Tritons bounce back, dump Cowboys 28-3
A week’s worth of focused practice was apparent in Mariner’s home opener against Labelle Friday, as the Tritons steamrolled the Cowboys 28-3.
Using what ailed them in a 43-0 thrashing at Bishop Verot just a week earlier, the Tritons (2-1) forced four turnovers by the Cowboys (1-2) and converted them into 14 points. The win equals the total number of wins by the Tritons in the past two seasons.
“This week in practice, we needed to realize we were not that team that lost (43-0),” said Tritons coach Travis Smith. “We worked a lot on character and the players stayed focused the entire week. I was impressed with that.”
Junior quarterback Cairo Jeunegens used some quick, short hitters through the air in the first quarter to start loosening up the Cowboys’ defense. All four of his completions came in the first quarter on quick hitters during a 13-play, 66-yard scoring drive.
Jeunegens found sophomore tight end Chris Ramsey twice down the right side for gains of 16 and eight yards. Junior Chance Reiter hauled in a 16-yard reception for a first down to the Labelle 46.
Mariner’s workhorse in the backfield, junior Geovani Garcia, took over with five straight carries netting 27 yards to the Cowboy 9. The Tritons chipped the rest of the way and capped the march on Jeunegens’ two-yard blast up the middle for the 7-0 lead.
Senior Noah Wren converted all four of his PAT kicks, to ensure the Tritons took advantage of all scoring opportunities.
It was those short, quick throws which started opening the field on the second level, as Jeunegens used his legs to key Mariner’s next two scoring drives in a 14-point second quarter.
On the Tritons’ first possession of the second quarter, Jeunegens found plenty of running room for 33 yards to the Labelle 27, after the linebackers bit on the pass play, with their backs towards the line of scrimmage.
“The offensive line did their job and rode the defense out to create the holes,” Jeunegens said. “On my big runs, the linebackers took off and I saw the open holes and hit them.”
Garcia put the Tritons up 14-0 by capping an eight-play, 71-yard drive on a three-yard dive up the middle.
The second scoring drive was highlighted by a 42-yard run by Jeunegens, which almost copied his 33-yard run on the previous possession. Once again, it set up a touchdown, this one coming on Jeunegens’ one-yard plow up the middle for the 21-0 halftime advantage.
“Cairo did a great job seeing the field when the pass broke down,” Smith said. “He saw the green and took off and he did a great job being the field general tonight.”
The Tritons ground some gears in the second half, by not driving in LaBelle territory, but that didn’t quell Mariner’s thirst for a touchdown. The capper came on senior free safety Isaiah Darrett’s 63-yard interception return for a score to put Mariner up 28-3 early in the fourth quarter.
Darrett read LaBelle senior quarterback Tyler Burton’s eyes and was able to jump a slant route just beyond the 50-yard line and go untouched to the end zone.
It was a good indication how the Tritons’ defense played the entire evening. Although sophomore running back Tray Williams accumulated 171 yards on 23 carries, three drives ended in fumbles and two more by turnover by downs.
“Our defense was awesome tonight,” Smith said. “We had a good goal-line stand in the second quarter, but we need to correct our mistakes to not get down that far.”
LaBelle drove to the Mariner 4-yard line, but two straight runs resulted in no yards, including a fourth-and-goal attempt.
The Cowboys only saw Mariner turf two more times, but there was no other serious threat of finding the end zone.
Jeunegens finished with a team-high 87 rushing yards on 13 carries, while Garcia had 16 carries for 77 yards.
“This was a big win for us,” Jeunegens said. “We won our first game of the season and got cocky, then got whupped last week. So this one was a big one to get our confidence and momentum back.”
Mariner hosts Cypress Lake (0-2), which lost to Fort Myers 35-0, next Friday.
LaBelle0 0 3 0 – 3
Mariner 7 14 0 7 – 28
M – Jeunegens 2 run (Wren kick)
M – Garcia 3 run (Wren kick)
M – Jeunegens 1 run (Wren kick)
L – FG, Morales 30
M – Darrett 63 interception return (Wren kick)