Mariner secures first winning season in 15 years
Tritons down Gators, 25-18, end year at 5-3
For the first time in 15 years, the Mariner Tritons football team finished the regular season above .500.
Mariner (5-3) pulled out a 25-18 win on the road versus Island Coast (3-4) thanks to a secondary that forced three turnovers and a special teams score. While it was the last game of the season for both squads, each turned in a hard-fought effort with big plays being made on both sides. The Gators stormed out to a 12-0 lead, but Mariner scored 18 unanswered before the half and held on in the end.
The key to turning the game around?
“Just doing our jobs and trusting each other,” said Tritons head coach Josh Nicholson. “We stayed calm, trusted the game plan and kept at it.”
Island Coast couldn’t have asked for a better start to the game, as senior Jason Richardson returned the opening kickoff just shy of mid-field. On the first play, senior quarterback Jay Anderson found senior wide out Bruno Montrond (111 receiving yards on six receptions) for a 48-yard connection to set the Gators up at the 3-yard line. Anderson ran it in for a score on the next play, putting the Gators up 6-0 just 36 seconds in.
Both offenses were then stifled until the Gators got the ball on their own 20 as the first quarter wound down. The Island Coast offense worked its way downfield and capped off the drive with a big play, as Anderson found senior Danai’Drick Cook open over the middle for a 31-yard score three minutes into the second.
“When we’re on, we’re on,” said Island Coast head coach Chris Burnett. “I was so encouraged with the first half and our adjustments.”
Mariner wasted little time answering the wake-up call, as Kaelan Davidson returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards to the house for a touchdown. This was the second kickoff attempt by the Gators, as the first went out of bounds, and Nicholson wanted a re-kick. It seems he made the right decision as the explosive Davison shot up the middle and was barely touched on his way to paydirt. A successful two-point conversion cut the Tritons’ deficit to 12-8.
Mariner’s defense really turned on the pressure from there on out, and it started with a forced three-and-out for Island Coast and a disastrous punt attempt that set the Tritons up on the Gators’ 27. It took just three plays for Mariner to score and take the lead, as junior Marcus Kelley Jr., in his first time under center this year, took a quarterback keeper 10 yards for a touchdown making it 15-12.
“We’ve been trying to get him ready (for quarterback) because he’s a smart kid,” Nicholson said of Kelley Jr. “We just tried to simplify things for him and get an athlete back there and give him a chance with the ball in his hands.”
Mariner tacked on three more points before the half, as sure-footed senior kicker and defensive back Gabriel Chica drilled a 38-yard field goal with 8 seconds remaining.
“When that ‘mojo’ shifts, you’ve got to make plays to shift it back, and we didn’t do enough to shift it back and keep it,” Burnett said. “The plays were there. We had some key penalties. We just need to make sure we’re in-sync and doing the right things.”
The Tritons got the ball to start the second half and quickly coughed it back to the Gators as Anthony Harris picked off Cameron Bennett on the third play of the third quarter. Set up on the Tritons’ 22-yard line, Island Coast couldn’t get much going on the ground and decided to press forward on a fourth and two. The Gators tried somewhat of a trick play with Richardson rolling out to pass but the ball was intercepted by Mariner’s Clark Daley.
Backed up on their own 7-yard line, the Tritons gained just two yards before punting back to Island Coast. Starting on their opponent’s 37-yard line, the Gators took advantage of the superb field position and worked their way down to the 1. Anderson again put his head down and fell into the end zone for a score. A two-point try was unsuccessful resulting in the game being knotted 18-18.
“Him being here his first year, not having a summer, and having the book thrown at him, he’s just a resilient kid,” Burnett said of Anderson. “For me as a coach, seeing him be successful — I’m really excited to see him progress and play in the All-Star game.”
After both teams traded punts, Mariner took over on the Island Coast 30 and went to work. It was all junior running back McNathan Sainvil on this drive, as he accounted for all 30 yards (finishing with 58 total) and capped things off with a 16-yard touchdown run, refusing to go down along the way.
“Sainvil ran the hell out of the football,” Nicholson said. “That’s something that he’s been doing for two years in practice and we finally saw it in a game. So that’s huge.”
The score put Mariner up 25-18 with 34 seconds remaining and the defense did the rest. Mariner’s Kelley Jr. made an unreal one-handed interception on Gators’ ensuing possession, and Daley came up with his second of the game in the fourth quarter to seal the deal.
“We trust our defense. They’ve been doing it all year,” said Nicholson, noting they lose just one senior on the defensive side of the ball. “Obviously we could clean a few things up. As long as they continue to develop and work hard, we should be solid again next year.”
Burnett, in his first year at the helm of Island Coast, had an important message to an emotional senior class after the game.
“Just stay true to who you are,” he said. “The score doesn’t determine who you are or what you do. We just didn’t get it tonight and it sucks, but that’s football. They graduated the game of football and now they’re on to bigger and better things. As young men, things don’t always go your way — they’ve learned to be resilient and we’ll get back at it. I wouldn’t want to build any foundation here without these seniors.”
— Connect with Associate Sports Editor CJ Haddad on Twitter: @haddad_cj
1 2 3 4 F
Mariner 0 18 7 0 — 25
Island Coast 6 6 8 0 — 18
1st Quarter
IC: Jay Anderson, 3-yard run (kick fail); 11:24
2nd Quarter
IC: Danai’Drick Cook, 31-yard reception from Anderson (2-point pail); 9:08
M: Kaelan Davidson, 90-yard kickoff return (2-point good); 8:55
M: Marcus Kelley Jr., 10-yard run (Gabriel Chica kick); 5:39
M: Chica, 38-yard field goal; 0:08
3rd Quarter
IC: Anderson, 1-yard run (2-pt fail); 4:47
M: McNathan Sainvil, 16-yard run (Chica kick); 0:34