Heritage High’s Jayquan Martin outruns Osceola High’s big Jordan Redmond.

TITUSVILLE 35, ASTRONAUT 14

In Titusville, Titusville High took back the Hudson Trophy as the Terriers defeated Astronaut in the Titusville tussle.

It was the second time in three years Titusville has defeated its crosstown rival. Not since 1988-91 has Titusville defeated Astronaut in back-to-back years.

Trimarea Charles had a 38-yard interception return for a touchdown and a 75-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, both in the second quarter, to lead Titusville (2-3).

One of Astronaut’s (1-4) two TDs was on the defensive side of the ball as Devin Durham returned an interception 66 yards for a touchdown.

Brian McCallum, FLORIDA TODAY

Week 5: Titusville 35, Astronaut 14

SATELLITE 41, BAYSIDE 34

In Palm Bay, a battle of two winless teams went to overtime, but Satellite got its first victory on a last-second TD.

Satellite QB Alex Nicks found Erik Askeland to propel the Scorps (1-4) to victory.

For Bayside (0-4), it was their best offensive output of the season, but they still couldn’t get the W.

Rebekah Duntz, for FLORIDA TODAY

Week 5: Satellite 41, Bayside 34

OSCEOLA 14, HERITAGE 6

In Palm Bay, Osceola had just enough offense and Heritage couldn’t break through the toufh Kowboys defense in a tough loss.

Malcolm Davidson ran for a 27-yard touchdown on the second play from scrimmage and he caught a 52-yard touchdown early in the second quarter to pace Osceola (5-0).

Heritage’s lone score came when Jason Miller blocked a field goal attempt and rumbled 76 yards for a touchdown.

Neither team scored in the second half, but Heritage made it inside the 5-yard line in the fourth quarter but couldn’t punch it in.

Chris Bonanno, FLORIDA TODAY

Week 5: Osceola 14, Heritage 6 (8:30 remaining Q4)

COCOA 17, VIERA 7

In Viera, lightning halted this much-anticipated matchup with less than a minute to go in the third quarter.

The game was tied at 7-7 at the half. Coca scored first on a 12-yard TD run by Javian Hawkins in the first quarer.

Viera (3-2) tied it with a 1-yard Brennen DePlancke plunge in the second quarter.

Cocoa (3-1) took the lead on a 2-yard score by Timmy Pratt midway through the third quarter.

The Tigers extended their lead on an Alex Petruzzello field goal late in the third, shortly before the game was called.

Carl Kotala, for FLORIDA TODAY

Week 5: Cocoa 17, Viera 7 (Lightning Delay in Q3)

PALM BAY 22, MELBOURNE 0 (3 Quarters)

In Melbourne, lightning may have saved Melbourne from really getting shellacked.

B.J. Daniels rushed for 178 yards on 13 carries for two touchdowns, and he added a 41-yard reception as Palm Bay (4-0) rolled.

Jalen Shelton added an 83-yard interception return for a touchdown, and Dermont Morgan recorded a safety in the third quarter before the game was called for lightning with 6:48 to go in the third quarter.

Tyler Vazquez, for FLORIDA TODAY

Week 5: Palm Bay 22, Melbourne 0 (3 Quarters)

MERRITT ISLAND 48, PORT ST. LUCIE 13

In Merritt Island, Sean Diggs rushed for three first half touchdowns and James Batch threw for three first quarter touchdowns as Merritt Island cruised.

Diggs rushed for 189 total yards with the three scores (14, 90 and 5 yards) while Batch combined with a trio of receivers for his first quarter TDs as Merritt Island (3-2) took a 41-6 lead into halftime.

A continuous running clock was employed throughout the second half, and Port St. Lucie fell to 1-3.

John Janokaitis, for FLORIDA TODAY

Week 5: Merritt Island 48, Port St. Lucie 13

SPACE COAST 44, POINCIANA 12

In Port St. John, Space Coast trailed 6-0 after the first possession of the game.

But the deficit didn’t last long.

Bradley Cantrell threw for 5 touchdowns and Space Coast (2-3) steamrolled Poinciana (0-5).

Cantrell had TD passes to Anthony Decamp (37 yards), Jason Browning (51 yards), Connor Perrine (24 and 45 yards) and Deris Spivey (29 yards).

John Shipley, for FLORIDA TODAY

Week 5: Space Coast 44, Poinciana 12

CLEARWATER ACADEMY INTERNATIONAL 28, COCOA BEACH 0

In Cocoa Beach, Cocoa Beach had a chance to improve on last year’s two-win season, but it will have to wait at least two weeks.

Clearwater International Academy (3-1) stymied Cocoa Beach’s (2-3) offense and beat the weather to win.

The Minutemen are off next week, then head to Belle Isle to face Cornerstone Charter.

For FLORIDA TODAY

Week 5: Clearwater Academy International 28, Cocoa Beach 0

MELBOURNE CENTRAL CATHOLIC 55, UNION COUNTY 14

In Lake Butler, Joaquin Collazo threw for five touchdowns as MCC continued to dominate its opponents.

The Hustlers (5-0) actually trailed 14-10 after one quarter, but the defense clamped down and the offense revved up to torch a Union County team (2-2) that defeated MCC 18-7 last year.

Nate Fleming caught TD passes of 60 and 80 yards, and Lorenzo Hardy scored twice, a receiving touchdown (11 yards) and a rushing touchdown (17 yards.)

Jim Ziarno, for FLORIDA TODAY

Week 5: Melbourne Central Catholic 55, Union County 14

CAMBRIDGE CHRISTIAN, HOLY TRINITY, Cancelled

In Melbourne, Holy Trinity (2-1) trailed Cambridge Christian (4-0) 21-7, but not enough of the game had been played, so when it was cancelled for weather it was not considered an official game.

For FLORIDA TODAY

Week 5: Cambridge Christian 21, Holy Trinity 7

GODBY 20, ROCKLEDGE 14

In Tallahassee, Rockledge led 7-6 early, but fell to Godby (2-2)

It was Rockledge’s third-game ever in Tallahassee. It’s where the Raiders won their two state championships in the early 2000s.

The Raiders (1-3) return to district play next week against Space Coast.

For FLORIDA TODAY

Week 5: Godby 20, Rockledge 14

Javian Hawkins of Viera is dragged down by William Champion of Viera during Friday’s game in Viera.

Last year, they played a dramatic thriller that went right down to the wire.

This time around, the Cocoa Tigers and the Viera Hawks played another close game that went right down until … 10 seconds left in the third quarter.

That’s when the game was delayed by lightning in the area. Just over an hour later, the contest was called, making the final score Cocoa 17, Viera 7.

Cocoa running back Timmy Pratt’s 2-yard touchdown run broke a 7-7 tie with 7:13 remaining in the third quarter, and Alex Petruzzello nailed a 44-yard field goal to give the Tigers a 10-point lead just before the lightning delay.

While both teams struggled to move the ball in the first half, the Tigers made an adjustment at halftime that really seemed to pay off.

“We knew their defensive front was tough,” Cocoa coach John Wilkinson said, “so we tried to mix it up a little more. We’d kind of gotten away from what we do and at halftime, I was like, ‘Guys, we’re just going to run it right at them and let the chips fall where they may.’

“We started hitting them with some counters and getting some yards, and the kids starting getting some confidence.”

No Tiger reflected that more than running back Lasedrick King, who gained 125 yards on 13 carries with 90 of those yards coming in the second half.

Viera, meanwhile, was hoping to pull off a comeback similar to last year’s game when the Hawks rallied from 21 points down to tie the score at 42-42 late in the fourth quarter before Cocoa quarterback Bruce Judson led the Tigers on a final game-winning drive.

“We wanted to test ourselves to see where we’re at. That’s why we scheduled good teams like Cocoa,” Hawks coach Kevin Mays said. “I think our defense played good tonight. Offensively, we struggled, and I think that just takes time with some of our younger guys.

“I think we all would have looked forward to finishing the game to see where it ended, but Mother Nature didn’t cooperate.”

Cocoa’s first touchdown was set up by two big plays. First, the Tigers stopped Viera on a fourth-and-1 from its own 44, giving Cocoa’s offense a short field. Then, with the Tigers facing their own fourth-and-4 at the Viera 17, Petruzzello was sent out to try a field goal.

Well, until the Tigers called a time out and then decided to go for it. Judson hit Dezmon Morgan with a 6-yard pass for the first down, and Javian Hawkins eventually took it in from 12 yards out to give Cocoa a 7-0 lead.

It stayed that way until the second quarter when Viera’s Garrett Kaminski intercepted a Judson pass and returned it to the Cocoa 5-yard line. Once again, the Hawks (3-2) struggled offensively and actually found themselves in a third-and-goal from the 19 situation.

Quarterback Tim DeMorat then hit Travis Jones with a short screen pass over the middle, and Jones took it to the Cocoa 1-yard line. And on fourth down, Brennen DePlancke scored to tie the game at 7.

“That touchdown was on me because I kind of got talked into doing something that’s out of my character,” Wilkinson said. “Throwing it deep down there in our own territory, that’s my fault. I can’t put that on the defense. I thought they played great. So that’s one score on Coach Wilkinson.”

As close as the first half was, the third quarter definitely belonged to the Tigers (3-1), who got points on both of their possessions.

Despite the victory, Wilkinson didn’t seem all that pleased with the way the Tigers have played this season.

“We haven’t been playing real well, to be honest,” Wilkinson said. “I don’t think we have an identity yet. We’ve kind of been here and there. We have a good play and then a bad play and we miss a block.

“I’m not real happy. We’ve got a long way to go. We’ve got Mainland next, and that’s going to be a tough one, too. We’ve just got to get better.”

That’s why the way the Tigers played in the second half was a good sign for Cocoa.

“The third quarter was definitely a step in the right direction,” Wilkinson said. “That’s a good football team right there. They’re going to go far in the playoffs. They’re 7A. We’re just a little 4A, and we were able to line up and move the ball on them. That was a huge help.”

High school sports | floridatoday.com/sports/high-school-sports/

COCOA 17, VIERA 7 (3 Quarters)

Cocoa     7   0  10  –  17

Viera      0   7    0   –   7

1st Quarter

C: Javian Hawkins 12 run (Alex Petruzzello kick), :31.2

2nd Quarter

V: Brennen DePlancke 1 run (Trey Schaneville kick), 8:56

3rd Quarter

C: Timmy Pratt 2 run (Alex Petruzzello kick), 7:13
C: Alex Petruzzello 44 FG, 1:45

LIGHTNING DELAY WITH :10 LEFT IN QUARTER, GAME WAS CALLED AND IS CONSIDERED COMPLETE

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: C—Lasedrick King 13-125, Timmy Pratt 13-45, Bruce Judson 10-37, Javian Hawkins 3-13. V—Brennen DePlancke 10-23, Mike Vega 1-(-4), Tim DeMorat 4-(-11).

PASSING: C—Judson 3-7-28-0-1. V—DeMorat 11-15-85-0-0.

RECEIVING: C—Hawkins 2-1, Juwan Armstrong 1-16, Dezmon Morgan 1-6. V—Travis Jones 3-36, Don Jackson 2-6, DePlancke 2-5, Vega 1-27, Quinton Richard 1-11, Bear Bollinger 1-5, Sean Atkins 1-2.

At Viera High School, Viera

Top performers: Cocoa: Lasedrick King 13 carries for 125 yards with 90 of this yards coming in the third quarter. Viera: Garrett Kaminski’s interception and return set up Brennen DePlancke’s 1-yd TD run.

Key play: Cocoa’s Timmy Pratt scores in a 2-yard run on the Tigers’ first possession of the second half to break a 7-7 tie and put Cocoa up for good.

Record: Cocoa (3-1)  Viera (3-2).

Next week: Melbourne at Viera, 7 p.m.; Cocoa bye

Full game report: http://on.flatoday.com/2cTxBfA

Carl Kotala, for FLORIDA TODAY

Heritage High’s Willie Gaines is taken down by Osceola High’s Mario Kendricks.

PALM BAY – There are two things you can definitively expect when you attend a Heritage High School football game: an outstanding halftime show from the school’s band, and great effort from its football team.

Both of those were on full display on Friday night. The latter of those helped improbably keep Heritage close with Kissimmee Osceola, the No. 2 ranked team in Class 8A, despite being heavily outgained on the evening.

Ultimately, Heritage (3-1) didn’t win the game, falling to the Kowboys (5-0) by a 14-6 score, but they very likely learned a lot about themselves that was positive as they move forward this season.

“I thought the kids played as hard as they possibly could,” Ainsley said. “That’s a really solid team in Osceola.”

The Kowboys (5-0) reached the Class 8A title game in 2015 and looked every bit the part of a state title contender early on in the game. On their second play from scrimmage, Malcolm Davidson ran 27 yards to help put his team up 7-0.

In the second quarter, Davidson scored again, this time off a 52-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Braxton Jones that made it 14-0.

It looked like the Kowboys might break it open before the half, but a couple of penalties and some stingy Panther defense forced a field goal attempt. That attempt was blocked and returned 76 yards by Heritage’s Jason Miller to bring the Panthers to within a score at the half at 14-6.

That it was within a score at that point is incredible considering the Panthers were held to 6 total yards offensively in the first half, amassing just one first down via a running into the kicker penalty.

In the second half, Heritage bowed up again in the red zone, with the Panthers’ Isaiah Gamble recovering a fumble on an Osceola fourth down try.

Heritage’s defense did it again on Osceola’s ensuing possession, forcing a turnover on downs deep in its territory and a punt later in the fourth.

“I tell you what, we’ve got a bunch of kids that just flat out believe in each other, you know, they believe in our defensive staff and just flat out working hard,” said Ainsley of his team’s defense. “You look out there, it’s a bunch of young guys just  running around but they believe in each other and when you get 11 guys believe that the next man’s going to do their job and I’m going to do my job, some good things happen.”

That’s when, about midway through the fourth quarter and for the only time all night, Heritage’s offense finally came to life when quarterback Willie Gaines remarkably found Nicholas Barber on a 39-yard pitch and catch on 3rd and long from the Panthers 2. From there, Heritage was able to methodically move it down the field thanks primarily to Gaines’ arm and penalties.

The drive concluded with over a minute left in the game when on a 4th and 13 play, Panthers receiver Brian Nieves took a double reverse and ran it just shy of the first down marker, which was inside the Kowboys’ 5-yard line.

“That’s been kind of our M.O. all year. So we’ve got four games, and all four of them have come down to a last drive,” Ainsley said.

Heritage was unable to stop Osceola from getting a first down after that, allowing the Cowboys to run out the clock and seal the victory.

Heritage travels to Okeechobee next week in a district matchup. Ainsley hopes that the experience from games such as this will help the team moving forward.

“When you’re playing someone that’s going to be consistently in the playoffs, you know they’re seeing that,” Ainsley added. “They’re seeing that kind of speed and what’s going on and it’s only going to make you better and I know we became a better ballclub tonight. Some of our kids had to grow up tonight and I’m just extremely proud of them, did a great job.”

Contact Bonanno at 321-242-3662, cbonanno@floridatoday.com or follow Chris on Twitter @FTChrisBonanno.

OSCEOLA 14, HERITAGE 6

Osceola – 7 7 0 0 – 14

Heritage – 0 6 0 0 – 6

HOW THEY SCORED

1st quarter

O- Malcolm Davidson 27 run (Luis Martinez kick); 8:11

2nd quarter     

O- Davidson 52 pass from Braxton Jones (Martinez kick); 11:14

H- Jason Miller 76 return of blocked field goal (kick failed); 0:59

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Passing – Osceola: Braxton Jones 2-3-57 yards (TD); Heritage: Willie Gaines 5-14-88 yards-1 INT.

Rushing – Osceola: Jakobe Thomas 14-118 yards, Malcolm Davidson 11-78 (TD), Tayquan Pinellas 8-33, Braxton Jones 7-10, Dwayne McGee 2-9, Da’nas Pinellas 4-4. Heritage: Willie Gaines 15-12, Brian Nieves 1-12, Jayquan Martin 7-6, Amarion Gaines 3-6, Avery Oates 3-5.

Receiving – Osceola: Davidson 1-52 (TD), T. Pinellas 1-5. Heritage: Nicholas Barber 3-69, Nieves 1-15

Terriers quarterback OC Brothers rares back to throw a pass Friday night during their home game against Astronaut.

At the end, Bobby Bruce held on to the Hudson Trophy as if he would take it home with him, Titusville High victorious, 35-14, for the second time in his four years over cross-town rival Astronaut.

Antonio Lennear of Titusville intercepts a short pass only to have it stripped from him and another Terrier pick it up and score a TD.

Terriers with two wins over Astronaut are not common. Not since 1988-91 has Titusville won more than one game in a row in the series, but fourth-year coach Wayne Lawrence has brought the program as close as its been since then, two wins in three years.

“I had faith,” Bruce said. “I just knew we were gonna win this game. I had a feeling the whole week.”

A 70-yard kickoff return played a crucial role in securing it.

Astronaut’s Devin Durham intercepted a pass and patiently wove his way 66 yards through teammates and would-be tacklers to the end zone in the final minute before halftime, cutting the Titusville (2-3) lead to 14-7.

Just as quickly, Trimarea Charles fielded the ensuing kickoff and followed Bruce down the west sideline to push the margin back to two scores.

“It was an important switch of momentum,” Lawrence said. “Teams that turn turnovers into scores usually get a tremendous boost of confidence and momentum. That was huge.”

Charles had already played a big role in the game, intercepting a War Eagles pass and running 38 yards for the touchdown that gave the Terriers their 14-0 lead midway through the second.

Another interception, this time by Antonio Lennear, assured the Terriers of maintaining control in the second half. He broke up a screen play with his pick and ran his 265-pound body almost 40 yards before the ball was stripped from behind.

“I just took a two-step drop and looked for the ball,” Lennear said. “The coaches were yelling on the sidelines. I didn’t hear (the Astronaut pursuer). I was just trying to score a touchdown.”

But he was caught and stripped. Bruce picked it up and ran the final 13 into the end zone.

“He thought nobody was behind him. He thought he had daylight.”

O.C. Brothers passed for 135 yards for Titusville, including five to RaShean Lynn for 77 yards and the game’s final score.

Both teams return to district play next week, Titusville against Palm Bay in 14-5A and Astronaut (1-4) against Orlando Jones in 5-4A.

Contact McCallum at 321-242-3698 or bmccallum@floridatoday.com. Follow facebook.com/FLtoday.brianmccallum and @Brian_McCallum on Twitter.

Titusville-Astronaut football generates vivid memories

Titusville 35, Astronaut 14

Astro  0  7  7  0  –  14

Titus  7  14  7  7  –  35

1st Quarter

T: Dontavious Marcus 5 run (Patrick Simonsen kick), :17

2nd Quarter

T: Trimarea Charles 38 interception return (Patrick Simonsen kick), 4:33
A: Devin Durham 66 interception return (Kevin Wright kick), :36
T: Trimarea Charles 75 kickoff return (Simonsen kick), :20

3rd Quarter

T: Bobby Bruce 13 fumble return (Simonsen kick), 8:28
A: Kamauri Johnson 3 run (Wright kick), 4:09

4th Quarter

T: Rasehan Lynn 33 pass from O.C. Brothers (Simonsen kick), 3:41

High school sports | floridatoday.com/sports/high-school-sports/

At Titusville High’s Al Werneke Field, Titusville

Top performers: Astronaut: Devin Durham returned an interception 66 yards for a touchdown for the War Eagles in the second quarter. Titusville: Dontavious Marcus rushed 21 times for 92 yards. O.C. Brothers passed for 135 yards and a touchdown. Trimarea Charles returned an interception 38 yards for a TD.

Key play: Following Durham’s touchdown for the War Eagles, Charles took the kickoff and sprinted 70 yards for a touchdown to return Titusville’s lead to two scores before halftime.

Record: Astronaut: (1-4); Titusville (2-3)

Next week: Astronaut at Jones (Orlando), 7 p.m.; Titusville at Palm Bay, 7 p.m.

Full game report: http://on.flatoday.com/2d6RFr8

Brian McCallum, FLORIDA TODAY

Through games of Sept. 23

Brennen DePlancke (22) scores for Viera during Friday’s game against Cocoa.

Friday’s results

Cocoa 17, at Viera 7

at Palm Bay 22, Melbourne 0

at Martin County 35, Centennial 0

Friday’s results

Kissimmee Osceola 14, at Heritage 6

Satellite 41, at Bayside 34

Somerset Academy at Okeechobee, cancelled

Friday’s results

at Palm Bay 22, Melbourne 0

at Merritt Island 48, Port St. Lucie 13

at Titusville 35, Astronaut 14

at Space Coast 44, Poinciana 12

at Tallahassee Godby 20, Rockledge 14

Satellite 41, at Bayside 34

Thursday’s result

at Atlantic 34, Pine Ridge 14

Friday’s results

Cocoa 17, at Viera 7

at Titusville 35, Astronaut 14

Jones 48, at West Orange 24

Friday’s results

MCC 55, Union County 14

John Carroll 38, at Father Lopez 19

Friday’s results

Clearwater Academy 28, at Cocoa Beach 0

GIRLS

Cross country

1. Amanda Beach (MCC) 17:47

2. Samantha Folio (HT) 19:04

3. Natalie Bress (M) 19:18

4. Dominique Coriell (R) 19:33

5. Hannah Flemming (A) 19:56

6. Lana Rukab (S) 20:12

7. Sadie McLaughlin (R) 20:24

8. Victoria Rohloff (MI) 20:26

9. Marie Groppel (S) 20:29

(tie) Sara Towers (S) 20:29

11. Anique Kattenberg (S) 20:33

12. Jonelle Plahuta (WS) 20:38

13. Kamryn Folger (T) 20:42

14. Brianna Basford (S) 20:48

15. Billie Castillo (T) 20:56

16. Hayley Barrett (MI) 20:57

17. Haley Higginbotham (EW) 21:09

18. Ashley Basford (S) 21:17

19. Jessica O’Bryan (T) 21:24

(tie) Shelby Bennett (EW) 21:24

Boys

1. Mason Jones (T) 15:51

2. Egan Kattenberg (S) 16:06

3. John Cacciatore (S) 16:07

4. Troy Smith (R) 16:09

5. Austin Camps (WS) 16:24

6. Trevor Kattenberg (S) 16:26

7. Michael Wilson (S) 16:34

8. Uriah Washington (R) 16:40

9. Dennis McCheskey (A) 16:43

10. Hunter Tyler (BH) 16:59

11. Bradyn Ricca (MI) 17:06

12. Charlie Dickerson (S) 17:09

13. Luke Blanchard (BH) 17:14

14. Logan Kraus (M) 17:16

15. Walker Hirsch (S) 17:18

16. Matt Lake (MI) 17:19

17. David Quigley (V) 17:22

18. Cameron Klug (MI) 17:24

(tie) John Padilla (S) 17:24

20. Christian Camps (WS) 17:27

High school sports | floridatoday.com/sports/high-school-sports/

After winning its first state championship in 2008, the Cocoa High football team became a regular at sitting near the top of state football polls. Eventually, the Tigers began to earn mention in national rankings.

Cocoa players Bruce Judson (4) and Alex Petruzzello celebrate a field goal by Petruzzello during Friday’s game against Viera.

Following a win in its second title game, the Tigers began to travel to face some of the other names that sometimes appear in national prep rankings, playing games against high school teams from Mississippi, Pennsylvania and Texas the next fall. Cocoa won all three of those.

At the same time, the Tigers maintained a streak of excellence against local teams. With Friday’s win over Viera, the Cocoa High football team has now won 39 consecutive games against Brevard schools.

The last time the Tigers lost to a team from their own county was Oct. 10, 2008, at Merritt Island, when the Mustangs converted a two-point conversion attempt for a 15-14 win.

Friday’s game was shortened to three quarters when lightning intervened, but the Hawks have given Cocoa two of its toughest contests against local opposition in the last 12 months. A year ago, the Tigers scored late to pull out a 49-42 win over Viera in Cocoa. Friday’s game was on the Hawks’ field.

Cocoa, ranked second in the Associated Press rankings of Florida Class 4A teams this week, will look north on Oct. 7 to play Daytona Beach Mainland, which was No. 3 in the most recent rankings of 6A teams.

The Tigers have two remaining games against Brevard teams in the 2016 regular season. Both are District 5-4A games: Oct. 21 at Astronaut and Nov. 4 versus Rockledge at Cocoa Stadium.

Charles played major role in swinging rivalry game

Scoring as a defensive player or a member of special teams is something of an unusual occurrence in football, and it’s a highlight for any player who does so.

But doing both? That’s more than rare.

Trimarea Charles did it Friday at Al Werneke Field, and he did it in one of Titusville’s biggest games of the year. His two touchdowns helped the Terriers defeat arch-rival Astronaut 35-14.

Not long after the second quarter passed the midway point with Titusville leading 7-0, Astronaut recovered a fumble and began to drive north. Charles interrupted, intercepting a War Eagles pass and streaking down the field for a 38-yard return and touchdown.

That gave the Terriers a two-touchdown lead, but Charles wasn’t finished. When Astronaut’s Devin Durham returned his own interception 66 yards to cut the lead in half with 38 seconds to play before intermission, the momentum had turned, and Titusville was set to face a second half with a revitalized War Eagles team.

Charles prevented that, with blocker Bobby Bruce leading the way. Charles took the ensuing kickoff and returned it 70 yards to the end zone. That put the Terriers back in front by two scores, 21-7, with 20 seconds left until intermission.

“It was an important switch of momentum,” Titusville coach Wayne Lawrence said. “Teams that turn turnovers into scores usually get a tremendous boost of confidence and momentum. That was huge.”

Brevard gets mixed results in rankings games

That Cocoa-Viera game had a rare look to it, as both teams were ranked among the top 10 in their classifications. Class 4A’s No. 2, Cocoa, defeated Viera, ninth in 7A, 17-7.

That game had another look to it that turned out to be common on Friday. It was cut short by lightning, ending just seconds before the third quarter was complete.

Palm Bay experienced the same thing, as the No. 5 team in 5A went a similar distance in a 22-0 win over Melbourne. Holy Trinity, listed among teams receiving votes for the 3A poll, did not get to play enough of its matchup with 2A’s second-ranked team, Cambridge Christian, to have it count as official.

Heritage, getting votes in 6A voting, played closer to 8A No. 2 Kissimmee Osceola than many might have expected but fell, 14-6, at home to the Kowboys.

Finally, Melbourne Central Catholic rolled again, 55-14 over Union County, which got votes in the 1A rankings. The Hustlers made their first appearance among 3A teams receiving votes last week.

Contact McCallum at 321-242-3698 or bmccallum@floridatoday.com. Follow facebook.com/FLtoday.brianmccallum and @Brian_McCallum on Twitter.

High school sports | floridatoday.com/sports/high-school-sports/

Friday’s schedule

Melbourne at Viera, 7 p.m.

Rockledge at Space Coast, 7

Tituville at Palm Bay, 7

Merritt Island at Satellite, 7

Eau Gallie at Bayside, 7

Deltona Trinity Christian at Holy Trinity, 7

Astronaut at Orlando Jones, 7

Heritage at Okeechobee,7

Merritt Island Christian at Faith Christian, 7

Most of our Top 5s remained mostly unchanged this week, but not completely. One newcomer of note is Cocoa High girls golf. The Tigers haven’t been known as a power in that sport, but the team is off to a 7-1 start this year, a dramatic improvement for that program.

Both our boys and girls cross country Top 5s stayed the same, but that could change this weekend. The 17th annual Flrunners meet will begin Friday at Chain of Lakes Park in Titusville. More than 5,000 runners will be on hand, and 17 races will be run, including varsity, junior varsity and college divisions.

Joe Malatino and Jordan Emmons of Viera walk down the fairway during their match against Holy Trinity Tuesday.

Football

1. Cocoa

2. Palm Bay

3. Viera

4. Heritage

5. Merritt Island

Cocoa maintains streak in Brevard games

Boys cross country

1. Satellite

2. Merritt Island

3. Viera

4. Titusville

5. Cocoa Beach

Brevard cross county best performers through Sept. 24

Girls cross country

1. Satellite

2. Merritt Island

3. Holy Trinity

4. Rockledge

5. Titusville

Boys golf

1. Viera

2. Melbourne

3. Merritt Island

4. Cocoa Beach

5. Astronaut

Girls golf

1. Viera

2. Cocoa Beach

3. Melbourne CC

4. Cocoa

5. Satellite

Merritt Island players celebrate a point during their match Tuesday against Cocoa Beach.

Volleyball

1. Merritt Island

2. Holy Trinity

3. Viera

4. Titusville

5. Eau Gallie

Girls swimming & diving

1. Titusville

2. Viera

3. Holy Trinity

4. Cocoa Beach

5. Satellite

Vote for this week’s Athlete of the Week

Boys swimming & diving

1. Titusville

2. Rockledge

3. Cocoa Beach

4. Edgewood

5. Satellite

Boys bowling

1. Bayside

2. Merritt Island

3. Space Coast

4. Rockledge

5. Heritage

Girls bowling

1. Covenant Christian

2. Bayside

3. Rockledge

4. Titusville

5. Palm Bay

High school sports | floridatoday.com/sports/high-school-sports/

When Miami Booker T. Washington lost unexpectedly for the first time this season, the Cocoa High football team got to spend just a week at the top of the Class 4A rankings.

Cocoa’s Timmy Pratt and the Tigers are again the No. 1 team in Class 4A this week.

Over the weekend, BTW lost again, this time to the No. 1 team in Class 6A, Miami Central, 42-14. As a result, the Tigers have returned to the top of the poll, and perhaps on more solid footing.

Fifteen of 19 voters placed Cocoa in the first spot on their ballot in voting compiled by the Associated Press. The 3-1 Tigers moved back up from No. 2 with 181 points. Jacksonville Bolles (3-0) was next at 162. BTW and Dunnellon each got one first-place vote.

Cocoa maintains streak in Brevard games

Cocoa defeated Viera last week, 17-7, in a weather-shortened game. The Tigers are off this week.

Palm Bay remained at No. 5 in Class 5A voting, and four other Brevard County teams also got votes in their classifications. Palm Bay’s 22-0 win over Melbourne was also cut short by lightning. Plantation American Heritage stayed at No. 1 with all 19 first-place votes. Merritt Island was listed among teams just outside the 5A top 10. The Mustangs, now 3-2, have outscored their last two opponents by an 88-13 margin, including last week’s 48-6 win over Port St. Lucie at Merritt Island.

Viera just missed staying in the 7A top 10 despite the loss to Viera. The Hawks received 16 points, one back of No. 10 Hagerty. St. Thomas Aquinas held on to the top spot.

Melbourne Central Catholic, which appeared last week for the first time this season near the bottom of the Class 3A voting, moved within striking distance of the Top 5 with 38 points. First Academy was fifth, at 72. The Hustlers won a significant road victory, 55-14 over Union County on Friday, improving to 5-0.

Heritage was the other Brevard team getting points, appearing among 6A teams with votes after a 14-6 loss to Kissimmee Osceola, the second-ranked team in 8A behind Apopka.

The remaining No. 1 teams were Oxbridge Academy in Class 3A, Cambridge Christian in 2A and Madison County (1A).

Contact McCallum at 321-242-3698 or bmccallum@floridatoday.com. Follow facebook.com/FLtoday.brianmccallum and @Brian_McCallum on Twitter.​

MORE: Vote for the Community Credit Union/FLORIDA TODAY Athlete of the Week

MORE: Brevard high school football standings

Florida High School Football Polls

By The Associated Press

The Associated Press Top 10 Florida high school football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records, rating points and previous rankings:

Others receiving votes: Park Vista Community 14, Dr. Phillips 11, Fort Pierce Central 9, Miramar 6, Seminole Ridge 6, Christopher Columbus Catholic 5, Boca Raton Community 4, Lake Brantley 2.

Others receiving votes: Viera 16, Winter Haven 13, Bartram Trail 4, Lincoln 4, Leon 3, R.E. Lee 2, Mater Academy 1.

Others receiving votes: Lake Gibson 13, Sebastian River 8, Charlotte 7, Pine Forest 6, Matanzas 4, St. Augustine 3, Dillard 2, Port Charlotte 2, Miami Norland 2, Ocala Forest 1, Heritage 1, Tate 1.

Others receiving votes: North Marion 9, West Florida 3, Wesley Chapel 2, Hallandale 2, Merritt Island 2, Nature Coast Tech 1, Dunbar 1.

Others receiving votes: Orlando Jones 13, South Sumter 12.

Others receiving votes: Melbourne Central Catholic 38, Chaminade-Madonna College Prep 19, Tampa Catholic 14.

Others receiving votes: Northside Christian 24.

Others receiving votes: South Walton 19, Fort Meade 6.

High school sports | floridatoday.com/sports/high-school-sports/

Space Coast hosted Poinciana on Friday night.

It is not how you start that matters, but it is instead the way that you finish that you will ultimately be judged upon. 

It’s a cliche phrase that is as old as time itself, but it rings true from the perspective of the Space Coast Vipers after their 44-12 victory against the Poinciana Eagles. 

The Vipers have had trouble in the past in terms of finishing games but there was no issue Friday night, despite a less than ideal start to the game. 

Poinciana had the first possession of the game and they took full advantage of the chance to build some momentum right out of the gate. 

It looked like the Vipers’ defense was going to force a 3-and-out on the Eagles’ first offensive possession, but on third down an offsides penalty gave the Eagles new life. They responded by pushing the ball downfield through the air and using quarterback Kobe Oldfield as a dual-threat weapon who could threaten the defense with his legs. 

After a long scramble on a key down, Oldfield would cross the goal line from 1-yard out to make it 6-0.

Week 5: Titusville 35, Astronaut 14

Before the Vipers offense could even take the field,  their team had a choice to make. Let the early adversity affect the rest of their play, or move on from it and respond with force?

They chose the latter.

The Vipers drove down the field on their first offensive possession and on a big fourth down play, QB Bradley Cantrell delivered an extremely accurate pass into a very small throwing window, all while taking a hit. This pass, to Anthony Decamp, would be a 37-yard touchdown pass and the first of Cantrell’s five touchdowns.

From that point on, the Vipers were in control of the game. 

Their defense was steady, forcing several stops that gave the Vipers’ offense great field possession. Junior defenses Reggie Bradley individually had three pass breakups, one of which came on a deep pass by the Eagles in the first half that looked like it had a chance to force a score. 

The Eagles’ defense would also force two turnovers. One, a fumble recovery, in the first half and the other, an interception, in the second.

On offense, Cantrell had the biggest night. He followed up his great execution from the first drive by continuing to spread the ball around all throughout his stable of skill players. 

Anthony Decamp, Brandon Browning, and Deris Spivey all caught touchdown passes of  over 25 yards. Connor Perrine caught two touchdown passes. 

Senior Tray Williams also scored a touchdown, taking a handoff 13 yards for a score.

The only glaring negative of the game for Space Coast was the abundance of penalties that were self-inflicted, but this was not a problem that they didn’t share as the Eagles also struggled mightily in this area. From offsides, to false starts, to holdings, to personal fouls, there were more than 15 penalties called between the two teams. A number of scores were also called back due to penalties.

Despite this, the Vipers will still walk away from the game with a great feeling. Not only did they finish the game, but they didn’t even let it get to the point where you questioned if they would be able to.

High school sports | floridatoday.com/sports/high-school-sports/

SPACE COAST 44, POINCIANA 12

Poinciana        6  0  0  6    –  12

Space Coast   7  7  9  14  –  44

1st Quarter

P: Kobe Oldfield 1 run (kick blocked), 5:38

SC: Anthony Decamp 37 pass from Bradley Cantrell (Justin Wilcox kick), 3:26

2nd Quarter

SC: Jason Browning 51 pass from Bradley Cantrell (Justin Wilcox kick), 2:18

3rd Quarter

SC: Safety (Jared Spinner tackles runner in end zone), 9:18

SC: Connor Perrine 24 pass from Bradley Cantrell (Justin Wilcox kick), 6:24

4th Quarter

P: Kobe Oldfield 4 run (pass failed), 10:39

SC: Connor Perrine 45 pass from Bradley Cantrell (Luke Galloway kick), 10:13

SC: Deris Spivey 29 pass from Bradley Cantrell (Luke Galloway kick), 9:23

SC: Tray Williams 13 run (Luke Galloway kick), 6:00

At Space Coast High, Port St. John

Top performers: Poinciana: Quarterback Kobe Oldfield had a long scramble on thirrd down on the first drive and a tough run at the goal line to score a few plays later.  Space Coast; QB Bradley Cantrell threw 5 TD passes to 4 different teammates.  

Key play: Trailing 6-0 after the first possession, Cantrell hit wide receiver Anthony Decamp on fourth down for a 37-yard touchdown. Space Coast would kick the PAT to make it 7-6 and would not give up the lead for the rest of the game.

Record: Poinciana (0-5); Space Coast (2-3)

Next week: Eustis at Poinciana, 7 p.m.; Rockledge at Space Coast, 7 p.m.

Full game report: http://on.flatoday.com/2dqQkh8

John Shipley, for FLORIDA TODAY

Through games of Sept. 23

Friday night’s Melbourne High School vs. Palm Bay High School football game.

Cocoa back in front in 4A high school football

Brevard high school sports Top 5s, Sept. 27

Tackles

Brandon Mays, V 63; Bobby Bruce, T 60; Matt Allaire, H 57; Tray Williams, SC 52; Brock Holland, V 51; Daythan Peterson, MI 48; Miguel Rodriguez, V 48; Mitchell Cook, PB 46; Isaiah Gamble, H 45; Cooper Wilson, PB 42; Cameron Saydo, S 41; Brandon Montanez, PB 38; ; Andrew Beardall, MI 36; Andreal Curry, T 36; Connor Kaminski, V 35; Deundrell Turpin, SC 35; Andrew Abendroth, S 32; Sullivan Altman, HT 32; Marco Foreman, V 32; Jared Spinner, SC 32; Hyatt Kempfer, M 31; Hunter Lee, M 31; Kyle Haderle, EG 30; Decorey James, B 30; Derrick Lewis, EG 30; Sayvion Peterson, MI 30; Clinton Bartley, C 29; Austin Crosby, SC 29; Quentin Johnson, SC 29; Cameron Sorg, PB 29; Ladarius Tennyson, PB 29.

Interceptions

Javonn Roberson, PB 4; Trimarea Charles, T 3; Colton Farrington, V 3; Cameron Sorg, MI 3; Corey Anderson, T 2; Erik Askeland, S 2; Will Champion, V 2; RaShard Farmer, H 2; Caden Larkin, S 2; Ken McKay, PB 2; Daythan Peterson, MI 2; Jalen Shelton, PB 2; Deundrell Turpin, SC 2; Mike Walker, EG 2.

High school sports | floridatoday.com/sports/high-school-sports/

When Merritt Island hosts Satellite for high school volleyball on Thursday, more than the match will be on the line. The Mustangs and Scorpions will be raising money to battle cancer.

Alyssa Zwolensky of Merritt Island spikes the ball during Tuesday’s match against Cocoa Beach. Zwolensky had nine kills in the match.

Merritt Island’s varsity will host the Scorpions at 7 p.m.

Coach Angie Patrick and her players compiled a list of family members who have been touched by cancer, and the process brought a reality home to them.

“The list is too long,” Patrick said. “Everyone has been touched by it.”

The game program will include the names of victims. To raise money, there will be a silent auction, donation jar, bake sale and shirt sale. T-shirts have been made to honor victims.

Satellite coach Daren Bolton is included among those who have lost family members. So is Mustangs senior Alyssa Zwolensky, who lost her dad to a rare brain cancer in April.

“I feel like this is one way of helping his memory to live on,” Zwolensky said. “He would love that we are raising money.”

Georgianna United Methodist Church will match what is raised. Patrick pointed out the focus is more than breast cancer, which is highlighted every October, when sports teams of various types wear pink. Merritt Island plays in an annual Dig Pink tournament in Orlando, and that event is next weekend.

Vote for this week’s Athlete of the Week

Sweeney helps Ole Miss to golf victory

Holy Trinity and Eastern Florida product Kerry Sweeney posted his first top 10 finish in Division I last week, helping the Ole Miss men’s golf team win the Franklin American Mortgage Intercollegiate in College Grove, Tenn.

Sweeney birdied four times in his final round, shooting 1-over for the tournament. His second-round 69, which was 3 under par, was his best day. The Melbourne native is a junior and a two-time FLORIDA TODAY Boys Golfer of the Year. He won the FHSAA title as a senior and the national junior college championship in May for EFSC.

Brevard high school sports Top 5s, Sept. 27

Panthers baseball program raising money

The Heritage High baseball program will benefit from a golf tournament at The Majors on Oct. 15 at 8 a.m. The goal is to build a new batting cage.

The cost of $65 includes lunch. Prizes will be awarded. Contact coach Rob Querry at 321-961-4746 or querry.robert@brevardschools.org.

Contact McCallum at 321-242-3698 or bmccallum@floridatoday.com. Follow facebook.com/FLtoday.brianmccallum and @Brian_McCallum on Twitter.

High school sports | floridatoday.com/sports/high-school-sports/

….

For any high school football fan who has been in Brevard for a year or more, this is not new: a slow-starting Merritt Island team making its move as the middle of the season arrives and district football intensifies.

Merritt Island High’s players take the field for a game at Mustang stadium.

The Mustangs will join 13 other area teams in playing a district game on Friday. Having won its first one, beating Space Coast two weeks ago, the Mustangs will try to put themselves into strong postseason contention with a game at Space Coast.

Week 6 high school football capsules

Merritt Island, Palm Bay, Titusville and Heritage can each move to 2-0 with another win, and that will clarify which teams are the strongest contenders. Here is a look at what early-season results seem to indicate, even before those second district contests are played:

District 14-5A

The Mustangs are not only the defending champions; they haven’t lost a district game in five years. They have to be considered the clear favorite over 1-4 Satellite and will then have a week off before consecutive games against the Terriers and Pirates.

MORE: Brevard high school football standings

MORE: Brevard football stat leaders

The last two district runners-up, Palm Bay and Titusville, play each other Friday. The Pirates are ranked fifth in Class 5A and appear to have a head of steam as the season reaches the midpoint. Titusville started 0-3 but has rebounded, and the Terriers speedy defense is its best asset.

The winner of the Space Coast-Rockledge game could consider itself still in the early hunt.

Favorites: Palm Bay, Merritt Island

Wild card: Titusville

Avery Oates of Heritage turns the corner during Friday’s game against Merritt Island.

District 14-6A

Heritage didn’t lose a district game last year but is in a bit of a rebuilding process. That doesn’t mean the Panthers shouldn’t be considered a contender, particularly if they clear Friday’s hurdle at Okeechobee. Winning on the road is always an accomplishment, and the Brahmans are improving.

Friday’s game between Sebastian River and Jensen Beach will determine the team to beat. The Sharks finished second to Heritage last season and are 4-0. Their toughest game so far was a 14-0 win at Titusville to open the season.

Favorites: Sebastian River, Heritage

Wild card: Jensen Beach

Viera an Gonzaga players shake hands following their game Saturday evening.

District 7-6A

Viera and Melbourne open district play against each other, and the Hawks have to be favorites because of their 2015 state runner-up finish and the toughness of the schedule they’ve already played. The other opener, South Fork at Martin County, will reveal Viera’s toughest competition, though both teams have started well. Melbourne is still rebuilding.

Favorite: Viera

Wild cards: South Fork, Martin County

Cocoa back in front in 4A high school football

District 5-4A

Cocoa is the clear favorite, especially with a solid win over previously unbeaten Lake Highland Prep. Orlando Jones, which would love to prove that wrong, will visit the Tigers in two weeks. Jones hosts last year’s runner-up, Astronaut, this Friday.

Favorite: Cocoa

Wild card: Jones

District 6-3A

Melbourne Central Catholic has been arguably the most-improved Brevard team this season. In a three-team district, MCC’s win over Holy Trinity goes a long way, and the Hustlers control their own destiny.

MCC’s Joaquin Collazo voted Athlete of the Week

Favorite: MCC

Wild cards: John Carroll, Holy Trinity

Contact McCallum at 321-242-3698 or bmccallum@floridatoday.com. Follow facebook.com/FLtoday.brianmccallum and @Brian_McCallum on Twitter.

Friday’s schedule

Melbourne at Viera, 7 p.m.

Rockledge at Space Coast, 7

Tituville at Palm Bay, 7

Merritt Island at Satellite, 7

Eau Gallie at Bayside, 7

Deltona Trinity Christian at Holy Trinity, 7

Astronaut at Orlando Jones, 7

Heritage at Okeechobee,7

Merritt Island Christian at Faith Christian, 7

High school sports | floridatoday.com/sports/high-school-sports/

For the 10th year in a row, the Flrunners cross country meet will be at Chain of Lakes state park in Titusville. More than 5,000 runners will compete, from middle school, high school and college teams.

Runners from more than 50 schools participated in the Astronaut Invitational at Chain of Lakes Park earlier this season.

It is the 17th annual meet for Flrunners, and 17 races will be run beginning Friday afternoon at 3:20. Competition will resume Saturday morning at 7:20.

MORE: Brevard’s top five boys and girls cross country teams

Melbourne Central Catholic’s Amanda Beach has posted the top high school girls time in Florida this year, 17:47. Other favorites include last year’s Flrunners winner, Bailey Hertenstein of Riverview. She ran a 17:32 to win last year’s Class 4A state title.

In all, 10 of the state’s top 15 girls will be racing.

Mason Jones, of host Titusville, will be a contender among the boys. He was second at last weekend’s UF Mt. Dew Invitational in Gainesville and has placed among the top two at each of his races this season.

Jones has a 2016 best of 15:51.

Brevard cross county best performers through Sept. 24

Colleges competing include Bethune Cookman, Florida Atlantic, Rollins and Webber International.

High school sports | floridatoday.com/sports/high-school-sports/

Friday’s games

Satellite Beach Scorpion Luis Morris breaks the tackle of Astronaut War Eagle Kamauri Johnson as they visited Astronaut Friday night.

Melbourne (1-3, 0-0) at Viera (3-2, 0-0)

7 p.m.

Last week: The Bulldogs lost at Palm Bay, 22-0. Viera lost to Cocoa, 17-7.

Game notes: District 6-7A opener for both teams. Viera is looking for a third consecutive win over its rival. Melbourne can double its 2015 win total.

Rockledge (1-3, 0-1) at Space Coast (2-3, 0-1)

7

Last week: The Raiders lost to Godby in Tallahassee, 20-14. The Vipers won at home, 44-12 over Poinciana.

Predicting district football races

Game notes: District 14-5A game. Rockledge won this game at home last year, 29-28, and has won the last three. Space Coast last beat the Raiders in 2010, 36-28.

Titusville (2-3) at Palm Bay (4-0)

7

Last week: The Terriers beat Astronaut, 35-14. The Pirates beat Melbourne, 22-0, in a weather-shortened game.

Game notes: District 14-5A game. When the teams last played at Palm Bay, Titusville won, 25-20, taking the 14-5A runner-up spot. Palm Bay is ranked fifth in Class 5A by the Associated Press.

Merritt Island (3-2, 1-0) at Satellite (1-4, 0-1)

7

Last week: The Mustangs beat Port St. Lucie, 48-13. The Scorpions won at Bayside, 41-34.

Game notes: District 14-5A game. Merritt Island, which hasn’t lost a district game since 2010, leads the series, 37-5, and won last year, 35-0. Satellite last won in 1996.

MORE: Merritt Island, MCC again getting state football poll votes

Eau Gallie (2-2, 0-1) at Bayside (0-4, 0-1)

7

Last week: The Commodores were off a week after losing at Heritage, 13-7. The Bears lost at home to Satellite, 41-34.

Game notes: District 14-6A game. Eau Gallie won this game in Melbourne last year, 35-0. Bayside’s losing streak reached 17 games last week. It’s last win came against Okeechobee in 2014.

Trinity Christian (3-1) at Holy Trinity (2-1)

7

Last week: The Eagles, from Deltona, won at Bradenton Christian, 57-35. The Tigers were trailing at home but their game against Class 2A No. 1 Cambridge Christian was cancelled due to lightning.

Game notes: Trinity Christian’s only loss was in the season opener, 24-14 to Cocoa Beach. The Eagles have allowed 29 points per game. Holy Trinity won this game last year in Deltona, 34-19.

Astronaut (1-4, 0-1) at Jones (5-0, 1-0)

7, Orlando

Last week: The War Eagles lost at Titusville, 35-14. The Tigers won at West Orange, 48-24.

Game notes: District 4-5A game. Astronaut’s 15-14 win over Jones last year was key to the War Eagles’ return to the playoffs for the first time since 2011.

Cocoa maintains streak in Brevard games

Heritage (3-1, 1-0) at Okeechobee (2-1, 0-1)

7

Last week: The Panthers lost to the No. 2 team in Class 8A, Kissimmee Osceola, 14-6. Okeechobee’s game against Somerset Academy was cancelled.

Game notes: District 14-6A game. Heritage beat Okeechobee last year, 41-14, and has won all three meetings between the two schools. The Panthers have won 16 of their last 17 district games.

Merritt Island Christian (0-3) at Faith Christian (4-0)

7

Last week: The Cougars were off, a week after losing to International Community, 56-7. The Lions beat Miami Palmer Trinity, 40-0.

Game notes: MIC returns to host Ormond Beach Halifax Academy next week for homecoming. Faith Christian has scored 28-plus points in three of four games.

High school sports | floridatoday.com/sports/high-school-sports/

Space Coast’s game has been postponed until Monday at 7 p.m.

PORT ST. JOHN While other teams waited out the lightning delays around Brevard County, Rockledge and Space Coast wasted little time in deciding to postpone their district game.

After about a an hour and 15 minutes, the two teams decided to play their game Monday at 7 p.m.

Week 6 high school football capsules

Both teams are in District 14-5A, and both teams are 0-1 in their district. The win could determine if one of the teams makes the playoff, so deciding to wait on the game for better weather made sense for both squads.

At Space Coast High, Port St. John

New game time: Monday, 7 p.m.

Record: Rockledge (1-3, 0-1 5A-14); Space Coast (2-3, 0-1 5A-14)

Next week: Rockledge at Astronaut, 7 p.m.; Space Coast bye.

High school sports | floridatoday.com/sports/high-school-sports/

Merritt Island Christian visited Faith Christian in Orlando on Friday night,

ORLANDO – Merritt Island Christian continues to improve, but an undefeated Faith Christian squad proved too much for the Cougars.

Makai Burris, Gavin Belcher and Thomas Thomas each scored two touchdowns and Faith Christian rolled 41-7.

Merritt Island Christian trailed 14-0 after one quarter, but Faith Christian opened the game up with three more TDs in the second quarter, inclduing a 50-yard romp by Burris.

Burris finished with 108 yards on 5 carries with the two scores. Belcher had 50 yards rushing and Thomas 29.

The Cougars showed heart, scoring a fourth quarter touchdown when Nick Stallone hit Tim Whitley for a 15-yard TD. Whitley finished with six receptions for 83 yards.

FAITH CHRISTIAN 41, MERRITT ISLAND CHRISTIAN 7

MIC  0 0 0 7 — 7

FCA 13 21 7 0 — 41

HOW THEY SCORED

1st Quarter

FCA — Burris 4 run (Belcher kick) 8:01.

FCA — Belcher 3 run (Belcher kick no good) 02:25.

2nd Quarter

FCA — Burris 50 run (Two point conversion pass by Henderson to Terry good) 10:49.

FCA — Belcher 25 run (Belcher kick no good) 6:13.

FCA — Thomas 4 run (Belcher kick) 1:00.

3rd Quarter

FCA — Thomas 4 run (Belcher kick) 10:00.

4th Quarter

MIC — Nick Stallone to Tim Whitley, 15 yards (Payton Jones kick) 10.00.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing: MIC — Nick Stallone 6 for 11 yards, Steven Williams 1 for 11 yards; FCA — Burris 5 for 108 yards, Belcher 4 for 50 yards. Passing: MIC — Stallone 5-for-12, 64 yards, 1TD, Alex Armstrong 3-for-4, 44 yards; FCA — Henderson 5-for-9, 83 yards. Receiving: MIC — Tim Whitley 6 for 83 yards, 1 TD, Williams 2 for 25 yards; FCA — Terry 2 for 29 yards.

At Faith Christian, Orlando

Top performers: Faith Christian: Makai Burris 5 rushes, 108 yards, 2 TDs, Gavin Belcher 4 rushes, 50 yards, 2 TDs; MIC: Tim Whitley 6 receptions, 83 yards and a TD.

Key play: With Merritt Island Christian trailing 14-0 in the second quarter, Burris broke free for a 50-yard TD, all but sealing the game early.

Record: Faith Christian (5-0); MIC (0-4)

Next week: Halifax Academy at MIC, 7 p.m.; Faith Christian at Master’s Academy, 7: p.m.

For FLORIDA TODAY

The Viera Hawks hosted Melbourne High on Friday night,

VIERA The Viera Hawks got down to the business end of their schedule Friday night with a 52-16 victory over visiting Melbourne in their Class 7A, District 6 opener.

But it wasn’t that easy.

In a game that featured a rain delay of over an hour, the Bulldogs gave the Hawks all they could handle for much of the first half before Viera was able to regroup at halftime and start to put things away.

Quarterback Tim DeMorat completed 16 of 30 passes for 307 yards and three touchdowns – including scoring passes of 80 and 55 yards to Travis Jones – to lead the Hawks (4-2).

Predicting district football races

Viera also forced four turnovers on defense, two of which led to touchdowns.

But it sure was an interesting first half.

“I don’t know if it was the delay or what, but we came out slow and they came out in the second half and responded,” Viera coach Kevin Mays said. “… Like I told them, we’ll go back and watch film and try to fix some of our mistakes, but definitely the first quarter, quarter-and-a-half, we were not ourselves.”

The Bulldogs (1-4) would probably like to take some credit for that.

After being shutout in its past two games, Melbourne’s offense definitely had things working early on … and that was encouraging.

“Yeah, it is, because we broke through on the scoreboard and we moved the ball pretty well at times,” Melbourne coach Scott Grish said. “We’re going to build off that. We played better defense than we’ve been playing. Even though (they scored) 52 points, they’re not all on the defense, though it’s obviously on the team.

“We’re about through this schedule. Hopefully, we’ll come out healthy and get on a little winning streak and get in the playoffs. We’re planning on it.”

Brevard high school sports Top 5s, Sept. 27

Viera linebacker Brandon Mays got things started, returning a Melbourne fumble 22 yards for a touchdown to put the Hawks up 7-0. But the Bulldogs answered on their next drive as quarterback Nick Nescio hit Will Loring with a 23-yard touchdown pass to tie the game.

After DeMorat hit Sean Atkins with a 6-yard touchdown pass, the Bulldogs got a 32-yard field goal from Ben Baldwin to cut the Viera lead to 14-10.

The Hawks appeared to take control when, after a nice punt by Viera’s Max Pacheaco was downed at the Melbourne 1-yard line, Jaylin Wilson recovered a Bulldogs’ fumble in the end zone to put Viera up 21-10.

However, once again, Melbourne would make things interesting.

A 24-yard touchdown pass from Nescio to Corey Vincitore would cut the Hawks’ lead to 21-16 following a bad snap on the PAT. The Bulldogs would then get the ball right back at the Hawks’ 40-yard line after recovering a fumble on the kickoff.

A pass interference penalty on Viera moved the ball to the 25, but the Hawks’ defense stood its ground and the Bulldogs were eventually forced to try a 44-yard field goal, which was no good.

Viera got the ball at its 20-yard line, and on the first play, DeMorat hit Jones for an 80-yard touchdown pass and suddenly the momentum was back with the Hawks.

“It was crazy,” Jones said. “(DeMorat) threw it right in the pocket, right where I needed it.”

Viera would get a 22-yard field goal from Trey Schaneville right before the half to make it 31-16.

In the second half, the Hawks got a 17-yard touchdown run from DeMorat, a 10-yard touchdown run by Mike Vega and a 55-yard TD pass from DeMorat to Jones.

The speedy Jones finished with four receptions for 174 yards and the two touchdowns.

High school sports | floridatoday.com/sports/high-school-sports/

VIERA 52, MELBOURNE 16

Melbourne   7   9  0  0  –  16

Viera          14 17  7  7  –  52

HOW THEY SCORED

1st Quarter

V: Brandon Mays 22 fumble return (Trey Schaneville kick), 10:56

M: Will Loring 23 pass from nick Nescio (Ben Baldwin kick), 6:03

V: Sean Atkins 6 pass from Tim DeMorat (Trey Schaneville kick), 2:26

2nd Quarter

M: Ben Baldwin 32 FG, 9:18

V: Jaylin Wilson fumble recovery in end zone (Trey Schaneville kick), 6:47

M: Cory Vincitore 24 pass from Nick Nescio (run failed), 3:32

V: Travis Jones 80 pass from Tim DeMorat (Trey Schaneville kick), 2:07

V: Trey Schaneville 22 FG, :05.6

3rd Quarter

V: Tim DeMorat 17 run (Trey Schaneville kick), 1:00

4th Quarter

V: Mike Vega 10 run (Trey Schaneville kick), 8:42

V: Travis Jones 55 pass from Tim DeMorat (Trey Schaneville kick), 4:43

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: M–Shannon Birks 12-29, Will Loring 1-(-2), Nick Nescio 17-(-4). V–Tim DeMorat 7-39, Will Champion 3-12, Mike Vega 4-11, Keith Freeman 2-4, Brandon Mays 1-(-3), Sean Atkins 1-(-5).

PASSING: M–Nescio 18-28-195-2-2. V–DeMorat 16-30-307-3-0.

RECEIVING: M–Loring 6-91, Corey Vincitore 5-58, Wills Kable 4-17, Jayden Jackson 2-24, Jeff Richardson 1-5, Birks 1-0. V–Travis Jones 4-174, Quinton Richard 4-37, Don Jackson 3-32, Atkins 3-21, Jaren Lewis 1-11, Vega 1-10.

At Viera High School, Viera

This game started just after 8 p.m. due to a lightning delay.

Top performers: Melbourne: Nick Nescio completed 13 of 17 passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns in the first half Viera: Tim DeMorat completed 8 of 13 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns in the first half.

Key play: Just after the Bulldogs missed on a 44-yard field goal try that would have cut Viera’s lead to 21-19, Hawks quarterback Tim DeMorat hit Travus Jines with an 80-yard TD pass to give the Hawks a 27-16 advantage.

Record: Melbourne (1-3); Viera (3-2)

Next week: Heritage at Melbourne, 7 p.m.; Viera at Palm Bay, 7 p.m.

Carl Kotala, for FLORIDA TODAY

Merritt Island High quarterback Mason Denaburg is brought down by Satellite High’s Andrew Abendroth during the first half of Friday’s game.

SATELLITE BEACH The 45th matchup between Merritt Island and Satellite was delayed for 80 minutes due to a lightning, but the wait didn’t deter the Mustangs, who defeated the Scorpions 44-8 in a District 14-5A contest Friday night at Scorpion Stadium.

For the second consecutive week, Merritt Island running back Sean Diggs scored three touchdown while rushing for a game-high 78 yards.

“This feels great, I’ve got a great offensive line,” said Diggs.  “We got warmed up and then the delay came, so we all got cold and stuff, but when we came back we did our thing.”

Backfield mate Deben Peterson raced 58 yards for another score, fullback Brandon Montanez pounded in for a 1-yard TD and Mason Denaburg booted a 42-yard field goal as the Mustangs took a commanding 37-8 halftime lead.

Predicting district football races

Merritt Island (4-2 overall, 2-0 in district) substituted frequently throughout the third quarter before a continuously running clock was employed after Denaburg’s 4-yard scoring run late in the third quarter.

This is the third consecutive game in which the Mustangs have earned a running clock, outscoring their opponents by the combined score of 132-28.

Satellite (1-5, 0-2) was unable to muster a first down until 8:09 remaining in the second quarter, but quarterback Alex Nicks averted the shutout with a 5-yard TD run minutes later.  The senior signal-caller also connected with wide receiver Erik Askeland on four receptions for 50 yards.

In a series which began in 1965, the Mustangs hold an overwhelming 40-5 lead. They have outscored the Scorpions 135-8 in the last three encounters.

Satellite’s last win was a 9-7 decision in 1996 – the same year Seinfeld was a TV hit, Macarena dominated the airwaves, DVDs were launched, and Florida’s Danny Wuerffel won the Heisman Trophy while leading the Gators to their first national title.

Both teams have byes Friday before resuming their district schedule Oct. 14.  The Mustangs host Titusville while the Scorpions are at Rockledge.

MERRITT ISLAND 44,  SATELLITE 8

Merritt Island  20  17  7 0  — 44

Satellite 0 8 0 0 — 8

HOW THEY SCORED

1st Quarter

MI – Sean Diggs 1 run (kick failed) 6:40.

MI – Deben Peterson 58 run (Mason Denaburg kick) 4:31.

MI – Brandon Montanez 1 run (Denaburg kick) 1:58.

2nd Quarter

MI – Denaburg 42 Field Goal, 11:44.

MI – Diggs 33 run (Denaburg kick) 9:48.

MI – Diggs 2 run (Denaburg kick) 8:46.

S – Alex Nicks 5 run (Dillon Fogel run) 3:49.

3rd Quarter

MI – Denaburg 4 run (Denaburg kick) 2:06.

4th Quarter

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing:  MI — James Batch 4-34, Sean Diggs 11-78, Brandon Montanez 1-1, Deben Peterson 4-85, Desmond Jean-Baptist 12-53, Mason Denaburg 4-28.  S — Alex Nicks 16-68, Luis Morris 6-21, Chet Moore 1-11.

Passing:  MI — Batch 2-5-0, 46 yards, Denaburg 2-4-0, 17 yards.  S — Nicks 8-36-2, 68 yards, Moore 1-1-0, 4 yards.

Receiving:  MI — Denaburg 1-21, Peterson 3-42.  S — Erik Askeland 4-50, Eric Nicks 1-4, Morris 1-3, Brett Lamontagne 1-12.

High school sports | floridatoday.com/sports/high-school-sports/

This game didn’t start until 8:25 p.m. due to a lightning delay.

At Scorpion Stadium, Satellite Beach

Top performers:  Merritt Island:  Sean Diggs rushed for 78 yards and three touchdowns; defensive back Cameron Sorg recorded his fourth interception of the season.  Satellite:  Quarterback Alex Nicks scored on a 5-yard run midway through the second quarter to avert the shutout.

Key play:  After an 80-minute lightning delay, the Mustangs took a 37-8 halftime lead in the District 14-5A contest.  Merritt Island’s defense did not give up a first down to the Scorpions until 8:09 in the second quarter.

Record:  Merritt Island (3-2, 1-0 in District 14-5A); Satellite (1-4, 0-1)

Next week:  Merritt Island, bye; Satellite, bye.

John Janokaitis, for FLORIDA TODAY

Astronaut visited Jones High School in Orlando on Friday night.

The Jones High School Fighting Tigers rolled through the visiting Astronaut War Eagles on Friday Night, winning 55-22.

The War Eagles started the game off on a good note, with several strong defensive series and a safety when Jones was backed up at its own goal line and botched a punt snap.

Several players were impressive to start the game for the War Eagles, with defensive lineman Deanthony Mallory notching two sacks on the game’s first drive. 

On offense, they ran the ball with toughness and threatened with their passing game. 

But once the first quarter ended, it was all Jones.

Brevard high school sports Top 5s, Sept. 27

The Fighting Tigers had an offensive explosion in the second quarter. Wide Receiver Vincent Thomas caught two touchdown passes from quarterback Quadry Jones, and running back Aaron Thomas ran it in from 14 yards out.

Astronaut responded with a 35-yard touchdown connection from quarterback Chace Gadpee to receiver Dylan Grimes on the final play of the first half to make it 22-10.

Gadpee delivered the pass right above the head of a Jones defender, and Grimes made a leaping grab to see cure the touchdown to give the War Eagles both momentum and hope going into halftime.

But Jones then opened the third quarter with touchdowns. The first of them was another touchdown reception by Thomas. The next two were fumble recoveries for touchdowns, one a botched snap near the Astronaut end zone and the other a strip sack that resulted in a 65-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by Aaron Campbell. 

Astronaut responded with touchdowns by its special teams and defensive units; a kickoff return for a score to close the third quarter and a 10-yard interception return by Josh Rodriquez for a touchdown.

But the deficit was too large, and the Tigers refused to allow a comeback.

High school sports | floridatoday.com/sports/high-school-sports/

JONES 55, ASTRONAUT 22

Astronaut    2  8     6   6  –  22

Jones         0  22  26  7  –  55

1st Quarter

A: Safety (ball snapped into end zone), 2:52

2nd Quarter

J: Vincent Thomas 23 pass from Quadry Jones (kick failed), 9:45

J: Vincent Thomas 25 pass from Quadry Jones (Aaron Thompson run), 5:50

J: Aaron Thompson 14 run (Kashawn Bradford run), 2:01

A: Dylan Grimes 35 pass from Chace Gadape (Cameron Ockerman pass from Chace Gadapee), :01

3rd Quarter

J: Vincent Thomas 25 pass from Quadry Jones (kick failed), 10:05

J: Tyrese Brown 3 fumble return (kick failed), 9:37

J: Aaron Campbell 65 fumble return (Kashawn Beckford kick), 4:49

A: N/A 89 kickoff return (pass failed), 4:31

J: Aaron Thompson 31 run (Beckford kick), 3:18

4th Quarter

A: Josh Rodriguez 10 interception return (pass failed), 10:01

J: James Brown 45 pass from Quadry Jones (Kashawn Beckford kick), 3:07

At Jones High School, Orlando

Top Performers: Astronaut: Defensive Tackle Deanthony Mallory was a constant force for the War Eagles defensive line, getting constant penetration throughout the game and notching 2 sacks on the first drive of the game. Jones: Wide Receiver Victor Thomas was electric for the Tigers, scoring 3 Touchdowns, all in a different style. He held onto one long deep ball to score, caught a screen and ran it in, and also caught a pass down the sideline where he outran the rest of the defense.

Key Play: With Astronaut still holding onto a sliver of hope, the Tigers put the game away for good when defender Aaron Campbell picked up an Astronaut fumble and ran it in to score from 65 yards out.

Record: Astronaut (1-5, 0-2 in District 5-4A); Jones (6-0, 2-0 5-4A)

Next week: Rockledge at Astronaut, 7 p.m.; Jones at Boone, 7 p.m.

John Shipley, For FLORIDA TODAY