Avon Park dashes Verot 18-7
Avon Park has maintained a perfect record throughout the season by playing stingy defense and an efficient offense, averaging 23 points per game.
Friday night in a big District 4A-6 road game at Bishop Verot, the Red Devils won in similar fashion 18-7 over the Vikings, despite committing 14 penalties for 125 yards.
“We did a lot of good things tonight, but made some bonehead mistakes, too,” said Avon Park coach Wade Jackson. “Luckily, we overcame them. We knew coming into Verot was going to be a tough place to play, we knew we were going to be in a dogfight.”
A dogfight it was, as defense ruled the game, along with plenty of miscues by both offenses. The Vikings (4-2) had an interception and two fumbles which stalled drives, along with seven penalties for 65 yards.
“We gave up some big plays and made too many mistakes,” said Vikings coach Bill Shields. “We haven’t had penalties like that all year. We just need to do a better job and eliminate the mistakes.”
Vikings runningback Cooper Gibson looked as if he was going to run the Red Devils defense right off the field in the first quarter, accumulating 72 yards on nine carries which led to the Vikings’ first score of the game.
Cooper keyed a 12-play, 60-yard drive with six carries for 54 yards, including a 21-yard TD run on a left sweep to put Verot up 7-0.
The biggest play of the game came on Montreal Braswell’s delayed run up the middle from Devils’ 14. The speedy back avoided linebackers and blew through the second level. Deven Thompkins saved the touchdown for Verot by chasing down Braswell, but not until he gained 81 yards, setting his team up at the Vikings 5.
A play later, Moise Satine scooted in for six points on an off-tackle run with 9:54 left in the second quarter.
After that, the Devils’ defense clamped down on Gibson, who finished with 110 yards on 14 carries, which was only an added 38 yards the remaining three quarters of play. The Vikings gained a total of 124 yards on the ground and when they did threaten to score, a fumble poped up to stop them.
The Devils took a 12-7 halftime lead, with the second scoring drive coming on an interception by junior safety Warren Buckner, who played a pass perfectly over the middle, picking it off and running it to the Vikings’ 24.
The drive was quick, as Satine took three carries to find the end zone, the final one an 11-yarder.
Verot snapped only 10 plays in the third quarter and picked up one first down. They were forced into back-to-back three-and-out possessions, while the Devils controlled the clock and ball by snapping 17 plays alone in the third quarter.
Penalties were a drive killer for Avon Park, held scoreless in the third, but put the game out of reach on a late fourth-quarter scoring drive.
A 10-play, 62-yard march peaked with a fourth-and-nine from the Vikings 10. After running four straight read options by Satine, quarterback Adarius Council pulled the fourth-down handoff in, and found a wide open slanting James Beck to put the Devils up 18-7.
The loss almost drops the Vikings out of contention for the 4A-6 title, but that doesn’t deter them from reaching their goals.
“Our goal is still getting to the state playoffs,” Shields said. “We’ll just need to practice harder, coach better and we are not going to change anything up.”
The Vikings defense limited the Devils to 208 rushing yards on 44 carries, with Braswell leading the way on 22 carries for 129 yards. Vikings sophomore quarterback Korey Besse came on in relief of McDougall in the second quarter and went 7-of-15 for 120 yards passing.
Verot will hosts East Lee County next Friday.