Bishop Verot head coach Richie Rode talks to his team after their regional championship win Friday night. CJ HADDAD

For the first time in 28 years, the Bishop Verot Vikings football team are regional champions and will play in the state final four. 

The Vikings (10-2) were victorious Friday night in the FHSAA 2S Region 4 Championship, coming away with a 39-21 win over Frostproof (10-3). 

It was an all-around performance from Verot, as all three phases of the game contributed to the milestone win not experienced since 1994.

“It feels incredible,” said Viking head coach Richie Rode. “Any time you get a chance to play for a regional title and host it — I’ve coached in a few of these as an assistant coach and never come out on this side of it. I know our county hasn’t won too many of these. So, just incredible. So happy for these guys — these seniors. They put so much work in behind the scenes that people don’t see. For them to get to experience this pure joy is what it’s about.”

A talented Frostproof Bulldog team, 80 miles northeast of Fort Myers, pulled out to an early lead, going 80 yards in six plays finished off by an Eddie Gammage 6-yard run. 

The Vikings needed just one play to even the score, as Rode and offensive coordinator Josh Nicholson had decided to run a trick play on their first snap on offense. From their own 49-yard line, quarterback Carter Smith dropped back and hit a wide out on a short pass, who then lateraled to running back Deshon Jenkins. The hook-and-ladder worked to perfection, as the freshman back took it 45 yards to the house. 

The Viking defense forced Frostproof to punt and got three points from great field position, as steady senior kicker Deaglan Camron knocked home a 20-yard field goal. 

The Bulldogs then put together their best drive of the game, picking up small to medium chunks of yardage and worked down to Verot’s 2-yard line. Frostproof’s Isaiah Sheppard battled his way into the end zone on the 18th play of the drive to put the road team up 14-10 with just over six minutes until half. 

The Vikings settled for another Camron field goal on the ensuing drive, this one from 26 yards out to cut the deficit to 14-13. 

Special teams continued to shine for Verot just a minute and a half later, when a Frostproof punt saw the snap sail over kicker Andrew Garcia’s head and into the Bulldog end zone. Garcia wisely kicked the ball out of the boundary for a safety before Viking defenders could fall on it for six. 

The safety gave Verot a 15-14 lead, and they padded it right away. Getting the ball back on the Frostproof 45, Smith hit wide receiver Tookie Watts in the flat. Showing his evasiveness, the junior weaved his way through Bulldog tacklers, looped around secondary defenders, and crossed the goal line with 1:45 to play before the break. 

Frostproof nearly found points as the final seconds of the second quarter ticked away, but Viking sophomore Jake Rodriguez intercepted Nathan Jenkins in the end zone to preserve the 22-14 lead. 

Neither team could conjure scoring drives to start the half, though the second time was the charm for the Vikings. Starting on their own 33, Smith found Watts and tight end Timmy Lawson for big gains and finished the drive off with his legs, diving across the goal line from 4 yards out. 

Verot’s defense stood tall in the final two quarters, with the first-team defense pitching a second-half shutout and forcing two fumbles. Frostproof’s final touchdown came in the final minute with the second-team defense on the field. 

“We have faith in our defense,” Rode said. “They’re a relentless group that just continues to put in effort. We proved we’re a complete team. And we played good defense when it mattered.”

Camron drilled his third field goal of the night early in the fourth quarter from 39 yards out, pushing the Viking lead to 32-14. Jenkins found the end zone again on a 24-yard run with 6:31 to play to seal the deal. 

Jenkins, who already has great size, 210 pounds, at the age of 14, rushed for 149 yards on 14 carries with two scores. 

“I try not to think too much, just on the task at hand,” Jenkins said. “It’s been really great in this offense. I have a great offensive line, my quarterback can put the ball anywhere on the field, and I get the ball and just go.”

Of Jenkins, Rode said, “He’s going to be the most sought-after running back. He’s the next big thing. He’s a young kid that takes in coaching and just works and works. He’s gotten so much better. We feel comfortable leaning on him. He’s as good as it gets.”

Rode said it means a little more this year due to the circumstances caused by Hurricane Ian. 

“Anytime you go through something like that — and think about this senior class alone. With COVID and the hurricane and all these different things that they’ve been through their entire career, their stick-to-it-ive-ness and their discipline to just continue to work together and be able to galvanize the way they did — I don’t know if I’ve ever been around a closer group of guys. They play for each other and love each other, and you can tell on the field.”

The guys love each other so much they decided to dye their hair blonde (including coach Rode) before the regional final game. Senior leader of the defense, Riley Bowe, said the hair change was talked about at the beginning of the year as something they would do should they make it this far. 

“This bonding on this team is something else,” Bowe said. “We wanted to take it the next step with everyone going blonde — just something special.”

When asked if he thought the hair helped the win, Bowe said, “Definitely did.”

With a re-seeding of final four participants, Verot will travel to Tallahassee on Friday to take on Florida State University High School (13-0) at 7:30 p.m. 

“We’ve got to have faith in what we do and trust our training,” Rode said of preparation this week. “We’ll go up there and give them our best shot, that’s for sure.”

–Connect with Associate Sports Editor CJ Haddad on Twitter: @haddad_cj

1 2 3 4 F

Frostproof 7 7 0 7 21

Bishop Verot 10 12 7 10 39

1st Quarter

F- Eddie Gammage 6-yard rush (Andrew Garcia kick); 8:18

BV- Deshon Jenkins 45-yard rush (Deaglan Camron kick); 8:03

BV- Camron 20-yard field goal; 4:19

2nd Quarter

F- Isaiah Sheppard 2-yard rush (Garcia kick); 6:22

BV- Camron 26-yard field goal; 3:32

BV- Safety; 2:02

BV- Tookie Watts 45-yard reception from Carter Smith (Camron kick); 1:45

3rd Quarter

BV- Smith 4-yard run (Camron kick); 4:44

4th Quarter

BV- Camron 39-yard field goal; 10:31

BV- Jenkins 24-yard run (Camron kick); 6:31

F- 44-yard passing touchdown from Nathan Jenkins (Garcia kick); 1:00