four-game homestretch, kicking off next Friday, Sept. 9 with a perennial matchup against the Bulldogs of Taylor County (Touchdown Club Game Page), who also bring a 2-0 record to our showdown at the Shack.

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