'That's what you dream about': Creekside edges Fleming Island in football thriller

When the clock showed 1:50 to go, Sean Ashenfelder and Creekside were without the football, without the lead and seemingly without hope.

What happened? The latest in a line of great escapes from a Knights team that refuses to go down easily.

"As soon as we got that ball back," the junior quarterback said, "we just had to flip that switch."

Luke Millinor forced a fumble to deny Fleming Island's bid to drain the clock and breathed new life into Creekside for a 49-48 high school football battle that was part tug of war, part heavyweight slugfest, part tightrope act and a 100 percent thriller at the Castle.

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In a game of more than a half-dozen lead changes and a whole reel of highlights from Fleming Island quarterback Cibastian Broughton, Creekside seized the lead for good on Sean Ashenfelder's 19-yard pass to Eros Taufer with 50 seconds to go and couldn't breathe a sigh of relief until Parker Sirdevan's 50-yard field goal missed at the buzzer.

Chalk it up to some expected Knights in shining armor, and a surprising one in junior linebacker Millinor.

"He's kind of clawed his way up the depth chart," Knights coach Sean McIntyre said. "He's resilient, and I'm proud of him."

Creekside's comeback never would have started without Millinor's hit on Fleming Island's Tyler Beverly with 1:53 to go, forcing a turnover just when the Golden Eagles (2-6, 0-3 District 3-4S) looked set to run down the clock and end a six-game skid.

"Man, you live for times like that, getting the ball with seconds left and down with a chance to go score," Ashenfelder said. "That's just like what you dream about."

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A FINISH TO REMEMBER

Even by the standards of McIntyre's seven-year Knights tenure, Friday's finish was one to remember.

"It creeps up there into that top echelon," the Creekside coach said.

Creekside led 42-28 on Ashenfelder's 2-yard run with 10:57 to play when the Golden Eagles fought back for three touchdowns in four and a half minutes, all of them created by quarterback Broughton. The last one, a 75-yard touchdown to Demhir Jackson followed by an extra point miscue, pushed Fleming Island in front 48-42 with 3:16 to play.

The Knights drove inside the 20, but Fleming Island safety Tacori Allen intercepted Ashenfelder for the Golden Eagles' third second-half takeaway with 1:53 left. End of the drama? Far from it.

On the next snap, Broughton handed to Beverly, but Millinor knifed through the gap and stripped the ball away for Creekside to recover.

"I just saw the hole open up in the middle, and I was waiting for it," the linebacker said.

From there, three Nate Black runs set up Ashenfelder's strike to a lunging Taufer on the slant, followed by Cooper Maurer's go-ahead extra point. Kaylib Singleton nearly broke the ensuing kick return and Broughton led Fleming Island as far as the 25, but three Knights combined on a sack and the last-ditch field goal failed.

CIBASTIAN BROUGHTON LEADS FLEMING ISLAND CHARGE

Creekside would have wrapped up victory early if not for the highlights from the elusive Broughton, who kept the Golden Eagles clawing back again and again.

Fleming Island's junior quarterback passed for five touchdowns and rushed for two, completing 18 of 28 passes for 214 yards and rushing 22 times for 162 yards -- including an all-out 75-yard sprint to the end zone.

"He's about as special as they come," Fleming Island coach Chad Parker said. "The only high school athlete I've seen that compares to him that I've coached is [former Bartram Trail QB] Joey Gatewood. They're very similar where they can improvise and make guys miss."

Broughton found Devaen Boykin with three of his touchdown passes, including a 16-yarder to the corner of the end zone that ended in an acrobatic reception. With another season still ahead, Broughton again showed that Fleming Island -- besides being one of the most dangerous 2-6 teams anywhere -- remains a team to watch for 2024.

"He's the most dynamic kid we've seen all season," McIntyre said. "We knew that coming into the game and he proved that tonight with how difficult he was to tackle."

NEW RHYTHM FOR CREEKSIDE OFFENSE

To keep pace with Broughton's highlights, Creekside had to match the Golden Eagles possession for possession. Both offenses shifted into overdrive after halftime with 69 combined points.

"We knew their offense was explosive and they were going to present problems," Parker said. "We were going back and forth, back and forth."

Creekside junior receiver Kaleb Taylor-Burch (10 catches, 237 yards) came through with a career night, including touchdown catches of 49 and 45 yards on quick throws, while Ashenfelder completed 16 of 26 for 296 yards and three scores.

Running back Harrison Garrido also racked up 171 yards on 26 carries before exiting the game with an apparent injury in the fourth quarter.

What a difference two minutes can make for Creekside: The Knights (4-4, 2-2) are still alive and kicking in the Florida High School Athletic Association playoff chase, with games against Atlantic Coast and Ponte Vedra still to come.

"Just keep building, keep climbing," McIntyre said, "and keep our hopes alive."

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Fleming Island Golden Eagles-Creekside Knights high school football