Tigers’ burst dooms Tritons
By putting up 43 points, one might think the Dunbar offense was the story of the game Friday night. That wasn’t the case as a stingy defense allowed Mariner only 31 offensive plays and 46 yards of total offense.
Tritons quarterback Cairo Jeunegens was sacked six times and they also failed to complete a pass all evening.
Sophomore tailback Abraham Alce contributed 118 yards rushing, Jairius Johnson threw two touchdown passes, Tariq Thomas threw and caught touchdowns, and Kenny Benjamin ran for and threw for a score as Dunbar dominated Mariner 43-14.
Things got off to a rough start for the Tigers, whose first possession saw Dustin Culver step in front of a screen pass and return it 11 yards for a Tritons touchdown.
A questionable onside kick resulted in the Tigers having great field position for their next drive. Strong running by Alce took Dunbar to the Tritons’ 4-yard line but penalties stalled the drive and the home team settled for a 21-yard field goal and Mariner had a 7-3 lead.
Things got better for the Tigers after that. The hosts marched 57 yards on five plays. Johnson found Eric Minns wide open down the left sideline for a score. The Tigers failed on the two-point attempt and led 9-7.
After Mariner punted, a 31-yard scamper by Benjamin set up the Tigers at Tritons’ 3. Benjamin capped the drive up the middle for a 3-yard scoring run. The Tigers were up 16-3.
Things did not end well in the first half for Mariner as Dunbar took a short field and went 41 yards in four plays before Johnson spotted Thomas near the goal post from seven yards out for a 23-7 halftime lead.
Tritons coach Travis Smith elected to try another onside kick to open the second half. That call backfired when Benjamin scooped the ball up and returned it 47 yards to the Tritons’ 11. Two plays later, Thomas threw a touchdown pass to Jeremiah Rice in the right corner of the end zone.
Mariner took advantage of a short punt and a penalty to start its next drive at Dunbar’s 20. The Tritons looked to make it a game as Chance Reiter rolled around the right side and went untouched for six yards, reducing the deficit to 30-14.
That was as close as the Tritons would get.
The Tigers ran a fake punt for 16 yards and a first down. The trickery continued as Benjamin took a toss from Johnson on the reverse, pulled up and launched a perfect strike to a wide open Jatravian Wiggins in the end zone.
The Tigers end the regular season at Fort Myers while the Tritons host crosstown rivals Cape Coral next Friday.