Gators clinch back-to-back district titles
The offense was productive and the defense was stout, but anyone who watched Island Coast from beginning to end Friday night and doesn’t still see a few glaring weaknesses might just be kidding themselves.
Oh sure, the Gators dominated both sides of the ball while scoring six touchdowns and holding a fourth consecutive opponent to no more than a single offensive scoring play, but in the moments following a 40-13 throttling of Dunbar that locked up a second straight District 5A-14 title, they looked ordinary.
A first try to douse coach Wayne Blair with a bucket of ice water sailed low and outside, and a series of subsequent attempts at a cohesive team photo were instead dotted with closed eyes and turned heads.
Quarterback Kory Curtis, for one, is anxious to get another crack at celebration excellence.
“We haven’t done that in a while, so we’ll need some work,” the sophomore said, in the afterglow of a five-touchdown performance – four passing, one rushing – in the clincher. “That’s not a bad thing for us to need some practice on. We can get used to it.”
If things continue as they’ve largely gone for the last two seasons, they’ll get better.
The victory caps off a second straight unbeaten six-game tour through the district ranks and stretches Island Coast’s run to 13 since it last lost a standings-relevant regular-season game – a 41-17 verdict to South Fort Myers in October 2012 when the Wolfpack was still a district rival.
The Gators, however, saw last season’s momentum snuffed when the playoffs arrived, dropping a 33-27 home decision to Sarasota’s Booker in the opening round of the state 5A playoffs.
Curtis, who was a lesser-used freshman on that team, is eager to raise the expectation bar.
“Our goal is to make it to the state championship, but we’ve got to keep working,” he said. “There’s always a lot of room for improvement. In every way, we can improve our game.”
Island Coast led 20-0 at halftime Friday thanks to three Curtis TD passes, each to a different receiver and all on fourth-down plays. He rolled right and found Torien Thomas in the back of the end zone on a fourth-and-3 from the 18-yard line in the first quarter, then rolled to his left and side-armed a 38-yarder across his body to James Washington on a fourth-and-nine play in the second.
The Gators scored for the third consecutive possession on their last full try before intermission. This time Curtis found Corey Murphy through traffic at the goal line on fourth-and-16 from the 28.
Dunbar got on the board, and ended an opposition scoreless streak that had stretched back more than two games, when defensive lineman Mike Sharp scooped up a Curtis fumble and returned it 45 yards for the initial points of the third quarter,. Island Coast again responded with TDs on three straight drives, including another Curtis TD pass and a one-yard scoring run to push the margin to 33.
The Tigers’ final points were cosmetic, coming when Tariq Thomas hit Daniel Cobb with a seven-yard pass less than five minutes into the fourth quarter. Curtis had come out of the game for good on the previous series and the defense, led by junior linebacker Zach Lackman, was happy to finish the job.
In fact, Cobb’s TD was the first allowed by the Gators defense since the fourth quarter of the Mariner game, a 52-13 win, on Sept. 26.
“That’s what we pride our defense on every game – shutout, shutout, shutout,” Lackman said. “The least points we can allow to the other team, the easier it is for us to win. Three downs and out and get the offense the ball and let them do what they do.”
Island Coast7 13 20 0 – 40
Dunbar0 0 7 6 – 13
IC – Thomas 18 pass from Curtis (Curtis kick)
IC – Washington 38 pass from Curtis (kick failed)
IC – Murphy 28 pass from Curtis (Jynella kick)
D – Sharp 45 fumble return (McDonald kick)
IC – Lambert 26 run (kick failed)
IC – Curtis 1 run (Curtis kick)
IC – Thomas 4 pass from Curtis (Jynella kick)
D – Cobb 7 pass from Thomas (kick failed)