Preseason Football roundup: Pace takes down Catholic in lower-scoring, defensive battle

A roundup of preseason high school football games involving Pensacola-area teams from Thursday, Aug. 17, and Friday, Aug. 18.

Friday

Pace 7, Pensacola Catholic 0

Defenses reigned supreme in the Pace-Pensacola Catholic Kickoff Classic, but it was the Patriots who were able to sneak out a narrow 7-0 victory.

Nick Simmons scored from about one yard out, Pace head coach Kent Smith said, after completing a pass to the three-yard line to get within striking distance. Smith noted that Xakery Wiedner also scored in the contest before the touchdown was called back due to a holding call. "That was pretty much it for offense," Smith said.

Pace's defense recorded two interceptions, with Carson Lowe and Wiedner both making picks. Jaquavian Moore caused a fumble, but in the phone conversation with Smith after the game, he noted he couldn't remember who recovered the fumble.

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The Patriots' defense rotated a lot of players during the game, Smith added, but overall "the defense had a really good night."

"We have some really good players, and got some pressure on the quarterback. We were able to stop the run when (Pensacola Catholic) did run," Smith said. "They just did an all-around good job.”

Pensacola Catholic head coach Matt Adams said his team's defensive unit "flew around well" to prevent Pace from capitalizing after turnovers, but it was on the offensive side of the ball where the Crusaders "just couldn't get it going."

"(We) shot ourselves in the foot a lot whether it was penalties or not being in the right spots," Adams said. "I didn’t think we had a good week of practice this week, and it showed. We were sloppy and had a lot of penalties."

Smith mentioned the Patriots had a tough night with redzone offense after Pace didn't convert when it was inside the 25-yard line a couple times.

Pensacola Catholic travels to Navarre on Friday at 7:30 p.m., while Pace hosts Choctaw on Friday, also at 7:30 p.m., to begin the teams' regular seasons.

"We’ve got to get better on offense in a hurry," Smith said. "We knew we’d struggle a little bit up front, starting four new guys on the offensive line. So we’ve got to get better in a hurry.”

— Ben Grieco

Choctaw 33, Gulf Breeze 28

Lining up against one of the best running backs in the country is not small task, but Dolphins head coach Jeff Gierke was content with how well his defense played against Cole Tabb during his team's Kickoff Classic at Joe Etheredge Stadium.

The Indians senior tail back did squirt away for a score of 40-plus yards, but Gulf Breeze held him in check for most of the night.

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"We're better on defense against the run than what I thought we'd be," Gierke said. "We had a couple of guys out, but we still held one of the best backs in the area to one long run. It was a touchdown, and he's going to get some yards, but other than that, I thought we contained him pretty well."

While run defense was Gierke's biggest takeaway, the complementary words can't be said for a secondary. The Dolphins allowed a number of third-down conversions and three touchdowns through the air.

"Defensively, I thought we'd be really good against the pass and struggle against the run, but it was actually the opposite."

Injuries forced two starters from the offensive line to not play. And while it allowed multiple sacks, Gulf Breeze showcased its big-play ability.

Jake Hooten and Bryson Rouillier each hauled in 60-plus yard scoring passes from senior quarterback Battle Alberson. Later, following a poor Choctaw punt, Jake Frazetta entered the end zone on a short plunge.

Lastly, an interception from Zeke Burgess set the visitors' final score: a 45-yard touchdown reception from Evan Hernandez.

"They brought some pressure, we gave up quite a few sacks and we didn't really run the ball very well, but we kind of expected that without having a full-strength offensive line," Gierke said. "We were able to throw it, so that part I knew we'd be good at. But we have to get better at blocking for the quarterback and be able to run the ball to keep people honest better than we did tonight."

Gulf Breeze plays at 7 p.m. Friday at Crestview to open the regular season.

— Patrick Bernadeau

Northview 7, Baker 3

Wyatt Scruggs scored night's only varsity touchdown as the Chiefs earned the win from Tommy Weaver Memorial Football Stadium.

The senior wide receiver was on the other end of a Matt McDonald pass for a 45-yard touchdown.

Varsity players were only on the field for one quarter.

Offensively, Northview head coach Wes Summerford noted the play of senior running back Devin Kelly as a highlight of the night.

"He showed his physical side tonight," he said. "That is something that's hard to see in practice when you are going against the scout team. I knew he had the speed, but he also showed a physical side that I didn't know was there. So that was really good to see out of Devin Kelly tonight."

While critical of missed tackles, Summerford was pleased with his defense and its pursuit of the ball.

Overall, aside from a slow start, it was a good night on the field.

"I like our energy, I just think we got to click more out of the gate," Summerford said. "We took a minute or two to get in sync, but nothing we can't fix this week coming up."

The Chiefs open the regular season at 7 p.m. Friday at Flomaton (Ala.).

— Patrick Bernadeau

Jay 0, Lighthouse Private Christian Academy 0

Freeport 14, Jay 0

Yellow flags, turnovers and wayward play marred the Royals' jamboree against the Bulldogs and Stingrays against in Gulf Breeze.

Freeport and Lighthouse started the night before Jay faced the two teams to end the night.

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"I think we got a lot of work to do," Royals head coach Brian Watson said. "We played very undisciplined with way too many penalties. I think the excitement of wanting to hit somebody else got the best of us."

The Royals moved the ball, but because of the penalties, they weren't able to sustain drives. Additionally, snaps were limited due to a running clock.

Jay goes back to the drawing board this week before hosting its regular-season opener at 7 p.m. against Vernon.

"We just have to worry about Jay and what we can control. We have to clean up our alignments and clean up our penalties," Watson said.

Thursday

Escambia vs. Crestview (no score kept)

Escambia head coach Mike Bennett said the Gators had a good night defensively, highlighting his defensive line with Ryan McVay, D.K. Hines, Messiah Everheart and Lillas Legree. Those players allowed Escambia's linebackers – namely Lejon Williams and Jonta Desota –" a chance to run free and make plays."

Even though a score wasn't kept in the preseason game between Escambia and Crestview, the Gators allowed just one touchdown all game – at the very end of the contest.

"Our defense has pushed really hard," Bennett said. "I was pleased."

Offensively, Bennett said it was just "little mistakes."

"It wasn’t anything major that we can’t work on. Just some missed assignments and missing throws. ... Nothing we can’t correct," Bennett said. "We’ll try to fix the mistakes that we made, and make sure we know what we’re doing."

Escambia begins its regular season with a home game against West Florida on Thursday at 7 p.m.

— Ben Grieco

Ben Grieco is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached on Twitter (@BenGriecoSports) and via email at BGrieco@gannett.com.

Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached at (772) 985-9692, on Twitter @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Kickoff Classics: Preseason Football results from Pensacola-Area games