Ponte Vedra overcomes mud, Flagler Palm Coast in District 4-4S high school football win

PALM COAST — On a rainy and breezy night in Flagler County, the Ponte Vedra players with the muddiest jerseys also wore the biggest smiles as the Sharks rolled to a 31-0 victory at Palm Coast in the Class 4S-District 4 high school football opener for both schools.

Senior quarterback Ben Burk was one of those with brown mud caked over his white and light blue uniform in a game played on a field saturated by recent rain. He totaled 226 yards rushing and passing, threw a touchdown pass to tight end Landon Okla and sprinted up the middle for another from 51 yards. His backfield mate, junior tailback Brian Case, finished with 114 yards rushing and two touchdowns on a evening where the Sharks (1-0 in 4S-4 and 4-1 overall) rushed for 258 yards and won their fourth consecutive game after a season-opening loss to Bartram Trail. Case has scored six rushing touchdowns in the last two weeks.

“Our team just loves to play ball,” Burk said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s rain or shine, It could even be a game on the beach, Coach (Steve) Price said. We come out and show effort and energy.”

Ponte Vedra set the tone in the first half by scoring on  its first two possessions and limiting Palm Coast (0-1 and 2-3) to 19 yards rushing in the first half. Ponte Vedra led 21-0 at the break and lost a fumble on another possession inside the Bulldogs’ 10.

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The conditions would seemingly give some favor to Palm Coast, which normally features the running of workhorse junior back Marcus Mitchell, a 1,000-yard rusher last season and with 671 thus far this season. But the 5-foot-9, 225-pounder was suffering from a hamstring injury after toting the ball an average of 25 times in each of the first four games and didn’t dress. Also, two front-line defenders didn’t play either, turning the rushing advantage to Ponte Vedra, which is led by Michigan commitment Jake Guarnera at center.

“They came out with a lot of intensity, energy and focus,” first-year Palm Coast coach Daniel Fish said. “And we came out a little dead, didn’t have the necessary energy and weren’t locked in. They took advantage of that and really took it to us.”

Mitchell’s status is undetermined as the Bulldogs travel to Eau Gallie in Melbourne next week. Ponte Vedra returns home to face Bishop Kenny next Friday.

Added team in 4S-District 4

Last season, Class 4S-District 4 consisted of just three teams – Nease, Palm Coast and Ponte Vedra – so one loss was difficult to overcome and one win put a team on the verge of postseason qualification. Despite forfeiting four non-district games last season, Palm Coast beat Ponte Vedra and Nease in the district to qualify for the 4S playoffs where it fell at Bartram Trail, 50-20, in the first round.

In late June, the Florida High School Athletic Association announced that Tocoi Creek was reclassified from 2S to 4S for this fall because the third-year school’s enrollment nearly doubled, to more than 2,000 students.

The Toros, located on International Golf Parkway in St. Johns County, will play all of their 4S-4 games this season on the road because of the late change. Nease, Palm Coast and Ponte Vedra all have two home game and one road game in district play this season.

The remaining schedule in 4S-District 4 this season – Oct. 13: Tocoi Creek at Ponte Vedra, Palm Coast at Nease; Oct. 27: Tocoi Creek at Palm Coast, Nease at Ponte Vedra; Nov. 3: Tocoi Creek at Nease.

Big guys rule

Skill position players normally receive the brunt of the attention during football games. But Friday’s Ponte Vedra-Palm Coast game featured linemen in the spotlight.

Ponte Vedra senior Jake Guarnera, a 6-4, 285-pound center, is committed to Michigan. He moved inside from tackle for his senior season because that’s where he will likely play at the outset of his career in Ann Arbor. Entering Friday’s Palm Coast game, Guarnera had registered 14 pancake blocks.

On Friday, he was opposite Colby Cronk, a 6-3, 250-pound junior defensive end who has numerous Division I programs interested. Cronk totaled 12 tackles for loss and seven sacks entering the Ponte Vedra game. He doubles up on offense in the Bulldogs’ goal-line “Elephant” package – alongside 6-foot,  285-pound Tra’vell Adams and 6-1, 220-pound Ethan Laupepa – with three touchdowns in the first four games of the season.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: High school football 2023: Ponte Vedra Sharks-Flagler Palm Coast