Coral Shores’ football squad had a hunch the weather was going to be uncooperative on Aug. 28, and arranged for an earlier start in the afternoon. The Hurricanes traveled to Palmer Trinity School for a 2 p.m. kickoff in hopes of playing four quarters before the inevitable foul weather. They made it to halftime when lightning forced a prolonged delay and eventual end to the action.
At the half, Coral Shores was down 16-0, but don’t count the ’Canes out just yet. Palmer is part of the Florida Independent Football Conference, and the teams need a head-to-head score to settle the standings in the conference. Both teams agreed to finish what they started on Sep. 22 at Palmer at 3 p.m. The ’Canes will start with a 16-point deficit, but Holly’s Hurricanes have overcome greater odds than those and could shock the Falcons with a well-orchestrated comeback.
Marathon also played one solid half of football last week, but their downfall was not the weather. The Fins could not hold onto the ball, and it made what looked to be a close game a decisive loss.
In quarters one and two, the Dolphins held their own against the IMG Academy State team. The Fins finished the first half trailing the Ascenders by 6 points after the Dolphin defense shined with a goal-line stop and a Charlie Buttner interception. But the team that took the field in quarter three looked quite different.
Four fumbles and an interception plagued the Fins, stalling what had been a proficient offense just minutes ago and fueling the Ascenders. The Dolphins allowed 20 points in quarter three, then six more in the fourth, and turnovers kept the ball from their hands a majority of the half. Compounding things was the South Florida heat. IMG’s roster tripled the size of Marathon’s, and while both teams suffered muscle cramping and fatigue, Marathon did not have the personnel to change out between plays.
The Fins were held to just 140 yards rushing with 17 more in the air. “We beat ourselves,” said coach Sean McDonald. “Any time a team turns the ball over five times, a win is pretty much out of the question.”
Key West also suffered a loss to IMG Academy. The Conchs played the Junior National Ascender team and went head-to-head with IMG despite lopsided rosters. The Ascenders traveled with backups for their backups while the Conchs’ roster did double duty all night.
Battling through the heat and eventual fatigue, Key West put points on the board three times. Chace Gaertner earned the first tally, followed by a Roman Van Loon QB option resulting in a 46-yard touchdown run. Jeff DeJean added a short run for the final score of the game. A missed PAT prompted Key West to go for two on their second touchdown, and the unsuccessful conversion put the score at 20-19 with the advantage to the Ascenders.
In the final plays of the game, Key West was within striking distance, with a fourth-and-one in Ascender territory. Hughes, ever the gambler on fourth-down conversions, opted for a field goal attempt. His decision was not an unwillingness to roll the dice, but rather a situation in which there were no dice to roll. The Conchs, by then, were down five players deep at the QB spot, with players sitting due to injury, cramping or fatigue. The field goal looked to have split the uprights from the stands, but the attempt was deemed no good by the referees and time ticked away, leaving Key West one point behind and with an 0-2 start to their season.
Despite coming up short, Hughes felt good about his team’s play. “We controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides,” he said. “We took it down methodically and punched it in.” He credited IMG with explosive speed, which made things challenging for the Conchs.
Next for Key West is Somerset Academy Canyons in a game Hughes says is a must-win if the Conchs want a shot at a playoff berth. Marathon will face a similar scenario against Westminster Christian. The Conchs and Fins are both home on Sept. 5 with 7 p.m. kickoffs. Coral Shores will play its third afternoon game in as many weeks, heading to BridgePrep Village Green for a 4 p.m. start on the same day.
Photos by Justice Lee and Maicey Malgrat
