Baker dumps Island Coast 20-3
The Ida Baker Bulldogs’ shutout streak was snapped Thursday night when Island Coast’s Kyle Fitzgerald drilled a 29-yard field goal with 1.6 seconds left in the first half.
The Bulldogs had gone nearly 10 quarters without surrendering a point this season. They still have not allowed a touchdown, and it was the defense’s ability to create five Gators turnovers that led the host Bulldogs to a 20-3 win.
“We wanted to shut out every team,” said senior linebacker Johnny Garcia, “but we knew it was a hard goal. A field goal is a field goal. Three points in three games, that’s good for our defense.”
The Bulldogs, who blanked Lehigh 27-0 and North Fort Myers 36-0 in their first two games, improved to 3-0, matching the best start in school history.
It wasn’t easy in a game played mostly in the trenches. An already sloppy field worsened as the game wore on given the heavy action in the center of the field and the rain that fell heaviest in the third quarter.
The Gators were led by a stout defensive front, which featured Aaron Lynch, Bryan Bosworth, Miguel Carmona and Jimmy Stewart.
They held the Bulldogs to 106 rushing yards. Baker senior Joseph Byrd rushed 23 times for a hard-earned 76 yards.
“Our defense, going all the way back to when we started, has been our strength,” said Gators coach Joe Bowen. “We live and die by our defensive line.”
“I was very impressed at how physical they were,” Baker coach Brian Conn said of the Gators. “Up front they were the most physical team we’ve played.”
The Gators’ ball-control rushing attack was engineered by sophomore quarterback Mike Dumas, who rushed for 101 yards on 16 carries. The Gators overall, though, finished with only 135 rushing yards.
For the second straight game they played without sophomore running back Mario Pender. He returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in the season opener against North, but has missed the last two games due to disciplinary reasons.
The Gators (1-2) were hurt the most by turnovers and they began in the first quarter.
A bad exchange near midfield with 8:15 left in the opening quarter, allowed the Bulldogs to drive down and get on the board with Cody Kluesner’s 27-yard field goal.
Strong defense by the Bulldogs, including a sack by Felix Solano, helped the offense get it back on a short field and they extended the lead to 10-0 on quarterback Sean Francis’ one-yard plunge.
Near the end of the first half, the Gators returned the favor when Miguel Grant intercepted a pass and returned it to the Baker 37. Fitzgerald ended the half with a field goal, cutting the lead to 10-3.
“It was a little sloppy out there, but that’s no excuse (for the turnovers),” Conn said. “We did it last week, too. We have to stop that if we want to continue to win.”
Turnovers were a bigger factor in the third quarter. As the rain fell, both teams kept it on the ground. Lynch recovered a Baker fumble at midfield with 5:20 left in the quarter, but two plays later the Bulldogs recovered an Island Coast fumble.
They handed the ball to Byrd six times on a 38-yard drive and he capped it with a one-yard run, making it 17-3. The Bulldogs’ turned another fumble recovery by Jacob York into three points and senior safety Andrew Haynes picked off a pass in the fourth quarter.
There was a lengthy delay in the first half after Island Coast senior Javarice Pugh suffered a broken leg while returning a kickoff.
In addition to playing special teams, Pugh was one of the Gators’ wingbacks on offense and a defensive back.
The Gators play at Clewiston, while the Bulldogs play at Lakewood Ranch next Friday.
Island Coast 0 3 0 0 – 3
Ida Baker 3 7 7 3 – 20
First Quarter
B – Cody Kluesner 27 FG
Second Quarter
B – Sean Francis 1 run (Kluesner kick)
IC – FG, Kyle Fitzgerald 29
Third Quarter
B – Joseph Byrd 1 run (Kluesner kick)
Fourth Quarter
B – FG, Kluesner 25