Friday’s games

Astronaut (0-1) at Eau Gallie (1-0)

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

7 p.m.

Last week: The War Eagles lost at home to New Smyrna Beach, 20-6. The Commodores won at home, 28-22 over Satellite.

Game note: Eau Gallie defeated Astronaut last year in Titusville, 24-21. This is the first of four road games in five weeks for the War Eagles.

Bayside (0-1) at Palm Bay (1-0)

7

Last week: The Bears traveled to Lowndes, Ga., and lost, 69-0. The Pirates played on Thursday at ESPN Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, winning 25-20 over Columbine, Colo.

Game note: Palm Bay leads this series, 15-0, and won last year’s game at Bayside, 45-7. The Pirates moved to No. 10 in the Associated Press Class 5A poll this week.

Satellite (0-1) at Melbourne CC (1-0)

7

Last week: The Scorpions lost at Eau Gallie, 28-22, in their season opener. The Hustlers beat Father Lopez in Daytona Beach, 52-12.

Game note: MCC won last year’s meeting between these two, 13-7, in Satellite Beach. It’s the first of three consecutive home games for the Hustlers.

Spruce Creek (1-0) at Melbourne (1-0)

7

Last week: The Hawks opened with a 32-7 win at Seabreeze. The Bulldogs won at Centennial, 13-8.

Game note: Jayden Jackson returned the second-half kickoff 95 yards for a Melbourne touchdown last week. These two played in Port Orange last year, Spruce Creek winning, 31-0.

Lake Brantley (1-0) at Titusville (0-1)

7

Last week: The Patriots beat Orlando Boone, 45-21. The Terriers lost at home to Sebastian River, 14-0.

Game note: Class 8A Lake Brantley won this matchup last year, 40-14, in Orlando. The Terriers were plagued by four interceptions last week.

Pine Ridge (0-1) at Cocoa Beach (1-0)

7

Last week: The Panthers lost at home to Lake Howell, 20-7. The Minutemen beat Deltona Trinity Christian, 24-14.

Game note: Last year in Deltona, Pine Ridge defeated Cocoa Beach, 27-8. QB Mitchell Machock ran for a pair of touchdowns and caught a pass for a 2-point conversion last week.

Demeter stuck with Cocoa Beach football

Harvest Community (1-0) at Holy Trinity (1-0)

7

Last week: The Warriors, from Jacksonville, opened with a 20-7 home win over Bishop Snyder. The Tigers beat Eureka, Calif.,-based St. Bernard’s, 31-28.

Game note: In the opener, Jashaun Corbin rushed for 119 yards and a touchdown as well as throwing for one. Holy Trinity plays its first three at home.

Space Coast (1-0) at Lake Howell (1-0)

7, Winter Park

Last week: The Vipers won their opener at Tavares, 48-6. The Silver Hawks won at Pine Ridge, 20-7.

Game note: Space Coast won the meeting between these two last year in Port St. John, 10-7. This is a rescheduled game that was set for Thursday before weather forced its postponement.

Merritt Island (0-1) at Lake Wales (0-1)

7:30

Last week: The Mustangs lost in the final 30 seconds at Heritage, 28-21. The Highlanders lost their opener at Ridge Community, 27-21.

Game note: Merritt Island got its first win of 2015 over Lake Wales, 37-12. In 2013, Lake Wales knocked the Mustangs out of the playoffs in a regional final, 34-23.

Littleton (0-0) vs. Heritage (1-0)

8, ESPN Wide World of Sports, Lake Buena Vista

Last week: This is the opener for the Colorado-based Eagles. The Panthers opened with a home win over Merritt Island, 28-21.

Game note: It’s the second Brevard-vs.-Colorado game at Disney in a week. Palm Bay opened its season Aug. 25 there and beat Columbine, 25-20. After next week off, Heritage will play two in a row at home.

Cocoa, Viera, Palm Bay jump in state football rankings

Cocoa (1-0) at Bishop Gorman (1-0)

10, Las Vegas

Last week: The Tigers knocked off 3A’s No. 1 team, Jacksonville Trinity Christian, 26-23 in overtime, on Sunday. The Gaels won at Cedar Hill, Texas, 44-14.

Game note: Cocoa moved from third to second in the 4A state poll, while Bishop Gorman moved to the top of USA Today‘s Super 25.

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

Call it an off-season of musical chairs.

Cocoa Beach’s David Demeter runs the ball during an early-August practice.

When the music stopped, a number of standout players had changed uniforms, moving from one Brevard County high school football program to another under newly lax FHSAA rules. Five of the top 15 rushers from the 2015 season play for different teams than they played for a year ago. That included three who finished the full season, including the playoffs, with more than 1,000 yards.

But not everybody switched chairs.

Cocoa Beach’s versatile David Demeter had opportunities. There were overtures made by people he chose to keep to himself, but the running back-safety-long snapper started the 2016 season where he ended his last one.

“We kind of looked at the pros and cons. At the end of it, I just chose to stay home, and this is where I’m going to finish out my high school career.”

Week 2 high school football game notes

Demeter rushed for 958 yards himself as a junior. He has become known as a defensive playmaker as well, and he is a long-snapping specialist whose ability in that area has drawn offers of college scholarship money.

His coach, David Lowe, described him as one of a limited breed at the beach-side school.

“David’s been a lifer. He’s been playing football a long time,” Lowe said. “At Cocoa Beach, we don’t get a lot of kids like that. He knows the game, and he tries to get kids around him to play it better.”

A long time indeed. Demeter started lining up on the offensive and defensive lines from his first days in football. His origins in the middle of the line have paved a path for this 5-foot-8 senior to play college football.

“I was center and nose tackle,” he said. “I started snapping when I was 7. I wasn’t too good at it at first, but my dad was a coach, and we worked at it.”

Football has been one constant in the life of Demeter as his Air Force family moved to seven different locations during his life. The 17-year-old was born in Okinawa, Japan. Before Cocoa Beach, where he is in his third year of school, he lived in San Antonio.

Somewhere along the way, he played for a youth team that ran the shotgun, which requires the center to snap the ball to a quarterback standing several yards behind the line of scrimmage. Eventually, he and his dad realized long snapping was a natural progression.

MORE: New schedule improves outlook for Cocoa Beach

MORE: Brevard teams rise in statewide polls

“We continued on with that, practicing and getting better and better,” he said. “Now, senior year, I’m looking around and have colleges asking me to go long snap. It was a good decision.”

Demeter has done extensive traveling to football camps, working on the special teams skill and exposing his ability and interest to coaches. He used Twitter to communicate with recruiters, and that’s how he first connected with coaches at Florida Tech.

His Cocoa Beach team, far from a football powerhouse, has followed up a 2-8 year with a 1-0 start. The Minutemen beat Deltona Trinity Christian last week, 24-14. Demeter ran 19 yards for a touchdown and completed a pass for a 2-point conversion to his quarterback, Mitchell Machock. Friday, they’ll host Pine Ridge as Brevard teams play Week 2 games.

He credited a second year of familiarity with the current offense as one reason for the quick start.

“Just today at practice, I was watching the offense and thinking, ‘Wow, we have come such a long way,’ ” Demeter said on Wednesday. “The defense is flying around hitting and coming to the ball. Just everything is coming together. We’ve got a ton of seniors, and everyone’s been waiting for this year for a while now.”

Demeter found the recruiting process to be about building relationships, and, in the end, that’s how he made his decision to stay with the Minutemen.

“I’ve been here for two years now, and it’s a family environment and I’ve enjoyed it,” he said. “I feel like I found a home.”

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

Friday’s games

Astronaut at Eau Gallie, 7

Bayside at Palm Bay, 7

Satellite at Melbourne CC, 7

Lake Brantley at Titusville, 7

Spruce Creek at Melbourne, 7

Pine Ridge at Cocoa Beach, 7

Jacksonville Harvest Community at Holy Trinity, 7

Merritt Island at Lake Wales, 7

Dakota Ridge (Colo.) vs. Heritage at ESPN Wide World of Sports, Lake Buena Vista, 8

Cocoa at Las Vegas Bishop Gorman, 10

Saturday’s game

Washington, D.C., Gonzaga at Viera, 6

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

Palm Bay High hosted crosstown rival Bayside High on Friday night.

At Palm Bay High School, Palm Bay

Top performers: Palm Bay: B.J. Daniels scored on three runs: 3, 20 and 29. He carried 12 times for 149 yards, Tyshaun Rolle sparked the Pirates out of early doldrums with five carries for 34 yards.

Key play: Bayside returned the opening kickoff to its 49, quickly drove to the Palm Bay 8 and then fumbled the ball away. The Bears never posed a real threat again.

Record: Bayside(0-2); Palm Bay (2-0)

Next week: Bayside bye; Palm Bay bye

Full game report: http://on.flatoday.com/2c1putA

Brian McCalum, FLORIDA TODAY

Titusville High’s #3 Dontavious Marcus tries to escape the grasp of Lake Brantley High’s #20 Paris Hennington during Friday nights game held at the Titusville High Stadium .

At Titusville High School, Titusville

Top performers: Lake Brantley: Trace Christian 10 carries, 69 yards; Titusville: Dontavious Marcus 26 carries, 63 yards, 2 catches 8 yards

Key play: In a scoreless tie late in the first quarter, Lake Brantley’s C.D. Dennison fumbled the ball at the 8-yard line. The football bounced forward and appeared to hit the pylon before Marc Wheeler recovered in the end zone for a Patriot touchdown.

Record: Lake Brantley (2-0); Titusville (0-2)

Next week: East Lake at Lake Brantley; Titusville at New Smyrna Beach, 7 p.m.

Full game report: http://on.flatoday.com/2cwXb9K

Patrick Edens, for FLORIDA TODAY

MCC’s Lorenzo Hardy runs through an opening during the first half against Satellite High at Melbourne Central Catholic High School.

At Melbourne Central Catholic, Melbourne

Top performers: MCC: Darnell Victor caught a 26-yard TD pass from Joaquin Collazo. Victor also returned an interception 16 yards for a touchdown. Will McKegg kicked two field goals; 25 and 35 yards. He also converted all 5 of his extra points.

Key play: Lavonte Valentine rumbled 85 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter to give MCC a 10-0 advantage.

Record: Satellite (0-2); MCC (2-0)

Next week: Satellite at Astronaut, 7 p.m.; Cocoa Beach at MCC, 7 p.m.

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

Jim Ziarno, for FLORIDA TODAY

Quarterback Dillone Torres of Pine Ridge gets pulled down for a loss by linebacker David Aumuller Friday night at Cocoa Beach High School.

At Cocoa Beach High School, Cocoa Beach

Top performers: Pine Ridge: Robert Walker hauled in three touchdown receptions of 26, 73 and 15 yards from quarterback Will Rauseo, and Stevon Dennis had a 78-yard kickoff return for a TD; Cocoa Beach: Running back David Demeter rushed for 109 yards and a score and placekicker Evan Hoke booted a pair of first-half field goals of 42 and 38 yards.

Key play: Devin McGirt’s 14-yard fumble recovery with 6:52 remaining gave the Panthers a 35-21 lead.

Record: Pine Ridge (1-1); Cocoa Beach (1-1)

Next week: Pine Ridge bye; Cocoa Beach at MCC, 7 p.m.

Full game report: http://on.flatoday.com/2bWYbP4

John Janokaitis, for FLORIDA TODAY

Holy Trinity hosted Harvest Community fro mJacksonville on Friday night.

At Holy Trinity Episcopal, Melbourne

Top performers: Harvest Community: Gavin Marts gained 83 yards on 21 carries and one TD. Holy Trinity: Jashaun Corbin ran for 202 yards on 15 carries with two touchdowns. He also had an interception and an 80-yard punt return for a score.

Key play: After a spectacular Larry Hill 49-yd touchdown run gave the Tigers a 20-17 lead, Corbin intercepted a JHC pass, then took a handoff and raced 56 yards for a touchdown to put Holy Trinity up by 10 at the half.

Record: Harvest Community (1-1); Holy Trinity (2-0)

Next week: P.K. Yonge at Harvest Community, 7 p.m.; Holy Trinity bye

Full game report: http://on.flatoday.com/2bKaHH9

Carl Kotala, for FLORIDA TODAY

Merritt Island visited Lake Wales on Friday night.

LAKE WALES Lake Wales was missing three starters, playing a first-time quarterback and fell short to a strong Merritt Island squad, 30-10, Friday at Legion Field.

The Turning Point

Trailing 16-0 at the half, the Highlanders returned the opening kickoff to the Merritt Island 46 and promptly drove those 46 yards in 8 plays narrowing the deficit to 16-7.  Successfully recovering an onside kick the Highlanders picked up a first down; however they then had a delay of game and a false start killing the scoring opportunity and never threatened thereafter.

ICYMI: Week 2 high school football wrapup

The Difference Makers

Lake Wales’ Johnny Richardson fought hard for his 79 yards in his 14 carries.

However Mustang’s halfback Deben Peterson rushed for 70 yards in 12 carries; in addition, Peterson also had 52 yards on 5 pass receptions.

Rydell Peterson has collected 52 yards in his 10 rushing attempts for Merritt Island.

Key Stat

Lake Wales repeatedly stubbed its toe, collecting 115 penalty yards on 14 penalties.

The Highlanders also gave up three interceptions; the first killing a drive deep in Mustang territory.

What They Said

“The turnovers and penalties really hurt us tonight,” Lake Wales head coach Tavaris Johnson said.

“We really left some points on the field tonight.  We will take the bad and learn from it, and take the  good and build on it.”

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

Merritt Island  10  6  7  7   —  30

Lake Wales     0   0  7  3   —   10

First Quarter

MI—Mason Denaburg 30 Field Goal, 5:32.

MI—Brandon Montanez 4 run (Denaburg Kick), 00:00

Second Quarter

MI—Cameron Sorg 21 Int return (pass failed), 3:20.

Third Quarter

LW—Brenton Williams 15 pass from Peterson (Maldonado Kick), 7:46.

MI—Montanez 4 run (Denaburg Kick), 2:10.

Fourth Quarter

MI—Sean Diggs 3 run (Ashley Kick), 9:29.

LW—Maldonado 21 Field Goal, 3:12.

At Lake Wales

Top performers: Merritt Island: Brandon Montanez scored two touchdowns for the Mustangs. Deben Peterson had 70 yards rushing on 12 carries; 5 receptions for 52 yards.

Key play: Leading 3-0, Montanez ran in for a touchdown that put Merritt Island ahead 10-0. The Mustangs scored again and took a 16-0 lead into the half.

Record: Merritt Island (1-1); Lake Wales (0-2)

Next week: Viera at Merritt Island, 7 p.m.; Haines City at Lake Wales, 7:30 p.m.

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

Lakeland Ledger

Astronaut’s Kamauri Johnson (7) is brougt down by Eau Gallie’s Jarrad Baker (5) and Derrick Lewis (28).

Don’t look now, but the Eau Gallie Commodores have quickly gotten off to strong start in 2016.

Junior receiver Darin Garland had an explosive night, hauling in two touchdown passes from Jack Gallo from 64 and 35 yards out to help Eau Gallie hold off Astronaut Friday night, 20-12.

“It was a great game,” Eau Gallie head coach Tim Powers said. “We only get to play 10 guaranteed games a year, so we’re going to enjoy this win.”

The War Eagles – who were plagued by simple mistakes last week in a 20-6 loss to New Smyrna Beach – fumbled the ball three times on their first four drives in the opening quarter, however Gallie’s up-tempo attack struggled to move the chains against a stingy Astronaut defense early on.

ICYMI: Week 2 high school football wrapup

The Commodores wouldn’t pick up a first down until midway through the second quarter when quarterback Jack Gallo was able to draw the War Eagles off-sides on a third and short.

The error proved fatal for Astronaut, as a 64-yard catch and run from Gallo to Garland on the very next play would finally break the scoreless stalemate and put the War Eagles ahead in front 7-0.

“They came in with a great defensive plan and slowed us down offensively,” Powers said. “They made a lot of great adjustments during the week and showed us some different looks that we weren’t prepared for. We had to coach on the fly to make our adjustments and they made more adjustments.”

The sudden burst of offense seemed to give Astronaut a much needed jolt, however, with Dominick Robinson returning the ensuing 60 yards and Kamauri Johnson scoring on a 4-yard run a few plays later to send Astronaut into the half still down 7-6 following a missed extra point attempt.

Garland and Gallo opened the second half picking up where they left off in the first, connecting once again for a 35-yard touchdown to put Eau Gallie up 14-6.

Despite the offensive fireworks, the play of the night came late in the third quarter when Eau Gallie’s Cordell Dzara caught a deflected 22-yard Astronaut field goal try and raced 75 yards up field to set up a 4-yard touchdown run by Keith Headd and increase the Commodores’ lead to 20-6.

An impressive grab on in the corner of the end zone by Astronaut’s Dylan Grimes with four minutes left in the game followed by an Eau Gallie fumble opened the door for a possible War Eagle comeback, but the home team’s defense stood strong the rest of the way, securing the 20-12 victory.

“Astronaut is a great team,” Powers said. “We ended up having our own turnover issues at the end, but the defense bowed up and bailed us out.”

Eau Gallie will try to remain perfect next week when they travel to Rockledge to take on the Raiders in the first of three straight road games.

“We’re going celebrate this victory and start preparing for Rockledge,” Powers said before walking off the field. “We’ll practice early on Monday so they can get out of here and enjoy some family time.”

FOOTBALL

Eau Gallie 20, Astronaut 12

Astronaut   0   6    0    6   —   12

Eau Gallie  0   7   13  0  —    20

HOW THEY SCORED

1st Quarter

2nd Quarter

EG: Darin Garland 64 pass from Jack Gallo (Matt Stevens kick); 3:35

A: Kamauri Johnson 4 run (Kevin Wright kick blocked); 1:45

3rd Quarter

EG: Darin Garland 35 pass from Jack Gallo (Matt Stevens kick); 9:55

EG: Keith Headd 4 run (Matt Stevens kick blocked); 2:15

4th Quarter

A: Dylan Grimes 35 pass from Chase Gadapee (Kevin Wright kick blocked); 4:14

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing: EG – Nate McRae 7-71; Keith Headd 5-23,TD; Darin Garland 7-6; Jack Gallo 3-(-1). A – Dominick Robinson 17-76; Kamauri Johnson 6-17, TD; Cameron Ockerman 1-8; Trevor Susie 1-3.

Passing: EG — Jack Gallo 2-7-1, 99 yards. A – Chace Gadapee 9-15-0, 138 yards, TD; Trevor Susie 3-8-1, 17 yards.

Receiving: EG – Darin Garland 2-99, 2 TDs. A – Dylan Grimes 1-35, TD; Cameron Ockerman 3-30; Dominick Robinson 3-30; Terrell Watkins 9-23;  Niko Shmidt 1-17; Cory Sides 2-15; Devin Durham 1-5.

At Eau Gallie High School, Melbourne

Top performers: Astronaut: Dominick Robinson 17 carries for 76 yards; Eau Gallie: Darin Garland, two catches for 99 yards and two touchdowns

Key play: Eau Gallie’s Cordell Dzara catches a deflected 22-yard Astronaut field goal try and returns it 75 yards, setting up a 4-yard TD run by Keith Headd and giving the Commodores a 20-6 lead late in the third quarter.

Record: Astronaut (0-2); Eau Gallie (2-0)

Next week: Satellite at Astronaut; Eau Gallie at Rockledge, 7 p.m.

Full game report: http://on.flatoday.com/2cx0wpk

David Barkholz, for FLORIDA TODAY

Space Coast visited Lake Howell on Thursday night.

It is often said that to win a football game, you must win in two of the three phases of football: offense, defense and special teams.

A slip up in one of them? That can be overcome. 

But to have slip ups in all three phases? That isn’t so easy to overcome.

The Space Coast Vipers faced this dilemma in a 34-20 loss to the Lake Howell Silver Hawks, a game they were at one point controlling.
With 4:45 left in the first half, Space Coast led the Silver Hawks 17-6 and had scored touchdowns on offense and special teams, thanks to a Connor Perrine 75-yard punt return for a touchdown and a Johnny Jones 50-yard touchdown run.

But from that point on, the Vipers struggled with consistency and several self-inflicted errors.

“We gotta finish the game. We talked about that at the start of the season. We had plenty of opportunities to take advantage of them, but this is a team effort and we just gotta get better.” said Space Coast head coach Jake Owens. “It was all three phases. We gotta finish games. We gotta learn how to win those games.” 

It was certainly finishing the game where the errors for the Vipers began to flare up.

Shortly before the first half ended, the Vipers’ fumbled the ball. The defense then missed several chances to get off the field and gave up a touchdown before the half, a 14-yard reception by wide receiver Wisdom Jenkins from quarterback Cody Veal, that made the game 17-12 going into the half.

The third quarter went back and forth until late into the quarter, where the Vipers attempted to punt on a fourth down in their own territory, but a high snap forced the punter to fall on the ball and turn in over near Space Coast’s own end zone.

Lake Howell would then score a touchdown several plays later, but only after an unsportsmanlike conduct on a Viper brought them even closer to the end zone.

The Vipers then turned the ball over on downs on the ensuing drive and two plays later, Lake Howell responded with a 56-yard touchdown catch by Kenyon’ta Skinner.

Space Coast would kick a field goal to make the game 27-20, putting them within a touchdown with 6 minutes left. But once again an opportunity passed them by, as they failed to recover a Lake Howell fumble with 5 minutes left in the game and the Silver Hawks’ Wisdom Jenkins would recover his own teams fumble and return it to the other side of the field.

The game started late due to a weather delay and started off with several botched snaps from both teams due to the condition of the ball.

Space Coast’s Johnny Jones amassed over 150 yards in total offense and seemingly made a defender miss every time he had the ball in his hands. Jenkins and Deandre Gordon both made huge plays for Lake Howell when they needed them the most. 

The biggest difference between these two teams was not talent or determination, as they were near equal in those senses. The biggest difference was that one team took advantage of late chances, and one team is still going through the growing pains of learning how to finish close games.

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

Lake Howell 34, Space Coast 20

Space Coast    3   14   0   3   —   20

Lake Howell     0   12   8  14  —   34

1st Quarter

SC: Luke Galloway 21 FG, 5:27

2nd Quarter

SC: Johnny Jones 50 run (Luke Galloway kick), 9:22
LH: Deandre Gordon 1 pass from Cody Veal (errant snap on conversion), 4:59
SC: Connor Perrine 75 kickoff return (Luke Galloway kick), 4:45
LH: Wisdom Jenkins 14 pass from Cody Veal (pass failed), 1:35

3rd Quarter

LH: Clayton Ross 1 pass from Cody Veal (Deandre Gordon pass from Cody Veal), 1:22

4th Quarter

LH: Kenyon’ta Skinner 56 pass from Cody Veal (Xavier Torres kick), 9:27
SC: Luke Galloway 28 FG, 6:29
LH: Tyson Stephonson 8 run (Xavier Torres kick), 2:40

At Lake Howell High School, Winter Park

Top performers: Space Coast: Running back Johnny Jones was the Vipers’ most explosive playmaker, amassing over 150 yards of total offense, including a 50-yard touchdown run. Lake Howell: Defensive tackle Deandre Gordon made two separate appearances on the offensive side of the ball for Lake Howell. One resulted in a 1-yard touchdown catch from Cody Veal, while another was a reception in the corner of the end zone for a 2-point conversion

Key play: With the score at 27-20 in Lake Howell’s favor with 5 minutes left, they threw the ball across the middle. The wide receiver caught it but then fumbled the ball near the Space Coast sideline. The disaster ended up being avoided after Lake Howell’s Wisdom Jenkins scooped up the fumble and ran with it for 37 yards, preventing Space Coast of one last shot at the victory.

Record: Space Coast (1-1); Lake Howell (2-0)

Next week: St. Cloud at Space Coast, 7 p.m.; Winter Springs at Lake Howell, 7 p.m.

John Shipley, for FLORIDA TODAY

Football players at Cocoa High School run drills during practice Tuesday afternoon.

In Las Vegas, Nev., Cocoa High fell to Bishop Gorman in high school football, 46-10.

The Gaels rose to the No. 1 spot in the USA Today Super 25 rankings this week. Cocoa was No. 2 in Class 4A in Florida based on voting by state sports writers compiled by the Associated Press.

Cocoa, Viera, Palm Bay jump in state football rankings

The Tigers (1-1) scored on a touchdown pass from Bruce Judson to Javian Hawkins along with an Alex Petruzzello field goal, both in the first half. The field goal cut the Bishop Gorman lead to 12-10 in the second period. The Gaels led at halftime, 19-10.

Cocoa has made a habit of playing out-of-state opponents and will host Kansas City Rockhurst on Sept. 30. The Tigers will take next week off before hosting Lake Highland Prep.

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/

Individual statistical leaders

Rushing: C – Timmy Pratt 4-5, Javian Hawkins 3-18, Bruce Judson 8-23, Brad Canarie 1-1, Lasedrick King 9-20; BG – Austin Arnold 4-23, Tate Martell 14-87, Amod Cianelli 11-76.

Passing: C – Judson 5-9 126, Canarie 0-7 0. BG – Martell 13-21 273.

Recieving: C – Hawkins 2-79, Pratt 1-2, Javon Spencer 1-13. BG – Arnold 1-1, Jalen Nailor 4-120, Brevin Jordan 2-66, Dorian Thompson-Robinson 2-15, Jimmy Telles 3-66, Cianelli 1-5.

GIRLS

Cross country runners

1. Amanda Beach (MCC) 17:47

2. Samantha Folio (HT) 19:04

3. Natalie Bress (M) 19:18

4. Dominique Coriell (R) 19:35

5. Hannah Flemming (A) 20:02

6. (tie) Marie Groppel (S) 20:29

(tie) Sadie McLaughlin (R) 20:29

8. Anique Kattenberg (S) 20:33

9. Lana Rukab (S) 20:35

10. Jonelle Plahuta (WS) 20:38

11. Kamryn Folger (T) 20:42

12. Victoria Rohloff (MI) 20:54

13. Hayley Barrett (MI) 20:57

14. Sara Towers (S) 20:59

15. Billie Castillo (T) 21:14

16. Brianna Basford (S) 21:22

17. Jessica O’Bryan (T) 21:24

18. Abbigail Liddle (V) 21:27

19. Jordan Michaels (MI) 21:36

20. Ashley Basford (S) 21:39

Vote for this week’s Athlete of the Week

Boys

1. Mason Jones (T) 15:51

2. Egan Kattenberg (S) 16:06

3. (tie) Troy Smith (R) 16:09

(tie) John Cacciatore (S) 16:09

5. Austin Camps (WS) 16:24

6. Trevor Kattenberg (S) 16:26

7. Michael Wilson (S) 16:52

8. Charlie Dickerson (S) 17:12

9. Bradyn Ricca (MI) 17:14

10. Dennis McCheskey (A) 17:16

11. Uriah Washington (R) 17:35

12. Collin Quigley (V) 17:36

13. (tie) Trevor Denson (T) 17:37

(tie) Christian Camps (WS) 17:37

15. Josh Dean (V) 17:42

16. Samuel Addington (CB) 17:46

17. David Quigley (V) 17:48

18.  (tie) Alex Krestan (V) 17:53

(tie) Matt Lake (MI) 17:53

(tie) Cameron Klug (MI) 17:53

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

Palm Bay moved up to No. 7 in this week’s Associated Press high school football rankings.

Palm Bay jumped three spots and Cocoa held at No. 2 in the third Associated Press high school football polls of the 2016 season.

The Pirates, No. 10 in Class 5A last week, rose to seventh in voting by Florida sports writers announced Tuesday. The Pirates improved to 2-0 on Friday with a 42-0 win over rival Bayside. Plantation American Heritage stayed at No. 1 in 5A.

The Tigers played the top-ranked team in the USA Today Super 25 late Friday, losing 46-10, and stayed in the second spot in the Florida 4A rankings. Miami Booker T. Washington held on to the No. 1 spot. Cocoa (1-1) and Palm Bay will both be off in Week 3.

MORE: Pirates shut out Bayside

MORE: Cocoa falls at Bishop Gorman

Viera, coming off a 31-19 loss to Washington, D.C., Gonzaga, dropped one spot in Class 7A voting to No. 10, which is where the Hawks debuted in the preseason rankings. Lakeland was at No. 1 in the class. The Hawks will visit Merritt Island on Friday.

The Mustangs got votes but not enough to crack the top 10 in 5A. Merritt Island evened its record at 1-1 with a 30-10 win at Lake Wales last week. Heritage, which improved to 2-0 with a 22-18 comeback win over Dakota Ridge (Colo.), got votes in 6A voting.

Apopka remained No. 1 in Class 8A. The rest of the top teams in statewide voting were Jacksonville Trinity Christian in 3A, Jacksonville University Christian in 2A and Madison County in 1A.

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

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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: Sandalwood 6, Mandarin 4, Coral Gables 4, Lake Brantley 3, Manatee 3, Sanford Seminole 1, Boca Raton Community 1.

Others receiving votes: Tampa Bay Tech 13, Winter Haven 11, McArthur 7, Palm Beach Lakes 5.

Mistake-prone Hawks fall to Gonzaga 31-19

Others receiving votes: Lake Gibson 5, Miami Carol City 3, Heritage 2, Matanzas 1, Port Charlotte 1, Tate 1.

Week 2: Heritage 22, Dakota Ridge 18

Others receiving votes: West Florida 7, Rickards 5, Cardinal Gibbons 4, Merritt Island 2, Baker County 1, Ribault 1.

Others receiving votes: Glades Central 13, Jones 6, Clewiston 6.

Others receiving votes: Lakeland Christian 23.

Others receiving votes: Champagnat Catholic 32, Admiral Farragut 7, Community School of Naples 6.

Others receving votes: South Walton 25, Fort Meade 6, Fort White 6.

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

Saturday’s Astronaut Invitational will bring 50 cross country teams and about 2,500 runners to Chain of Lakes State Park in Titusville.

Varsity boys begin the 2015 Astronaut Invitational at Chain of Lakes Park in Titusville.

Racing will begin at 8 a.m. with the varsity girls running 5,000 meters in the 44th edition of the event. Boys will run at 8:40.

Amanda Beach of Melbourne Central Catholic and Mason Jones of Titusville have the top girls and boys times among Brevard County runners this year, and both will compete. Beach was the runner-up in 2015, and Holy Trinity won the team title. Jones was fifth in the boys race, where Merritt Island’s seventh-place team finish was best for a Brevard representative.

Other top entrants include Samantha Folio of Holy Trinity and Hannah Flemming of the host War Eagles. The deep Satellite teams will also compete.

Brevard high school cross country best performers

From outside the county, top teams include the Winter Park girls, Timber Creek and Lyman boys and both boys and girls teams from Lake Highland Prep.

Youth and junior varsity races will also be run.

Holy Trinity holding Vicky Hurst tournament on Saturday

The 2016 Vicky Hurst Holy Trinity Golf Tournament is Saturday at Suntree County Club and will begin with an 8 a.m. shotgun start.

Hurst, an LPGA competitor, graduated from Holy Trinity in 2008, and the tournament raises money for the school’s athletic programs. Sponsorships range from $100 to $5,000. The entry fee is $150 per player, and that includes cart use, balls, breakfast, lunch and a snack. Awards and prizes will be given.

To participate or to sponsor the event, visit http://www.htacademy.org/golf.

Astronaut seeking boys soccer coaches

Astronaut High has coaching positions available for its boys soccer program, both for a head coach and assistants. Those interested should contact athletic director Cheryl Shivel at Shivel.Cheryl@brevardschools.org or at 321-264-3000.

MORE: Astronaut hires Perez-Gaitan, Quinn as girls soccer coaches

MORE: Vote for FLORIDA TODAY Athlete of the Week

Heritage baseball holding fundraiser

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/

Bobby Bruce (4) closes in on a Lake Brantley ball carrier.

Few have seen the things Bobby Bruce has seen. Even fewer have his athletic potential.

Titusville LB Bobby Bruce (4) closes in on a Lake Brantley runner.

Two aspects of the Titusville High senior linebacker’s story are most significant. First, it is a story of transformation. Second, it’s a story whose ending has yet to be written.

“The odds are stacked against him,” Terriers head coach Wayne Lawrence said Wednesday after practice, “but we see how far he’s come. He’s realized he can succeed. He can make it.”

That’s been proven repeatedly on the football field, from the time a ninth-grade Bruce flattened Titusville’s all-time leading rusher, Jaleel Davis, in a scrimmage, to his first varsity action, when he blew up a Merritt Island return as a member of Terriers special teams.

Week 3 HS football capsules

In this year’s season opener against Sebastian River, Bruce made 10 tackles and forced two fumbles. Last week against Lake Brantley, he added 11 more tackles. In 2015, he finished the year with 119, making double-digit tackles in seven of 10 games.

Lawrence pauses as if waiting for outsiders to see it as bravado, but he makes the comparison to NFL greats anyway, describing his team leader as having the passion and tenacity of Ray Lewis and the football knowledge and instincts of Lawrence Taylor.

“This kid has always been a phenomenal football player. You’ve got to be born with these traits. When we’re shaking hands with opponents after games, every coach talks about this kid.”

In February of 2010, everybody was talking about Johntay Gowdie, the 17-year-old cousin of then-13-year-old Bruce. Gowdie starred at tailback through just about every level of youth league football. When he left one of Bruce’s summer league basketball games, he said he’d be back.

He never returned. Hours later, he was accidentally shot dead by a friend. It was a too-close-to-home shock to a teenager who had already experienced more than his share.

“I wanted to really just end it, end myself, because that’s who I looked up to,” Bruce said this week. “A lot of people said I was going to end up like him.”

Bobby Bruce of Titusville causes Danuel Oscar of Sebastian River to fumble the ball two weeks ago at Titusville. (photo by Tony Dees/Florida Today)

Bruce witnessed a shooting just outside his house at age 7. Walking home from elementary school a year later, he saw smoke rising in the distance.

“That’s somebody’s house smoking,” he thought. “I hope that’s not my house. I walked to my house and saw it going down to the ground.”

Bruce eventually was kicked off his youth basketball team after Johntay’s death.

“I just didn’t have my head right. I didn’t care any more.”

The youngest of five children, there are no high school graduates in Bruce’s immediate family, and he has never met his dad.

One of the shining lights is his older brother who has served in the military for 10 years. Bruce’s closest relationship is with his 85-year-old grandmother. He lives with her and has her name, “Margaret,” tattooed on the inside of his left forearm.

Tattooed on top of his hands are his late cousin’s initials, “J” and “G.”

“People ask me why I got them, about how I’ll be able to get a job with tattoos there, but I want to always be able to see them, to remember him.”

Pirates jump, Tigers hold in high school football polls

Bruce admits he has gotten himself into trouble at times, but his coach has witnessed a transformation in his player’s view of life since he first showed his ability on the field.

“What you’ve been around and what you’ve experienced is your normalcy,” Lawrence said. “He came to school looking at things from one perspective. The things that he’s seen filter over into his daily life. Now, he’s seen an opportunity to get out of the life he’s been in.”

His path out of that life will be football. Now one of the county’s leading tacklers and a first-team All-Space Coast linebacker last year, he was the rare freshman playing varsity because, even with his penchant to step outside of the game plan, his instincts have made it worth the risk.

“We just figured we’ll live with some of his mistakes as a freshman,” Lawrence remembers. “Even now sometimes, we’ll see him go up to the line and we don’t even have a blitz called. We don’t encourage that, because we want him to play soundly in our system, but we trust his instincts.”

His 6-foot, 210-pound body and his performance have already attracted college scouts. Bruce knows he needs to improve academically if college football is to be his next stop.

“School is not easy for everybody. I’ve got obstacles I’ve got to get over,” he said. “I’ve got to get my reading up so I can get my scores up.”

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If he can do that, athletic scholarship offers will come.

“I want my grandmother to see me on TV for something good, for something I like,” he said. “That’s football.”

He hasn’t guaranteed any television appearances yet, but Bruce’s life of transition is also one of promises. One, fulfilled, was to win the youth league championship his cousin could not win before his death. Bruce and the Junior Terriers did that.

Another was made to his brother on a trip to visit his military base in Alaska two summers ago.

“I was about to throw my life away over something somebody said, so he bought me a ticket to go see him,” Bruce recalled. “I made a promise that I would stay at Titusville and I would graduate.”

That should come in May. Titusville assistant coach Brian Hepburn, one of the first Terriers coaches to see Bruce’s potential and to express that to the young player, is optimistic that more football will follow.

“We dont know yet where he’ll end up, but we’ll know they’ve got somebody special in Bobby,” Hepburn said. “He could be next year on somebody’s special teams and work his way up the depth chart. He’s going to make his mom and grandma and coaches very proud.”

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 games

Viera at Merritt Island, 7 p.m.

Eau Gallie at Rockledge, 7

Satellite at Astronaut, 7

Cocoa Beach at Melbourne CC, 7

St. Cloud at Space Coast, 7

Titusville at New Smyrna Beach, 7

Merritt Island Christian at Santa Fe Catholic, 7

Merritt Island visited Lake Wales on Friday night.

LAKE WALES Lake Wales was missing three starters, playing a first-time quarterback and fell short to a strong Merritt Island squad, 30-10, Friday at Legion Field.

The Turning Point

Trailing 16-0 at the half, the Highlanders returned the opening kickoff to the Merritt Island 46 and promptly drove those 46 yards in 8 plays narrowing the deficit to 16-7.  Successfully recovering an onside kick the Highlanders picked up a first down; however they then had a delay of game and a false start killing the scoring opportunity and never threatened thereafter.

ICYMI: Week 2 high school football wrapup

The Difference Makers

Lake Wales’ Johnny Richardson fought hard for his 79 yards in his 14 carries.

However Mustang’s halfback Deben Peterson rushed for 70 yards in 12 carries; in addition, Peterson also had 52 yards on 5 pass receptions.

Rydell Peterson has collected 52 yards in his 10 rushing attempts for Merritt Island.

Key Stat

Lake Wales repeatedly stubbed its toe, collecting 115 penalty yards on 14 penalties.

The Highlanders also gave up three interceptions; the first killing a drive deep in Mustang territory.

What They Said

“The turnovers and penalties really hurt us tonight,” Lake Wales head coach Tavaris Johnson said.

“We really left some points on the field tonight.  We will take the bad and learn from it, and take the  good and build on it.”

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

Merritt Island  10  6  7  7   —  30

Lake Wales     0   0  7  3   —   10

First Quarter

MI—Mason Denaburg 30 Field Goal, 5:32.

MI—Brandon Montanez 4 run (Denaburg Kick), 00:00

Second Quarter

MI—Cameron Sorg 21 Int return (pass failed), 3:20.

Third Quarter

LW—Brenton Williams 15 pass from Peterson (Maldonado Kick), 7:46.

MI—Montanez 4 run (Denaburg Kick), 2:10.

Fourth Quarter

MI—Sean Diggs 3 run (Ashley Kick), 9:29.

LW—Maldonado 21 Field Goal, 3:12.

At Lake Wales

Top performers: Merritt Island: Brandon Montanez scored two touchdowns for the Mustangs. Deben Peterson had 70 yards rushing on 12 carries; 5 receptions for 52 yards.

Key play: Leading 3-0, Montanez ran in for a touchdown that put Merritt Island ahead 10-0. The Mustangs scored again and took a 16-0 lead into the half.

Record: Merritt Island (1-1); Lake Wales (0-2)

Next week: Viera at Merritt Island, 7 p.m.; Haines City at Lake Wales, 7:30 p.m.

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

Lakeland Ledger

ROCKLEDGE For the second year in a row, Rockledge High knocked off an unbeaten Eau Gallie football team, this time at McLarty Stadium, 27-3.

Jalen Mitchell rushed for 154 yards on 15 carries, and Laquentin Hastie Jr. scored three touchdowns in the win, two rushing and one on a 58-yard interception return in the fourth quarter that essentially ended any Commodores hope of a comeback.

Rockledge High’s Jalen Mitchell (5) evade’s the Commodore defense.

It was the Raiders defense that stole the show, holding Eau Gallie (2-1) to 16 yards on the ground and to 122 yards of total offense.

For the visitors, it was a night of missed opportunities. Two interceptions set the Commodores up at or near midfield, but neither resulted in points. Then, when Darin Garland turned a Jack Gallo pass into a 58-yard play to put Eau Gallie on the 7 on the first play of the second half, the Commodores went backward and settled for a 28-yard Matt Stephens field goal.

Rockledge (1-1) led, 13-3 early in the fourth when Hastie stepped in front of a Gallo pass and returned it 58 yards for a score.

“I read the quarterback, pretty much,” he said. “The receiver ran a slant. They’d been running it all night, and I just jumped it.”

Promising Bruce reaching his potential

Mitchell had runs of 61 and 23 yards to set up touchdowns, but Hastie did the work near the goal line. He scored on runs of 10 and 15 yards. Quarterback Eric Adler scored on a 3-yard keeper in between Hastie’s runs.

Both teams open district play next week. Eau Gallie will visit Heritage, and the Raiders will host Palm Bay.

Rockledge coach Wayne Younger said his offense will need to continue to improve.

“We’ve just got to find our mix with some young players,” he said. “It’s a new system, and there are young guys being put in places they’re not used to.”

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

Rockledge 27, Eau Gallie 3

EG  0  0  3  0  – 3

Rock  7  6  0  14  – 27

1st Quarter

R: Laquentin Hastie 10 run (David Quintal kick), 5:27

2nd Quarter

R: Eric Adler 3 run (kick failed), :20

3rd Quarter

EG: Matt Stephens 29 FG, 10:34

4th Quarter

R: Hastie 58 interception return (Quintal kick), 9:07
R: Hastie 15 run (Quintal kick), 6:39

Individual statistics

Rushing: EG – Nate McRae 11-14, John Hampton 5-13, Jack Gallo 8-(-7), Cordell Dzara 1-0, Darin Garland 1-(-4); Rock – Jalen Mitchell 15-154, Hastie 13-60, Adreal Johnson 1-10, Adler 4-3, Jordan Humphrey 1-(-2).

Passing: EG – Gallo 6-17-1 106; Rock – Adler 6-12-2 75.

Receiving: EG – Garland 4-87, Dzara 2-19; Rock – Trajen Fox-Birdwell 3-12, Antoine Green 2-41, Johnson 1-22.

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

Amanda Beach of Melbourne Central Catholic is the girls winner at the Astronaut Invitational. Runners from more than 50 schools participated in the meet at Chain of Lakes Park.

Astronaut Invitational

Amanda Beach of Melbourne Central Catholic broke up what was otherwise a Satellite High cross country party on Saturday at Chain of Lakes State Park in Titusville.

Beach, John Cacciatore and both the Scorpions boys and girls posted first-place showings at the Astronaut Invitational.

Beach ran an 18:19.6 over 5,000 meters for the win, a 1:15 advantage over runner-up Ashley Klingenberg of Lake Brantley. Hannah Flemming of Astronaut (19:56.3) placed third. Satellite’s Anique Kattenberg (20:34.1) finished sixth, and Marie Groppel (20:48.8) was 10th.

Cacciatore posted a winning time of 16:35.2, and Scorps teammate Michael Wilson followed at 16:40.9. Satellite’s Charlie Dickinson placed sixth, in 17:09.7.

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

Astronaut Invitational bringing 50 teams to Brevard

Astronaut Invitational

Boys

Top Brevard Individuals: 1. John Cacciatore (S) 16:35.2; 2. Michael Wilson (S) 16:40.9; 6. Charlie Dicksonon (S) 17:09.7; 12. David Quigley (V) 17:22.6; 14. Matthew Cummings (CB) 17:31.6; 25. Alex Krestan (V) 17:54.0.

Team standings: 1. Satellite 92; 2. Timber Creek 156; 3. St. Augustine 172; 5. Cocoa Beach 176; 6. Viera 189; 12. Astronaut 370; 13. Titusville 381; 19. Edgewood 586; 25. MCC 672; 33. Covenant Christian 883; 34. Holy Trinity 898; 35. Melbourne 945; 37. Eau Gallie 973; 38. Cocoa 981; 39. Heritage 989; 40. Space Coast 1,001.

Girls

Top Brevard Individuals: 1. Amanda Beach (MCC) 18:19.6; 3. Hannah Flemming (A) 19:56.3); 6. Anique Kattenberg (S) 20:34.1; 10. Marie Groppel (S) 20:48.8; 12 Sara Towers (S) 20:57.3; 13. Lana Rukab (S) 20:59.2; 18. Billie Castillo (T) 21:20.9; 21. Brianna Basford (s) 21:27.4; 25. Ashley Basford (S) 21:39.3.

Team standings: 1. Satellite 57. 2. Spruce Creek 112; 3. Lake Brantley 127; 10. Edgewood 299; 12. Titusville 320; 15. MCC 398; 18. Holy Trinity 480; 20. Viera 556; 21. Melbourne 564; 26. Cocoa Beach 717; 27. Heritage 754; 32. Eau Gallie 917; 36. Covenant Christian 983.

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

Bayside High visited Jensen Beach on Friday night.

JENSEN BEACH Bayside’s struggles continue, as its offense sputtered in a loss to Jensen Beach.

Jensen Beach safety Sheridon Archer tackled Dylan Inman in the end zone for a safety to put the Falcons up, 2-0, after one quarter.

In the second quarter, Jamien Sherwood returned a punt 54 yards for a touchdown to put Jensen Beach up, 9-0.

After another Falcons TD, Bayside finally got on the board before the half as Xavier Hendrix caught a 12-yard pass from Jordan McIlvaine for a TD.

However, Jensen (3-1) continued to put points up on the Bears (0-3) in the second half.

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

Jensen Beach 44, Bayside 7

Bayside                0   7   0   0   –   7

Jensen Beach     2  14  14 14  –  44

1st Quarter

JB: Safety (Sheridon Archer tackled in end zone by Dylan Inman), 3:36

2nd Quarter

JB: Jamien Sherwood 54 punt return (Sam Oliver kick), 10:01
JB: Jason Loucks 18 run (Sam Oliver kick), 6:35
B: Xavier Hendrix 12 pass from Jordan McIlvaine (Rachel Van Mier kick) 3:37

3rd Quarter

JB: Tyrese Jackson 55 run (Sam Oliver kick) 9:54
JB: Tyrese Jackson 57 pass from Hunter East (Sam Oliver kick) 7:36

4th Quarter

JB: Jason Loucks 1 run (Sam Oliver kick) 9:44
JB: Jason Loucks 12 run (Sam Oliver kick) 7:33

At Jensen Beach High, Jensen Beach

Top performers: Bayside: Xavier Hendrix caught a 12-yard pass from Jordan McIlvaine for the team’s only TD; Jensen Beach: Jason Loucks amassed three touchdowns on runs of 18, 1 and 12 yards.

Key play: Jensen Beach safety Sheridon Archer tackled Dylan Inman in the end zone for a safety to put the Falcons up 2-0 after one quarter. The Falcons never looked back.

Record: Bayside (0-3); Jensen Beach (3-1)

Next week: Bayside at Satellite, 7 p.m.; Jensen Beach Bye week

Full game report: http://on.flatoday.com/2d75cBp

TCPalm

Rockledge Raider Vaurice Griffin Jr. is upended in the opening kickoff Friday night in their home game against the Palm Bay Pirates. (photo by Tony Dees/Florida Today)

ROCKLEDGE For all of its complexities, sometimes football is an easy game.

Rockledge Raider Vaurice Griffin Jr is upended in the opening kickoff Friday night in their home game against the Palm Bay Pirates.

Palm Bay forced six turnovers in its game against Rockledge while only turning it over once.

It’s nearly impossible for a team plus-five in turnover margin to lose, and that certainly showed itself to be true on Friday evening as the Pirates blanked Rockledge, 24-0, in both teams’ District 14-5A opener.

“Our defense can fly around. At times they bend but we always know at some point they’re going to force a turnover or keep them out of the end zone,” said Palm Bay head coach Dan Burke.

“They give us a hard time in practice, believe me,” said Palm Bay quarterback Stuart Brown on his defense. “It’s rough on 3rd and 8. We have a 3rd and 8 drill and I don’t think they could make it any worse for us. That front four is dangerous and the DBs are just as dangerous as well. I’m very proud. It was a great team win. I’m proud of everybody on this team, coaching staff and everyone.”

Despite coming in as an underdog, Rockledge (1-2, 0-1 in district play) more or less stood toe-to-toe with Palm Bay (3-0, 1-0) in in the first half, but was hamstrung by the three turnovers.

Palm Bay took advantage, scoring 10 points off of two turnovers.

The first of their scores came courtesy of a 24-yard field goal by Justin Bellows that followed an interception. The second came following a Pirate fumble recovery as, on 4th-and-9 from the Rockledge 23-yard line, Brown found Dez Arthur on a touchdown pass late in the second quarter.

Week 4: Heritage 13, Eau Gallie 7

The Raiders were fairly plucky on this night, however, and responded with a drive down inside the 10-yard line. But that drive also ended with a miscue as Palm Bay picked off a pass to quell another Raider threat.

In the second half, it was more of the same with Rockledge’s third interception thwarting a promising drive in the third quarter. On the ensuing play, however, they got the ball back on a fumble recovery deep in their own territory at the end of a long Palm Bay passing play to keep their hopes alive.

But the Raider offense simply couldn’t muster much after that and the defense finally broke, with Brown finding Tyrese Lyons on a 38-yard pass that set up a 2-yard scamper by B.J. Daniels that put the Pirates up 17-0.

Brown credited the offensive line with playing a huge role in the team’s offensive success.

“It just starts with the guys up front. I mean, I’m really proud of those guys,” Brown said.

Ken McKay concluded scoring with a 35-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Daniels ran 140 yards and a touchdown on 21 yards. Jalen Mitchell provided most of the Raiders’ offense, running for 142 yards on 24 carries.

Burke was pleased that his team was able to open district play with a win on the road.

“We’re happy with the win. Rockledge had a good plan, did a good job,” Burke said.

“Especially a district game, it’s big for us. Those district games count,” Brown added.

Both teams have non-district matchups next week. Palm Bay will host Melbourne while Rockledge will take a long bus ride to Tallahasee to face Godby.

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

Palm Bay 24, Rockledge 0

Palm Bay 0 10 0 14 – 24

Rockledge 0 0 0 0 – 0

2nd quarter

PB: Justin Bellows 24 field goal; 11:50

PB: Dez Arthur 23 pass from Stuart Brown (Bellows kick); 1:50

4th quarter

PB: B.J. Daniels 2 run (Bellows kick), 7:26

PB: Ken McKay 35 interception return (Bellows kick); 3:37

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Passing: Palm Bay- Stuart Brown 4-8-121 yards (TD); Rockledge: Eric Adler 1-7-26 yards (2 INT), Will Carter 4-4 23 yards, LaQuentin Hastie, Jr. 1-2-18 yards, Cameron Latham 1-6-1 yard (2 INT).

Rushing: Palm Bay- BJ Daniels 21-140 yards (TD), Ken McKay 8-38, Dez Arthur 4-11, Brown 2-(-2); Rockledge: Jalen Mitchell 24-142 (2 fumbles), LaQuentin Hastie, Jr. 13-50, Latham 2-8, Adler 1-(-10)

Receiving: Palm Bay- 3-83 (TD) (fumble), Tyrese Lyons 1-38; Rockledge- Antoine Green 3-45 yards, Audreal Johnson 4-23 yards

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