3 takeaways: University blocks potential winning field goal to beat FPC in thriller

ORANGE CITY — Down 28-21 with 3:36 left in the fourth quarter, Justin Roberts told his University Titans one thing.

“Let’s go win the game!” the coach yelled as their offense ran onto the field.

He thought a touchdown and two-point conversion, which the Titans ended up getting, would accomplish just that on their home field Thursday. But it turns out they needed a little more to beat Flagler Palm Coast.

After the Bulldogs drove down the field in the final minute and a half, University senior Carlito Betancourt blocked a potential go-ahead, 30-yard field goal with 20 seconds left. That solidified Roberts’ edict, closing a 29-28 victory to boost the Titans to 5-0.

“I had a peace about it the whole time because I knew we worked as hard as we could,” Roberts said. “Our kids were committed. You have to give a lot of credit to Flagler. Coach (Daniel) Fish and (offensive coordinator Jake) Medlock are Valdosta State guys. They were there a little bit after me, so I know what they’re made of. They’re awesome coaches, and they gave us all we could ask for tonight. We’re fortunate to come out.”

University trailed by 15 points with less than 11 minutes left.

After Flagler Palm Coast junior Marcus Mitchell scored the game’s opening points with a 2-yard plunge, University built a 13-7 lead with a 21-yard touchdown run by junior Jermane Hayes and a 21-yard scoring toss from junior quarterback Malachi Walters to junior Isaiah Baker.

The Bulldogs inched ahead 14-13 on a 10-yard connection from senior Caden Gonzalez to junior Bryce Cox in the final minute of the first half. They took that advantage into intermission.

Flagler Palm Coast (2-2) recorded the next two touchdowns, starting as Gonzalez lofted an 18-yard rainbow to junior Mikhail Zysek who brought it in along the right sideline in the end zone in the third quarter. With 10:46 remaining in the fourth, Zysek did more damage, catching a short pass, slipping a tackle and racing 85 yards to the house.

Behind 28-13, the Titans kept themselves alive on their next drive. Junior Beechie Morris rumbled 17 yards to paydirt, and they got the two-point conversion to make it a one-score margin.

After a defensive stop in its own territory, University took the ball back with 3:36 left. Roberts shouted his instructions.

The Titans drove 88 yards. A 48-yard strike from Walters to sophomore Barrett Schulz put them in the end zone. Instead of settling for an extra point and a tie, they went for two and succeeded on a dump-off pass to junior Anthony May to grab their first lead since the second quarter.

Then came Flagler Palm Coast’s almost game-winning drive and Betancourt’s heroics.

“I’m proud of our kids,” Fish said. “They fought all the way up until the end. Unfortunately, (the Titans) just made a few more plays than we did in the fourth quarter. Hats off to them and coach Roberts. They have a great football team. They outplayed us in the fourth quarter, unfortunately, but I’m very proud of our guys and how they fought.”

Here are three takeaways:

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University erases fourth-quarter deficit

Two clutch drives, one big defensive stop and one special teams triumph. That’s the summary of the fourth quarter for the Titans after the 10:46 mark.

But at that point, things looked bleak. They had just surrendered a long catch-and-run that grew the Bulldogs’ advantage to 28-13, and they hadn’t scored since early in the second quarter.

“Panicking is not going to get you anywhere,” Walters said. “I just told the boys to stay calm in the huddle. ‘We’ve got this. Keep pushing. Don’t get tired.’ And things like that.”

They accepted his encouragement.

First, University marched 60 yards in 3:57 to make it 28-21 with Morris’ run. Then, it halted a Flagler Palm Coast drive after the Bulldogs had driven to the 38-yard line, forcing a punt.

After getting the ball back, Roberts immediately planned to score and go for two — for the win.

“100%,” he said before citing FPC’s Mitchell as his main reason. “If you go to overtime, I believe it starts at the 10-yard line in high school. Their No. 4, Mitchell, is such an unbelievable talent. We’re tackling him a yard into the backfield, and he’s getting six yards.”

Schulz caught the 48-yarder from Walters to set up that do-or-die two-point attempt. Walters hit May underneath to convert it.

“I knew the flat was going to be open,” Walters said. “I saw the linebacker creeping … It was designed for anybody. (May) was the second option, and I got it to him.”

Caden Gonzalez adds three touchdowns to season total

The Bulldogs entered Thursday with nine rushing touchdowns and only one passing touchdown this season.

Mitchell rushed for the first score of the night, and Flagler Palm Coast moved the ball effectively on the ground. But its final three trips to the end zone came via Gonzalez’s right arm.

He hurled touchdowns to Cox, Neal and Zysek, all coming from 10 or more yards out. He hurled one in the second, one in the third and one in the fourth without turning the ball over.

“I thought he did an outstanding job, man,” Fish said. “We knew coming into the game — and coming into all our games — that they were going to stack the box and try to stop Marcus Mitchell. He’s a monster … No one is going to completely shut Marcus down. Marcus had a lot of good runs, a lot of good plays. But if it weren’t for Caden, we never would’ve even been in the game.”

Roberts admitted to that stop-Mitchell strategy afterward.

“(Gonzalez) is young,” Roberts said. “We wanted to make him beat us passing the ball, and he almost did.”

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Carlito Betancourt makes the play of the game

Not just one.

Betancourt got both hands on the ball, he emphasized with excitement after blocking the potential game-winning kick.

When the Bulldogs positioned themselves for the boot, Roberts asked for a timeout. The Titans then called a play for Betancourt. He lined up on the right side of the defensive formation at the line of scrimmage.

“I took a little (hesitation), ran up and just jumped as high as I can with both hands,” Betancourt said. “Boom! Hacked it.”

University practices that situation — defending field goals and extra points at full speed — every Tuesday, Roberts said.

“I felt really accomplished doing that because I really did my part to seal the win,” Betancourt said. “It just feels good. Just like all my brothers did. They had my back, and I had theirs.”

Next up

Both teams kick off their district schedules at 7 p.m. next Friday. Flagler Palm Coast hosts Ponte Vedra, and University travels to New Smyrna Beach.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: High school football: University blocks kick to beat FPC in thriller