Mandarin Mustangs stomp to 30-0 shutout against Atlantic Coast in Principal's Cup victory

Sporadic chants of “overrated” rang out from the visiting student section during the Principal’s Cup showdown between Mandarin and Atlantic Coast. But in a battle of unbeaten teams, the Mustangs (4-0) raced the Stingrays, 30-0.

The two teams met on the soggy, rain-soaked field of The Corral, but from the opening whistle the horses flew out of the stable.

Josiah Watkins scooped the opening kickoff off the grass and sped his way to the end-zone, marking the first of several touchdowns on the night for Mandarin.

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The Mustangs’ defense held Atlantic Coast (3-1) in check for the duration of the contest, keeping pressure on quarterback Sean Speed and disrupting the offensive plan for the Stingrays’ offense.

And the result was Mandarin getting the “party started.”

“Last week we came out we came out kind of slow. They scored on the first drive,” junior safety Drake Stubbs said. “This week, it was like, we got to come out real hot. And we got to get the party started.”

Getting the party started: Defense leads the way in Mustangs’ district shutout

Mandarin hasn’t been shy about their goal this season — to win a state championship. They took another step towards that goal by securing the first district win of the year on Friday night.

“This is a game that defines you because it allows you to have a chance to get into the playoffs,” head coach Toby Bullock said after the victory. “If you're in the playoffs, that's when you make your legacy and that's what we're trying to do.”

The Mustangs have shown that they can outscore opponents offensively during the first month of the season. Friday night showed they have no issues stymying teams defensively, as well.

Whereas their first three wins were shootouts, they made sure to never leave hope for Atlantic Coast to get rolling in the rivalry game between the Gateway Conference schools.

“Our goal is to put zero points [on the board],” senior defensive back Jon Mitchell said. “Our goal is a shoutout for the defense and put points up for the offense.”

Quick thinking by FSU commit Tramell Jones sparks the play of the game

During the third quarter, Mandarin almost saw disaster. The wetness of the football made it difficult for quarterback Tramell Jones to catch a snap.

It instantly turned into a broken play as the timing of his handoff to the running back was thrown off and an Atlantic Coast defender pressured Jones.

But he spun out of the would be sack and originally intended to throw the ball out of bounds. That was before he noticed Jaime Ffrench about 20 yards downfield, uncovered.

Jones lobbed a pass to Ffrench who reeled in the catch and walked into the end zone.

“I was gonna spin and throw it out of bounds. I looked downfield, just saw [Ffrench], wide open,” Jones said after the game.

The play is one of the many signs of the connection between the junior pairing. Almost weekly, they have a highlight-like play leaving defenders in the rearview as they put points on the board.

According to Jones, it’s thanks to the strong defensive competition they have in practice.

“Hey, we make it easy in practice, it’s just like the game,” he said. “We go against the best DBs in practice. When we come into the game, we're not playing DBs like that.”

Outlook

Mandarin remains undefeated with the win. Through the first month of the season, they’ve kept their foot on the gas.

No matter the opponent, they’ve found the resolve to secure win after win. The secret is in the staff according to Bullock.

“My coaching staff is absolutely amazing,” he said when asked how the team has avoided any drop off from week to week. “I have the best staff I've ever been on as a coach. And that's no knock on any other staff I have been on, but they are phenomenal. They're just great men. We have great leaders.

“We're an older team — we went through a lot of bumps last year. Because of that, you know it's helped out and but it's all about the staff and the players and the relationships that they have and those relationships helped us get this win tonight.”

Now, they set their sights on a trip to St. Johns County to face Creekside. In last year’s contest, the Mustangs and Knights combined for 64-points in a wire-to-wire affair that the Mustangs lost.

But with their defense in sync like this, chances are it won’t be a repeat of the high scoring showcase from last year.

Still, Bullock and staff are sure to be prepared for next week’s matchup with an eye on continuing to roll on towards their ultimate goal.

“Our message this week will be simply: All three phases have to come to play,” Bullock said. “Coach [Sean] McIntyre and his staff are phenomenal “They put a product on the field that's great every week and we ‘ve got to make it happen.”

Atlantic Coast crosses the border to face Camden (Ga.) on the road next week.

Mandarin will travel to face Creekside.

Juston Lewis is a sports reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on the website formerly known as Twitter at @JustonLewis_.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: High school football recap: Mandarin defeats Atlantic Coast