With a trip to Palmer Trinity on Nov. 3, the Coral Shores Hurricanes faced the Falcons with third place in their conference on the line. Also on the line was a bit of redemption for the ’Canes, who had their first loss of the season delivered to them by Palmer in September. Coach Ed Holly was very pleased with his team’s performance and emphasized that the game plan was not based on a revenge scenario, but geared toward his players and their success.
“Our driving force was sending our seniors out on a positive note,” he said.
This time around, the Hurricanes were the better team. Coral Shores beat the Falcons 35-27. Scoring for the ’Canes were Chuck Jacobsen with a hat trick of rushing touchdowns as well as single rushing scores from Dantay Diorio and AJ Putetti.
Holly said the big difference between the games with Palmer was that “last time, we ran out of time.” His 2022 squad secured a winning 7-3 record, up from 5-6 last year, and he looks forward to the future.
“We got better and better as the season went on,” he said. “We are looking to continue this next season.”
In the meantime, he and several seniors will focus on getting to the next level of play. Xavyer Arrington and Johnny Holly have solid offers on the table, and Chuck Jacobsen, a newcomer to football but a natural athlete, has also expressed interest in playing college ball.
Key West was hoping to stay alive in the FHSAA 2S District 16 playoff bracket with a win on Nov. 4 against Bishop Verot. A win would have created a three-way tie for first in the district, forcing a winner via power rankings. The unusual tiebreaker scenario became moot when the Conchs fell to the Vikings, 48-14.
While it was not the homecoming result the Conchs would have liked, they did put points on the board against Verot. James Reynolds scored a pair of running touchdowns, one in the second and one in the fourth quarter.
“We played hard, but gave up too many big plays,” said head coach Johnny Hughes, crediting the Vikings as “the real deal.”
Hughes said his team will now have a bit of a break, then get back to hitting the weight room to prepare for next fall. With the regular season over, Hughes’ focus will now be on seniors Andre Otto, James Reynolds and Kevon Mills as they work through the recruiting process with the hope of playing at the next level. The Conchs end their season with 4 wins and 5 losses.
Marathon’s independent status prevented them from a playoff situation, but the 5-4 Fins improved from their 3-6 finish in ’21, securing their first winning season since 2018.
“I’m very proud of our team this season,” said coach Mac Childress. “We always played hard and were able to have a winning season. The seniors did a tremendous job of paving the way for the younger players. Moving into next year, we’re excited to see how much the underclassmen can develop.”
With the season now complete, Marathon’s Malachi Hawkins will be entertaining his options for collegiate play.
