Raines holds off Atlantic Coast, moves on to District 2M-1 showdown versus Jackson

Raines kept its win streak rolling to five games, defeating Atlantic Coast (3-5, 1-1 District 1-4M) 29-22 at The Graveyard on Friday night.

The game was the typical trap game for the Vikings (7-1, 1-0 District 1-2M) and they almost got caught, allowing the Stingrays to walk down a 21 point advantage and being on the wrong side of six turnovers.

It was an “uncharacteristic” night in the words of Raines head coach Donovan Maseline, but thanks to late game heroics from Nicholas Kilpatrick, the Vikings are set for a big time district showdown with Jackson next week.

Kilpatrick returns late kickoff to setup game-winning touchdown

Atlantic Coast scored the go-ahead touchdown and two-point conversion with less than three minutes remaining in the game. For a moment, it seemed like they’d pull off an upset against Raines and blemish the undefeated record against Jacksonville opponents this season.

But an excessive celebration penalty moved the ball back on the ensuing kickoff, and a smart change made by the Vikings coaching staff put the ball in their playmaker’s hands.

Kilpatrick was deployed on the left side of the field—the side where Atlantic Coast kicked to for most of the night. He reeled in the football and evaded defenders, using his track speed to find an opening and accelerate through it.

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He danced his way inside the 10-yard line before he was finally brought down and Mark Miller walked in an easy touchdown to retake the lead.

“He just has that mindset, man, ‘I gotta make a play for my team,’”Maseline said after the game about the senior defensive back. “And he did that.”

Kilpatrick intercepted a pass earlier in the night for the Vikings. It was part of the trend of Raines’ defense being unbreakable for most of the contest.

Raines coughed the ball up six times, giving opportunities to the Stingrays time and time again. And time and time again, the defense went out and forced stops.

If not for Kilpatrick, the Vikings might’ve taken a loss at the Graveyard, something that does not happen often.

“This is definitely not what we anticipated coming out for the second half,” Maseline said.  “But you know, we'll correct the mistakes and get better and get ready for a district matchup next week.”

Stingrays rally, show heart in tough loss

Atlantic Coast was 21 points down at the half. They were without key pieces on both sides of the ball and had a freshman quarterback running the show.

But they hung tough and gave Raines all it could handle on Friday night.

With seniors Sean Speed, Camden Hardy and Carter Ladd not playing, the Stingrays faced struggles throughout the contest.

The swarming and suffocating defensive style that Raines plays makes it difficult for offenses to operate as normal. But when the game was on the line, they delivered.

The Stingrays moved the ball down the field, scoring a late touchdown and dialing up a trick play to score the go-ahead points. But because of the excessive celebration from their sideline after the score, Raines was given one last shot.

And with a team like the Vikings, it’s the chance they needed to put the game away.

Outlook

Main Street will see a big-time bout next week. Raines will try to avenge the loss to the Jackson from last season, a loss that’s still sitting with the Vikings’ coaching staff.

“We had this game circled since we lost,” Maseline said when asked about the motivation heading into this week. The Tigers beat Raines on its own turf last season to claim the 2M-1 district crown.

With their district win against Ribault, and a region win against Riverside, Raines could secure standing as a top seed in the 2M playoffs with a win next week. But they aren’t getting too far ahead of themselves, just yet.

“It's gonna be a great game,” Maseline said. “Great game, great atmosphere. We're just excited for the opportunity.”

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: Jacksonville High School Football: Raines downs Atlantic Coast