Week 5 football roundup: Booker rallies, Venice, Bayshore dominate, Manatee still undefeated
Results and analysis from Weeks 5 of Sarasota-Manatee area high school football games from Friday, Sept. 22.
Booker 24, Braden River 20
SARASOTA — Jordan Johnson came off the bench to throw two fourth-quarter touchdowns to lead Booker to a come-from-behind 24-20 victory over visiting Braden River on Friday night at Tornado Alley.
Taking over for struggling starter Alex Diaz, and with the Tornadoes trailing 20-10, Johnson connected with wide receiver Joshua Burrows on a 6-yard touchdown with eight minutes, 54 seconds left, pulling Booker to within 20-14 with the Oswaldo Mendoza-Munoz PAT.
Then, after Braden River went three-and-out on its next possession, Booker took over with 6:15 left. The Tornadoes moved to the Pirate 40, and faced with a fourth-and-5, and still with three timeouts left, head coach Scottie Littles opted to go for it.
Week 4 team rankings: Who's atop the Herald-Tribune high school football rankings after Week 4?
Weekly results: 2023 weekly high school football schedules and scores for Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties
Johnson bought time by rolling out of the pocket, then spotted Burrows down the sideline. The 40-yard pass-and-catch for the score put Booker up 24-20 with four minutes left. The Pirates took over and moved inside the Booker 25. But three catchable passes thrown by quarterback Lucas Despot went awry, resulting in Booker taking over possession and running out the clock.
Johnson finished 3-of-4 for 54 yards in his quarter of action. Booker took a 10-0 lead on a field goal and 30-yard TD pass from Diaz to Josiah Booker. But the Pirates fought back, getting a 33-yard field goal from Bruno Reus, an 83-yard TD pass from Despot to Isaac Heaven, and a 4-yard score from Despot to Yahshua Edwards.
Despot finished 13-of-33 for 193 yards and the two TDs. The Pirates weren’t effective in the first half running the football, but had success in the second. Edwards finished with 104 yards rushing after having just six in the first half.
Booker takeaways
1. Booker head coach Scottie Littles was happy with the win, and perhaps even more happy that back-up QB Jordan Johnson was the primary reason for it. The senior came on in relief of starter Alex Diaz and threw two fourth-quarter scores. “We’ve been kind of doing that all year,” Littles said. “Whenever I feel like we’re flat a little bit, Jordan goes in and provides a little bit of a spark. I got to give him credit. He worked his tail off this offseason to put himself in this position. His number was called, and, man, did he deliver. Super proud of him and super proud of his growth.” But Littles was non-committal on whether Johnson would start next week against Bayshore. “No comment,” he said. “We’re going to have to watch the tape, and you never make those decisions with a blind eye.”
2. When the Tornadoes got down 20-10, it appeared as though the fight had left Booker. But it hadn’t, and Littles will take that as a step forward for his team. “Maybe for a minute (the players were down), but it was an opportunity presented to us to fight adversity. It was an opportunity for us to rally and see what we could do. If we didn’t answer the bell, we knew what the results were going to be. So the kids answered the bell, and I’m super proud of them.”
3. When top running back Ahmad “Tooda” Hunter left the game with an ankle injury in the first period, Littles turned to Rashawn Peterson, normally a wide receiver, and the junior with multiple Division I offers responded 104 yards rushing. “He was running the ball hard,” Littles said. “I told our kids, ‘tonight is about moving our program forward.' We can compete with bigger schools in our area and be competitive.”
4. Littles also was happy with the job turned in by kicker Oswaldo Mendoza-Munoz, who kicked a 30-yard field goal, was good on all his PATs, and had distance on all his kickoffs. “I love our kicker, and I’m going to say his name wrong,” Littles said. Booker was looking for a kicker before the season, and the Tornado soccer player answered the call. “Early in the year, he struggled,” Littles said. “All his life he’s been kicking the ball into the net. We had to teach him how to kick it over the bar."
Braden River takeaways
1. The Pirates had fewer than 20 rushing yards at halftime. But they finished with more than 100. Head coach Curt Bradley said it wasn’t a matter of any adjustments. “We left it to the kids at halftime to figure out what is their motivation that’s going to get them to play hard,” Bradley said, “and at the end of the day, they have to make that decision. And I’ve got to do a better job of pushing the right buttons to get these guys going. We could play harder, and we need to.”
2. Bradley was angry with his team afterward, the reason being the Pirates seemingly had control of the game, leading 20-10 at the start of the fourth period. But just as Booker's insertion of Jordan Johnson at quarterback sparked the Tornadoes' offense, it seemed to flummox the Pirate defense. On both of Johnson's fourth-quarter TD passes, the Braden River defensive backs responsible for coverage were looking into the backfield at Johnson, rather than his wide-open receivers. And on the Pirates' final drive, which moved inside the Booker 25, Pirate receivers appeared to short-arm at least two catchable throws from quarterback Lucas Depot. Hence, Bradley's complaint his players didn't put forth enough effort.
— Doug Fernandes
Bradenton Christian 14, Saint Stephen's 7
BRADENTON — The Bradenton Christian School and Saint Stephen’s Episcopal football teams renewed their rivalry for the first time since 2019 and they made it easy for the scoreboard operator.
In a defensive struggle, the Panthers came away with a 14-7 victory over the Falcons on Friday night at McClure Stadium at Dan van der Kooy Field.
Bradenton Christian (3-1) returns to action 7:30 p.m. Thursday at home against Oasis High out of Cape Coral.
After having its two-game winning streak snapped, Saint Stephen’s (3-2) will be home at 7 p.m. Friday against Canterbury out of Fort Myers.
Saint Stephen’s takeaways
1. The Falcons, who ran 36 offensive plays to 13 for Bradenton Christian in the first half, scored on their 73rd and final offensive play. Quarterback Evan Brown (32 carries, 167 yards; 7-for-21 passing for 68 yards) scrambled for a 6-yard touchdown with 1 minute, 35 seconds left in regulation. Gavin Winterhalter’s PAT kick sliced Saint Stephen’s deficit in half at 14-7. “Out of sync,” Falcons coach A.J. Brown said after getting 71 rushing yards from Cameron Brewer and 46 receiving yards from James Haley. “I can’t tell you, but we’ll watch film and get it fixed. We just didn’t play well.”
2. The Falcons’ defense turned in a solid performance, limiting Bradenton Christian to 107 total yards, 60 on one play. Junior defensive tackle Jermey Stroh had two tackles for a loss. Cornerback Caleb Bosek, defensive end Jacob Sclulow, strong safety Brewer and middle linebacker Ivan Tulupov all had one tackle for a loss. Saint Stephen’s failed to record a turnover. “They played well,” Brown said of his defensive unit. “The defense did great. We had a lot of three-and-outs, made them punt quite a bit, gave up one big play.”
3. Brown got the most out of the 20 players he dressed for the game. “I’m not worried about this game. Hats off to them: They played a good game,” Brown said of Bradenton Christian. “It just didn’t go our way tonight. We didn’t do enough to win the game. We’ve just got to get back on the same page. We were a little out of sync tonight.”
Bradenton Christian takeaways
1. The defense and special teams set up the Panthers’ two scores. Senior defensive back Ben Bradshaw picked off a pass on the fourth play of the game to give Bradenton Christian the ball on the Saint Stephen’s 28-yard line. Five plays later senior quarterback Anthony Nguyen rolled around the right side for a 2-yard score with 4 minutes, 10 seconds gone. It remained that way until Bradshaw picked a punt out of mid air on a running start and returned it 22 yards. On the next play Nguyen, who was 5-for-11 for 82 yards, connected with Jaden Baker for a 60-yard touchdown to make it 14-0 late in the third quarter. “We didn’t get a lot of time to play offense today,” Bradenton Christian coach Nate Strawderman said after his team ran 30 plays, including taking a knee three times in victory formation. Saint Stephen’s outgained the Panthers, 315-107.
2. Along with his interception and punt return, Bradshaw recorded a sack. Linebacker Carson McBride also notched a sack. Defensive end Joshua Langborgh recovered a fumble. Defensive lineman Jesus Lopez and linebacker Jackson McBride had tackles for a loss. Senior kicker/punter Charles Nelson, who booted both PATs, flipped the field with some booming, unreturnable punts. “I thought this would be a defensive battle tonight,” Strawderman said. “Their defense is really good; our defense is really good. And it was a defensive battle. They say defense wins championships and that’s so real.”
3. In snapping a five-game losing streak in the series, it was Bradenton Christian’s first win over Saint Stephen’s since 2010. “This is just really special,” said Strawderman, a first-year coach. “This is the start of something great. We work hard. We’re disciplined. We’re coming to win football games.”
− Dennis Maffezzoli
Lakewood Ranch 22, Lyman 12
LAKEWOOD RANCH — Lakewood Ranch took the lead just before halftime then pulled away in the third quarter for a 22-12 Homecoming victory over Lyman High Friday night.
The Mustangs Simon Freed bulled his way into the end zone from 10 yards out with 33 seconds remaining in the second quarter to give Lakewood Ranch a 13-12 lead at intermission, and the defense kept the Greyhounds at bay in the second half.
Lakewood Ranch jumped on top in the first quarter by taking advantage of a fumble recovery by Evan Bolick at the Lyman 17 yard line. Sebastian Mejia scored on a quarterback keeper from 4 yards out to give the Mustangs a 7-0 lead with 4:46 to go in the period.
The Mustangs Jayden Munoz intercepted a pass in Lyman territory moments later, but Mejia was picked off by David Boseman on the next play, setting up a 1 yard run by Bobby Thomas to cut the lead to 7-6.
The Greyhounds then embarked on a 14 play, 80 yard drive to take a 12-7 lead in the second quarter on a 5 yard run by Caleb Nyenkan. Ranch got the ball back following the kickoff and put together a lengthy drive of its own, culminating in Freed’s touchdown run just before the half in which he carried a pile of tacklers into the end zone.
The Mustangs extended their lead on their first possession of the third quarter. Facing a 4th-and-5 from the 41, Mejia completed a screen pass to Tyler Lakin, who took it the rest of the way for the touchdown and a 19-12 advantage with 8:42 to go in the quarter.
Lakewood Ranch got the ball back at midfield following a short punt and moved into position for a 24 yard field goal by Aaron Clark to make it 22-12 with 3:04 remaining in the third quarter.
The Lakewood Ranch defense smothered the Greyhounds offense in the fourth quarter, but Lyman got one more chance when Jayden Fleming returned a punt to the Mustang 15. But four straight passes fell incomplete and the Mustangs held on for their second straight victory after an 0-3 start.
“Our kids are beginning to understand that the work that we’ve put in is beginning to show up,” Ranch coach Scott Paravicini said. “We had our best week of practice since the season started, so it’s a credit to these guys for the work that they’ve put in and the tenacity that they play with.”
Lakewood Ranch Takeaways
1. Two fourth down conversions paid big dividends and led to two Mustangs touchdowns. On the drive that led to Freed’s go ahead score, Lakewood Ranch converted on a fake punt as Clark raced around left end for 21 yards on 4th-and-5 from the Lyman 45.
“It just kind of happened,” Paravicini said. “I think he felt the pressure and kind of looked at what he had out in front of him and he made a heck of a play and it worked out for us.”
2. Facing another 4th-and-5 in the third quarter, the Mustangs elected to go for it again, and Mejia completed the screen pass to Lakin for a score.
“That was a heck of a play by Lakin. We called his number there and he was up to the challenge,” Paravicini said. “Sebastian just keeps chugging away. Every week he’s gotten better. I’m proud of the way he’s leading our offense right now. Things are beginning to come together.” For the game, Mejia completed 8 of 12 passes for 91 yards.
3. When the Greyhounds defense bottled up Freed early in the contest, the Mustangs turned to the smaller Cullen McRae for a change of pace. McRae wound up with 57 yards of 18 carries while Freed totaled 53 yards on 16 attempts.
“It was McRae’s first game back since Dunedin so it was good to see him out there again,” Paravicini said. “I think he was patient. I think he found the right lanes and he kind of gave Simon a spell and Simon became physical down there on the goal line and punched it in.”
The Mustangs defense held the Greyhounds to just 155 total yards, while Ranch picked up 217, 126 on the ground and 91 through the air. Lyman fell to 3-2 on the year.
— Bruce Robins
Venice 54, River Ridge 0
VENICE — Coming off of a bye week, the Indians returned home to face River Ridge within the friendly confines of Powell-Davis Stadium after nearly a month away.
Venice put on a show for the home crowd, dominating an inferior Royal Knights team, 54-0, to pick up its second win in a row and get to .500 at 2-2.
“In a game like this, you want to have a clean performance,” Venice head coach John Peacock said. “You want to avoid the sloppy stuff. We had a couple turnovers, but other than that, we executed on offense really well. And our defense didn’t let up, which was good to see.”
Quick study: Transfer Jadyn Glasser catches on quickly as Venice High starting quarterback
The average fan could tell from the opening kickoff that the Indians (2-2) were clearly the better, more talented team Friday night.
Venice scored a pair of touchdowns in the opening quarter, one each by both quarterbacks.
On a quick three-play, 85-yard drive to start the game, Ryan Downes capped the fast-paced scoring drive with a 20-yard run into the endzone for six.
On the next offensive drive for the Indians, Jadyn Glasser found wide receiver Griffin Gisotti for a 25-yard pitch-and-catch, making it 14-0 with 7:19 left in the first quarter.
Venice would have scored again before the first quarter came to a close, but an interception by Downes to River Ridge defensive back Samuel Walls in Knights territory negated that opportunity.
The miscue by Downes was quickly forgotten as the second quarter unfolded, with Venice scoring four touchdowns during the quarter.
Wide receiver Zycarl Lewis Jr. made one cut and was fine for a 59-yard score on a pass from Glasser, making it 21-0 with 10:40 to go in the half.
Later, Glasser hit wideout Ryan Matulevich for an eventual 40-yard catch-and-run score, pushing the advantage to 28-0 with 4:25 left before the break.
The defense got in on the scoring frenzy, with linebacker Eli Seed picking off Ridge quarterback Lane Bache and returning it 29 yards to the house to give his team a five-touchdown lead late in the second.
In addition to Seed’s pick six, Lee Jr’s INT helped setup one more score before the half for Venice, while linebacker Ben Zarkiewicz’s pick in the second half put the Indians in position for Matulevich’s second TD in the third.
Venice’s last touchdown — which was setup by an interception from linebacker Chris Lee Jr. — came with 1:09 to play before the break when running back Dorien Jones rumbled his way over the goal line for a five-yard score, putting the Indians ahead 42-0 at half.
In the second half, Venice managed to get into the end zone two more times despite a running clock.
Matulevich scored his second touchdown, this time from Downes, as time expired in the third to make it a 48-0 game.
The final score was a touchdown connection between Downes and reserve wideout Keehan Lavell — a 30-yard score — with 5:30 left to go in the game.
Next up, things get serious in a hurry with Class 4S District 14 opponent Riverview invading Powell-Davis Stadium next week.
Former Ram Charles Lester III was seen wearing a walking boot on the sidelines Friday night. He sustained a foot injury in the team’s win over Northwestern and his status moving forward is up in the air, according to Peacock.
“You don’t want to call any other game bigger than another, but next week’s game comes down to the district championship and getting a home game to open the playoffs. It’s pretty important. We’re going to do our best job to give them a fight,” Peacock said of his team’s game against Riverview.
Venice takeaways
1. Venice’s defense shut down River Ridge in every phase on Friday night. The Knights managed less than 50 yards of total offense, getting held in check through the air and on the ground. Venice held its opponent to 28 rushing yards and just four passing yards. The Indians only allowed two total first downs through four quarters and forced three turnovers as well.
2. Offensively, Glasser and Downes combined to throw five touchdowns, with Downes adding 47 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Through the air, Matulevich had two receiving touchdowns, Gisotti and Lavell each had one, while Lewis Jr. had over 100 yards receiving and a touchdown. Eight different players caught passes in the contest. Offensively, on the second play of the game, Downes found Lewis Jr. wide open down the field for a 50-yard gain. One play later, Downes ran it in for Venice’s first score to really set the tone for the rest of the contest.
3. Venice essentially received a second bye week against River Ridge. The Indians had the chance to continue mounting momentum, and that’s what they did. Venice looked prepared and did what it was supposed to against a team like River Ridge.
– Patrick Obley, The Charlotte Sun
Manatee 31, Port Charlotte 24
PORT CHARLOTTE – After Port Charlotte dominated them in their house last year, Manatee High School was looking for payback, and they got it in dramatic fashion.
Andrew Heidel hit star receiver Bonshavoir Bean with a 56-yard touchdown pass with 1:13 to play to give the Hurricanes a 31-24 victory Friday at the Pirate Cove after a wild fourth quarter.
Manatee remained unbeaten on the season while Port Charlotte dropped to 3-2.
The Pirates looked like they had the game in hand after Edd Guerrier ran the ball in from the one to give them a 24-23 lead with 2:08 remaining the the Hurricanes out of timeouts.
However, Heidel, who gashed the Pirate defense all night with his passing, found Torey Gilley with a 17-yard pass, setting up the game-winning catch and the two-point PAT to make it a seven-point game.
"Anybody who covers me I try to run past them. Andrew can get me the ball and I can go for six," Bean said. "I just had a two-yard out on that play, but the corner left me open so I ran past and he threw me the ball."
Port Charlotte had one last chance, but Daron Jean got an interception to clinch it for Manatee.
At first, it looked like we would have a shootout. After Manatee went three and out, the Pirates drove 76 yards on 10 plays, with Ike Perry getting the last seven to give Port Charlotte a 6-0 lead after the missed PAT.
The Hurricanes responded late in the first quarter, taking advantage of a roughing the kicker penalty on a punt, Andrew Heidel found his favorite target, Bean, for a 37-yard TD pass and a 7-6 lead after the extra point.
It took Port Charlotte two plays to take the lead again as Edd Guerrier broke several tackles on the far sideline, raced to the other sideline and outran the Hurricane defense to the end zone for a 12-7 lead after the first quarter, and the first half.
The Pirates struck quickly in the second half as Manley hit Justice Becerrill with an 84-yard catch and run to make it 18-7 after the failed two. Manatee responded late in the third when Heidel hit tight end Cade Weiskopf to cut the margin to 18-14.
A field goal by Joey Colonneso cut the lead to 18-17 early in the fourth before Manatee got its first lead of the night on a 35-yard TD catch from Gilley to make it 23-18, setting up the wild finish.
Heidel was 22 of 38 passing for 386 yards and four touchdowns and a pick, with Bean catching six for 161 yards and two scores. Edd Guerrier had 100 yards rushing, while Ike Perry had 86 for the Pirates.
Manatee takeaways
1. Manatee made the plays when they needed to. Two minutes, no timeouts, no problem as Heidel was able to find Bean and Gilley open all night, with Heidel saying he couldn't believe Bean was so wide open on the last touchdown. "We had the Manatee magic tonight. We beat a good football team and it's great when you can do that," Manatee coach Jacquez Green said.
2. The Hurricanes are just fighters, which is a good reason why they're 5-0 and among the best programs in the state. They trailed by two possessions early in the third quarter and were able to sting them for 17 unanswered points to take the lead. "They stay together.They find a way to win. Some nights it's defense, some nights it's offense. We couldn't get anything going in the run game, but we can throw it around when we need to.
3. Manatee had the huge advantage on special teams, not making big mistakes and adding a field goal, unlike Port Charlotte which had a laundry list of issues, such as a roughing the kicker call that resulted in a touchdown, a missed extra point, three missed two-pointers and a missed short field goal were likely the difference.
– Chuck Ballaro
Bishop Verot 42, Sarasota 14
The Bishop Verot offense has gotten most of the headlines, and the improved defense has gotten its share, as well.
But Friday night in Sarasota, Verot's special teams took center stage.
The Vikings returned a pair of kicks for touchdowns in Friday's 42-14 victory over Sarasota, and had a third touchdown set up by a booming punt. The Vikings increased their running clock streak to four, taking a 42-7 lead before the Sailors scored a late touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Verot never trailed in their first game outside Lee County this season, taking a 7-0 lead less than 15 seconds into the game when Leroy Roker took the opening kickoff 87 yards for a score. The Vikings added to their lead on a 21-yard run from Deshon Jenkins, scoring on a short field after a Carter Smith punt pinned the Sailors at the one, and Parker Turner picked off a Sarasota pass deep in Sailor territory.
Verot's second special teams touchdown came less than three minutes after Jenkins' first score. After forcing Sarasota to punt, Ryan Gadson took the kick 52 yards for a touchdown, opening up the Viking lead to 21-0.
Leading 28-7 at halftime, the Vikings would enact the running clock with two scores in the third quarter, thanks to a touchdown run from Carter Smith and a pass from Smith to Matthew Turner.
Sarasota Takeaways
1. Passing game success. Sarasota’s quarterback had success against Verot's defense, completing 17 of his 27 passes for 234 yards. The Sailors especially had success in the RPO game, consistently finding open receivers on short routes.
2. Defensive stops. The Sailor defense held their own against the Viking offense for much of the first half, surrendering just two offensive touchdowns in the first half before the Vikings found their footing in the third quarter.
3. No rest for the weary. Sarasota is a better team than their 0-5 record indicates, but the schedule does not get easier for the Sailors. Sarasota's next two games are also against state title contenders in Venice and Sarasota Cardinal Mooney.
— Ryan Murphy
Bayshore 50, DeSoto County 21
ARCADIA − The Bruins aren’t accustomed to putting up such big numbers, but there’s one that’s pretty easy to remember these days.
Number 3.
That would be the uniform worn by the 5-foot-7, 175-pound highlight machine named Jaden Judge, and the game isn’t very complicated when he’s got the football.
Judge added another five touchdowns – and three 2-point conversions – while piling up 258 all-purpose yards in less than 27 minutes Friday night, and visiting Bayshore (3-1 overall, 1-0 in Class 2 Suburban-District 15) reached the end zone on four of its five possessions in the opening quarter.
“Sometimes he makes plays,” said fourth-year Bruins coach Jamaal Sanders, “and you say, ‘He’s the only person who can make that play.’ Coaching is overrated when you’ve got a guy like that. You just give him the ball and move out of the way.”
The transfer from Sarasota High scored on runs of 15, 30, 18 and 51 yards, and caught a 35-yard TD pass from Caleb Rhodes (15-of-28, 233 yards, 3 TDs). The 51-yarder came on Bayshore’s third play of the second half, padding the lead to 42-14, and Judge took the rest of the night off, ending with 197 yards in 14 carries and another 61 yards on two receptions. He already has 17 TDs for the season.
“He’s our difference-maker, for sure,” Rhodes said. “We’ve got some great guys, but when you’ve got a once-in-a-lifetime athlete like him, it’s a lot easier.”
The Bulldogs (0-4, 0-1) put up a fight early, pulling even at 14-14 on Jaxon Roberts’ 78-yard kickoff return and a two-point run by E.J. White just 3 minutes, 25 seconds into the game.
Roberts (four catches, 77 yards) also turned a short pass from Braden Moran (12-of-25, 174 yards, 1 TD, 1 int) into a 38-yard score. But the Bayshore offense – averaging 44 points through four games – was too much, finishing with 515 total yards and 27 first downs to offset 22 penalties (180 yards).
“Good teams don’t do that,” Sanders said. “You’re beating yourself like that. We definitely have to clean that up going forward, and we’ll do it.”
The Bruins travel to Booker for a key district game next Friday, and visit Lemon Bay two weeks later.
Bayshore takeaways
1. Seven different Bruins logged carries and six caught passes in a deliberate effort by Sanders to spread the ball around. “We’ve got other players who can go,” he said. “In order for us to get where we want to go at the end of the season, we’ve got to do more than just lean on Judge. Good teams are going to take him away and dare us to get the ball to other players. Those guys have to be ready, too.”
2. Judge doesn’t need much help, but he’s getting plenty from center Dayvin Aquino, guards Terrion Hilliard and Verneson Metayer, tackles Marco Silos and Jayden Shannon, and tight end Ace Luther. “A hundred percent of the credit goes to my O-line,” Judge said. “They’re giving me just enough, two or three seconds, to work and get into the open field. And they’re staying with me, blocking downfield, too. That’s all I can ask.”
3. This was the second of seven consecutive road trips for Bayshore, including all three district contests (due to hurricane-related school closures last fall). But the 63 days without a home game isn’t fazing Sanders one bit: “That’s OK. I don’t mind being a road warrior.”
– Donnie Wilkie
North Port 29, Gateway 15
FORT MYERS — It wasn't pretty, but Garon Belser will take it.
"That was ugly," the North Port High School football coach said following Friday night's 29-15 win at Gateway.
The North Port offense was dormant for most of the first half, but never strayed from his ground-and-pound game plan. The Bobcats (3-1) eventually wore down the Eagles defense and finished the night with 163 rushing yards. Most of those were courtesy of senior Zeke Baez, who had 116 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. North Port attempted just one pass, a 5-yard completion to Tommy Bowdre from Giovanni Dibene.
Gateway jumped out to a 5-0 lead with a 27-yard Aidan Morgan field goal and a safety after a high snap went over the head of North Port punter Caidan Thomas. It looked as if the Eagles would pitch a shutout in the first half, but that changed with 2:37 remaining when North Port sophomore intercepted a Ty Williams pass and returned it for a touchdown to give the Bobcats their first lead.
North Port takeaways
1. The defense provided momentum swing before halftime. While the North Port offense struggled for most of the first half, the Bobcats defense picked up the slack. Belser cited the Palmer pick as a turning point in the game. "That was huge," Belser said. "I'm glad our offense woke up in the second half, but we really had to lean on our defense there. They bailed us out." The Bobcats stopped Gateway on the next series and John Yahara blocked the punt to give his team the ball at the Eagles 6. Baez took it in from there with 47 seconds remaining in the half.
2. The Bobcats kept pounding the ball, no matter how many tackles were made at or behind the line of scrimmage. Peter Kalphat finally broke off a 23-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to give North Port a 21-15 lead. Baez followed midway through the fourth with a 28-yard touchdown run. "That's what we do," Belser said. "We grind and grind until we get that burst. It's frustrating as hell sometimes, but you've just got to trust it."
3. After rattling off three straight wins, Belser won't celebrate Friday's win too long. "Wake up and get ready for next week," he said. The Bobcats travel to LaBelle next Friday.
— Ron Clements
Cardinal Mooney 60, Space Coast 0
COCOA — Devin Mignery threw for three touchdowns and ran for another as the Cougars bounced back from last week’s home loss to Riverview High with a rout of the winless Vipers.
Mignery connected with Zy’marion Lang from 25 yards out and Teddy Foster from 30 yards away to open the scoring. Then, Mignery scrambled for a 24-yard score. Carson Beach capped a 27-point first quarter with a 5-yard touchdown run.
Foster, a University of Florida commit, had a 35-yard interception return for a score. Beach had his second scoring run from 12 yards out. Mignery made it 48-0 at halftime with a 45-yard touchdown pass to Mason Jordan.
Joshua Henderson and Connall Jackson had rushing touchdowns in the second half for the Cougars, who improved to 4-1.
After recording its second shutout of the season, Cardinal Mooney returns to action 7 p.m. Friday at home against Sarasota High.
— Dennis Maffezzoli
WEEK 5 SCORES
THURSDAY
Lemon Bay 48, IMG Academy Blue 7
FRIDAY
Bayshore 50, DeSoto County 21
Booker 24, Braden River 20
Bradenton Christian 14, Saint Stephen's 7
Cardinal Mooney 60, Space Coast 0
Fort Myers 44, Charlotte 18
IMG Academy White 44, A'Kelynn's Angels Christian Academy 0
Manatee 31, Port Charlotte 24
North Port 29, Gateway 15
Out-of-Door Academy 40, Faith Christian 22
Bishop Verot 42, Sarasota 14
Sarasota Christian at Academy at the Lakes
Venice 54, River Ridge 0
Lakewood Ranch 22, Lyman 12
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: High School Football Week 5 roundup of Sarasota and Manatee County games
