Week 5 Football Roundup: Catholic hammered by Georgia powerhouse, Gulf Breeze and Navarre win

A roundup of Week 5 games involving Pensacola-area teams from Friday, Sept. 22

Prince Avenue Christian (Ga.) 56, Pensacola Catholic 20

The day began for Prince Avenue Christian’s football team with an 8 a.m. bus departure from the school, then a stopover and quick practice at Auburn University, before a three-state journey reached Pensacola Catholic.

And it ended the same winning way of so many other games the Wolverines have played.

In a way that reinforced the team’s loft reputation, Prince Avenue Christian – the top-ranked Class A team in Georgia – exploded for four touchdowns in the fourth quarter to roll past the Crusaders at Gorecki-LeBeau Stadium.

Playing in its first home game of the season, Catholic trimmed deficits three times to a one-possession game, but after getting a late third-quarter score to make it 28-20, the Wolverines took charge the rest of the way.

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It was the 20th consecutive victory for Prince Avenue Christian, located 15 miles from Athens, Georgia, and with Georgia Bulldogs connections that include the son of Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator Mike Bobo. The Wolverines last loss was in December 2021 in the Georgia Class A state championship.

“We had three, big red-zone turnovers in the first half that cost us some points, but other than that, I was pleased how we played,” said Wolverines coach Greg Vandagriff, whose team is now 46-3 since the 2020 season.  “Anytime you win, though, it’s always special.

“It’s unbelievable. We are just in a sweet spot in our program right now. This is my 100th game for Prince Avenue and we are 89-11, so it’s just really good.”

The Crusaders’ defense forced three first-half turnovers deep in their territory to keep the game manageable. Nigel Nelson broke free on a 69-yard touchdown in the first quarter. The home team then recovered a fumble in it end zone for a touchback to thwart a Prince Avenue drive.

Wolverines’ senior quarterback Aaron Philo, a Georgia Tech commitment, rushed for one touchdown and threw two first-half touchdowns, including one with just 48 seconds before halftime for a 21-7 lead. He finished with five touchdown passes.

But Catholic, who's record dropped to 3-1, trailed just 21-13, following a big-play, catch-and-run from Cayden Jasso, when C.J. Nettles was swarmed on a running play. The ball came lose and Prince Avenue returned it for a touchdown.

Again the Crusaders answered on a short run by Nelson to make it an eight-point deficit.

That’s when Philo and Prince Avenue (5-0) delivered with three more touchdown passes to blow open the game and trigger a running clock in the final six minutes.

“I didn’t think we played very well offensively in the first half. Penalties kept us from keeping drives together,” Catholic head coach Matt Adams said. “But guys kept fighting. I think we saw a lot of improvement in places.

“We were right back in it, down 28-20, and I thought we had the momentum going our way. A few things happened that I’m not real sure how it happened, but football is about momentum and we lost it there. And once you lose it, then it’s tough to get it back. And it can snowball against you and I thought it did tonight.”

Catholic won its first three games by a combined 22 points, including an overtime win in the opener at Navarre and a one-point win at Escambia High.

Prince Avenue Christian has now outscored its first five opponents by a combined 295-76.

Here's three takeaways from the night in Pensacola.

Well-Traveled: Because of its success, which now spans five seasons, finding opponents in Georgia for Prince Avenue has been difficult. Vandagriff has bussed his team to Columbia, South Carolina, and Nashville for early season games.

In this region, scheduling has been a challenge for the Crusaders.

So mutual needs brought both teams together.

“Both of us were having trouble getting a game,” Adams said. “I don’t remember who called who, but it was one of those last-minute games we put on our schedule.

“I’m glad it got scheduled. It was a good game for us. It will make us better in the long run.”

Prince Avenue brought a full cheerleading squad and a sizeable number of fans to put on the visitors’ sideline.

“We are just trying to create memories for our kids,” said Vandagriff, whose team then traveled all night after the game back to Athens.  “Things they will never forget and this is just part of it.”

Showcase quarterback: The Wolverines’ Aaron Philo is currently the Georgia prep leader in passing and he’s on pace to break the state high school record for passing.

He’s set to sign at Georgia Tech. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Philo has a prototypic size and good scrambling skills any college program would covet.

He impressed Friday at Catholic with his running abilities as well as pinpoint touch on passes.

“Oh, he’s a winner. He may break the state record this year,” Vandagriff said.

Adams, a former quarterback in his playing days at Catholic, was impressed with how Philo handled the game and overcame two first-half interceptions deep in Crusaders’ territory.

“That quarterback they have is special,” Adams said. “He is really, really good. Even when we were able to get to him, the ball gets out of his hand so fast. So hats off to him. He was fun to watch. He did a really good job putting the ball in good places. It will make us better by playing this game.”

Welcome back: The Crusaders are expecting the return of injured star receiver Javion Showers for next Friday’s game against Pensacola High.

“He will be a big boost in the arm for us,” Adams said. “He’s a great player. Hopefully we can string some wins together. Our goal from the start has been to keep improving and get into the playoffs.”

—Bill Vilona

Gulf Breeze 35, Pensacola 0

Battle Alberson had another standout week with a multi-touchdown performance against the Tigers from Dolphin Stadium. While head coach Jeff Gierke thought the Dolphins "left some points on the board," the offense still got it done.

Bryson Rouillier scored twice (one rushing, one receiving), while Jake Hooten and Tristan Keigley also hauled in touchdown receptions.

But the team came out flat.

"Our kids were a little overconfident," Gierke said. "We dropped a touchdown pass. We fumbled a punt return on the 5. ... We had stuff open, but the defense is (Pensacola’s) strength. … They didn’t make it easy."

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Gierke did note that Gulf Breeze again had a tough time protecting Alberson.

"When we can protect him, Battle’s pretty special. When guys catch it, Battle’s pretty special," Gierke said. "He wasn’t as on as he was against Milton. But, you can see he can make some throws."

Pitching a shutout, led by the defensive line and Shemane Walker, Gierke said he was pleased with the front line. The secondary stood out, especially freshman Zeke Burgess who had a pick-six called back due to a penalty, plus another broken up play that almost led to a pick-six.

"He was everywhere on defense tonight," Gierke said.

The Dolphins (2-2) are host Pace in a District 1-4S tilt at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

"(Pace) is the frontrunner to win the district. They’re a really good team," Gierke said. "We’ve got to gear up for them."

And for Pensacola, it was a rough start for interim head coach Martes Wheeler, who took over the program this week in the wake of the resignation of Cantrell Tyson. But at the end of the day, Wheeler said he didn't care about the scoreboard, given what the Tigers had gone through this week. "I just wanted them to give it their all," Wheeler added.

"The X’s and O’s, those are all things we’ll progress with," Wheeler said. "But it starts with us, being a disciplined football team, doing the small things correctly, and ultimately just having fun and working hard."

Wheeler said things have "been smooth" at Pensacola despite the abrupt changes. He's just focused on next week now as the Tigers travel to Pensacola Catholic.

"With everything that’s been going on … it actually hasn’t been as chaotic as everybody thinks. ... The kids are responding well," Wheeler said. "They already know me and know what I expect and know how I am. The way they responded, I really couldn’t ask for more."

—Ben Grieco

Navarre 49, Carroll (Ala.) 28

Following an 0-2 start to the 2023 season, the Raiders are above the .500 mark thanks to a runaway victory two-and-a-half hours from home against the Eagles from Matthews Stadium in Ozark, Alabama.

With his team capturing its third straight win, Navarre head coach Jay Walls called its latest triumph the "best game this year."

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The Raiders jumped out to a 28-7 halftime advantage and led 28-13 before Connor Mathews and Andre Spence finished off Carroll. Mathews pushed the cushion back to a three-score game during the third quarter with his third touchdown on the night.

Crossing the goal line once during the first half, Spence extended the visitors lead to 42-13 in the fourth quarter with his second touchdown of the evening. Mathews concluded the scoring in the final minutes by entering the end zone for the fourth time.

Earlier in the game, Terence Marshall grabbed a touchdown reception on a pass from senior quarterback Hunter Pfiester.

Walls was happy with how Navarre sustained drives throughout the night. Additionally, he believes his defense held Eagles senior dual-threat quarterback Keyshawn Cole in check.

When asked what most stood out overall, Walls replied, "I think the effort from our kids and their physicality. As far as executing the game plan defensively, we did a great job."

The Raiders play host to Mosley at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

—Patrick Bernadeau

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

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

Bill Vilona is a retired Pensacola News Journal sports columnist and now senior writer for Pensacola Blue Wahoos. He can be reached at bvilona@bluewahoos.com

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Football: Pensacola Catholic can't stop Georgia's elite, Gulf Breeze, Navarre win