MELBOURNE — Titusville and Eau Gallie, meeting for the second time this season, squared off on Nov. 13 with their seasons on the line in the Class 3A, Region 2 quarterfinals.
The Terriers landed the first punch, but Eau Gallie responded with an efficient offensive performance coupled with a stingy defensive showing in a 25-10 victory.
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“Our kids played hard. We knew coming in that they were going to have a good game plan and they tried to control the ball from us and keep our offense off the field,” Eau Gallie head coach Chris Sands said. “They did a great job of that in the first half, but we knew our guys were going to eventually make plays. I thought offensively we played great. We just stayed calm and did what we did. Defensively, we settled down and made plays when we needed to and got off the field when we needed to.”
The Commodores allowed the first points of the game on an 18-yard touchdown completion by Titusville senior Remy Vigne to junior Brian Billingsley. Eau Gallie’s defense rebounded and held the Terriers to a fourth-quarter 42-yard field goal by junior Calvin Jorgenson the rest of the way.
“It was a great win. We didn’t play our best, but we went out there and performed,” Eau Gallie junior Gabriel Player said. “We got to fix a few things if we want to get where we want to be. We got to play better as a team. We have to just play better overall. That wasn’t our best game.”
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Eau Gallie’s defense stuffed the Titusville running game led by junior Tamarion Walker and senior Tank Harvey. The pair combined for 22 rushes for 78 yards.
“We made a couple more plays than them. I think we neutralized their guys a little bit, especially in the second half,” Sands said. “We kind of made them try to throw the ball because they had that strong rushing game. I thought our coaches did a great job adjusting. We said it all week as long as we have one more point than them, that’s all that matters.”
The Terriers rushed the ball 23 times compared to a dozen pass attempts from Vigne. Titusville head coach Matt Diesel said the game plan called for more runs as it dealt with injuries to two of its top wide receivers.
“Our performance was gutty. I was very proud of our effort. I was very proud of how hard our kids competed. That’s a pretty good football team over there,” Diesel said. “We were scrambling trying to put stuff together. They never got down on themselves. They kept punching and couldn’t be more proud of them.”
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Commodores senior Zay Floyd recovered a fumble on the second play of the game. Senior Taj Brown sacked Vigne on the final Titusville offensive drive of the game. Titusville finished the game with 166 total yards of offense.
“I feel like we’re getting to the place we want to be,” Player said. “We’re not at the level we want to be at yet, but I know with the coaching staff, the players we have we’re going to get there. As soon as we get there, there’s no stopping us.”
The Commodores grinded out yards against a stingy Terriers defense with a strong balance on the ground and the pass.
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Eau Gallie senior Joseph Allen completed 11-of-14 passes for 128 yards and three touchdowns. Allen threw two touchdowns to junior Zay Hawkins, who hauled in a 42-yard touchdown to make it 19-7 in the third quarter and an 11-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter to make it 25-10.
Hawkins ended the game with five receptions for 71 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran the ball three times for 21 yards.
“It all starts with Joseph (Allen),” Sands said. “His performance, his leadership has propelled us throughout the season and him settling down from the injury. Zay’s (Hawkins) a ball player and we can put him anywhere on the field to make plays.”
On the ground, senior Donovan Richardson earned tough yards gaining 70 yards on 16 attempts. He scored Eau Gallie’s first touchdown of the game on a 1-yard run following a 17-yard run on third down.
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“(Richardson’s) been great for us the last two seasons. Not a lot of people talk to him because he’s not flashy, doesn’t really have the big plays but he is really tough, especially late in the game,” Sands said. “He’s a huge part of our offense in what we do. He just wants to win whether he’s getting the ball, blocking, being a leader. He’s done a great job for us just kind of keeping everything together within our program. I’m really proud of him.”
Titusville were bitten by big plays in the first meeting of the regular season. Despite having to defend numerous short drives, the Terriers allowed just two plays of over 15 yards.
After it fumbled the ball, Titusville immediately stopped Eau Gallie on 4th-and-1 at the Terriers 21-yard line for a turnover over on downs. Senior Matthew Graham recorded his eighth sack of the season.
“We restructured just to give them a different look. I knew we could have some success with it,” Diesel said. “I was very impressed with how we were able to get after the quarterback up front. We were pretty disciplined in our coverage on the secondary. That’s a pretty explosive offense over there and we did what we could do (tonight).”
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Titusville finished the season 6-5. It qualified for the state playoffs for the fifth-straight season earning victories over a pair of regional semifinalists in Class 5A Oviedo and Independent Holy Trinity.
“I’m very happy and pleased from the top down. These guys poured their heart and soul into this program and into what we’re trying to build here,” Diesel said. “I’m just very thankful and proud of what we got going here right now. We certainly have a stepping stone that we can carry some momentum into next year.”
The Terriers graduate an impactful 16-man senior class. They guided Titusville to its longest playoff streak since 1980-84.
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“The senior class has a lot to hang their hat on,” Diesel said. “They left the jersey better than they found it.”
Eau Gallie moves on to the regional semifinals for the fourth consecutive year. Despite the win, Player said the Commodores have more work to do to play at its full potential.
“It’s good to know we can win games like this. Of course everyone wants that big blowout game, just the easy walk through but you’re not always going to get that,” Player said. “The fact that we went out here and performed the way we did it makes me happy and I know it makes our coaches happy. We just got to play better.”
The Commodores host The Villages Charter in the next round of the state playoffs on Nov. 20. The Buffalo defeated South Sumter 42-7 in the regional quarterfinals to improve to 11-0.
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“We know in the playoffs we’re going to face good teams every week so just making sure our guys are tuned in and prepared,” Sands said. “I think there’s a lot to learn from this, especially cleaning up stuff in special teams.”
In a matchup pitting district champions, Merritt Island routed Tenoroc to cruise into the regional semifinals. The Mustangs scored 29 points in the first quarter and 20 in the second quarter.
Mustangs sophomore Elijah Mitchell recorded a receiving and a rushing touchdown. Senior Kevin Verpaele ran for a 3-yard touchdown and he threw an 8-yard touchdown to senior DeShaun Thomas.
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Senior Drew Sarver raced to the end zone on a 40-yard run and junior Zaylan Chapple scored twice on runs of 1 and 12 yards. Sophomore Ethan Utley threw touchdowns to Mitchell and sophomore Noah Smith. Defensively, senior Kamar Field returned an interception for a 30-yard touchdown.
Merritt Island advances to the regional semifinals to host No. 4 seed Santa Fe on Nov. 20. Santa Fe defeated Dunnellon 35-7 in the regional quarterfinals.
For the third time in four years, Melbourne Central Catholic prevailed in the regional quarterfinals as they dominated the Mighty Red Devils.
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Hustlers junior Cayman Varis caught a 20-yard touchdown from sophomore Trenton Washington and rushed for an 8-yard score. Washington threw a 47-yard touchdown to senior Grady Bonenberger and Flores scampered into the end zone on a 23-yard run.
Melbourne Central Catholic travels to Jacksonville to face No. 1 seed Trinity Christian Academy in the regional semifinals on Nov. 20.
Melbourne’s late comeback at Osceola fell just short in a seven-point defeat. The Bulldogs took their only lead of the game in the second quarter on a 7-yard touchdown run by sophomore Jace Richardson to make it 6-3.
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Osceola took a 10-6 with 18 seconds remaining in the first half. The Kowboys added a touchdown with 10:23 left in the fourth quarter and a field goal with 7:59 remaining.
Bulldogs junior Will Reinhold threw a 23-yard touchdown to senior Howard Dewitt with 18 seconds left in the game. The ensuing onside kick was fielded before it went 10 yards resulting in Osceola possession.
Melbourne completes the season with an 8-3 record.
Cocoa’s historic run of 19 straight regional championships came to an end with a road defeat at Tampa Catholic.
Tigers sophomore Kadin Claflin-Coy threw two touchdowns to junior Anthony Whaley totaling 103 yards. Senior Keelan Gonzalez opened the scoring with a 28-yard field goal.
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Cocoa ends the season 4-6.
Merritt Island Christian’s quest for its first state championship in three years ended with a six-point home defeat in the 8-man state semifinals.
The Cougars took a 35-34 lead in the fourth quarter, but SLAM Academy was able to put enough separation scoring 14 unanswered points. Senior Maddux Martinson rushed for two touchdowns and threw two touchdowns to senior John Hey. Junior Korbin Kugler posted two rushing touchdowns.
Merritt Island Christian completes the season with a 12-1 record.
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Holy Trinity won its first state playoff game in five years as they defeated Foundation Academy 45-6. It scored the final 35 points of the game as the Tigers defense posted a second-half shutout.
The Tigers held the Lions to just one touchdown as they punted the ball six times and threw two interceptions to senior Omari Savage. Offensively, sophomore Jackson Mobley threw three touchdowns to juniors Hayden Argo, Aaron Raines and Zach Curran. Sophomore Jacorey Mills and freshman Michael Jackson scored rushing touchdowns as they combined for 141 rushing yards.
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“I thought the kids came out and played great. Defensively, we were just flying to the football making some pretty good plays,” Holy Trinity head coach Hurlie Brown said. “We stumbled a little bit, but it never affected the team. We just kept playing. That’s what you ask for. Just go out and play for 48 minutes. That’s what they did.”
Mobley threw a 10-yard touchdown to Argo to make it 10-0 in the second quarter. After Foundation Academy cut the deficit to four, Mobley threw a deep ball to Raines who snagged the catch with one arm and shed two tackles for a 63-yard touchdown to give Holy Trinity a 17-6 halftime lead. Curran caught a 20-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 24-6 late in the third quarter.
Savage returned the first of two interceptions for a 78-yard pick six. His second interception on the next defensive snap set up a 13-yard touchdown for Jackson. Mills rushed for a 45-yard score in the fourth quarter preceeding the takeaways.
“It felt good,” Savage said. “They finally threw the ball my way. I’m going to get it every time.”
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The Tigers advanced to the regional semifinals and they’ll host the No. 5 seed Central Florida Christian Academy on Nov. 19. CFCA defeated Orangewood Christian on the road 18-10 in the regional quarterfinals. A win for Holy Trinity would mark the school’s first appearance in a regional final.
“A win’s a win,” Savage said. “We just have to keep on going and just focus on the next one.”
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Eau Gallie defeats Titusville, Merritt Island Christian falls in semis
