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.
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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.
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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