By Lee Trawick
Riverbend News
With tailgating in full force at Paul Langford Stadium, Homecoming at Suwannee High School was coming to its pinnacle on Friday night, Oct. 23. The Suwannee High School Bulldogs (5-2) hosted Ponte Vedra High School Sharks (5-1) for the Homecoming game.
The Bulldogs were coming off a big win over Wakulla War Eagles. Coach Kyler Hall was anxious to see if his team could continue the momentum of the win the week before and handle the success they had on the field. He was also looking to see if his team would come out even hungrier than they were the week before.
The Bulldogs started the game with the ball first, but were unable to get anything going on offense. Giving the ball to the Sharks, they were also unable to get anything going on offense. Forced to punt, the football game was looking more like an old boxing match, where each fighter was just feeling each other out for the later rounds.
The Sharks found some success in the running game late in the first quarter, but big back-to-back sacks by junior #55 Austin Smith and junior #7 Antonio Mckinney on first and goal, brought the Bulldogs’ defense to life. A huge goal line stand was the tone setter Coach Hall was looking for. The Bulldogs drove the Sharks all the way out of field goal range, forcing them to punt.
While the Bulldogs’ offense was struggling to find their rhythm, quarterback #2 Jaquez Moore would scramble with some success down the field, but nothing to show for it. With the offense frustrated early on, senior quarterback Moore said the key to surviving the struggles was, “Being focused on keeping my head up and a level mind, (and) making sure my teammates saw my head level. The team will react how I react, so I knew if I stayed level and up, everything would be ok for us.”
The Bulldogs’ defense would begin the second quarter with another big defensive stand, driving the Sharks back to midfield. The Sharks were then forced to punt, pinning the Bulldogs deep in their own territory. Still unable to find their footing, the Sharks’ defense made quick work of the Bulldog offense.
It wasn’t until midway through the second quarter that the Bulldogs’ offense would find success. The poised and level-headed play of their quarterback allowed the Bulldogs to overcome a fourth-and-one deficit to keep their 80-yard drive alive. The drive was capped off with a 13-yard touchdown pass, as Moore rolled out to his left and found his receiver in the endzone for the first touchdown of the night with 2:14 to go in the half. The extra point was added by kicker Braxtyn Green.
The Sharks would show signs of life towards the end of the first half, pulling off a successful fake punt to keep their drive alive. Moments later, the Bulldogs’ defensive player #10 Javarion Smith intercepted a pass to end their drive and the first half. The Bulldogs would begin halftime festivities with a 7-0 lead.
The Sharks would begin the second half with the ball and try to establish their running game as their passing game was non-existent. Too much pressure up front forced the Sharks to resort to their run game. But, the Bulldogs’ defense wouldn’t allow that, either. The Sharks gave the ball back to the Bulldogs, who in the first half looked almost one dimensional with their running game carrying most of the load. However, that would change during the second half as the Bulldogs found balance on offense and methodically moved the ball down the field.
As senior #1 Wesley Jones, Jr., started garnering attention in the passing game from the Sharks, it opened up holes for #22 Malachi Graham to find the endzone after a 30-yard touchdown scamper had been called back from a holding penalty. He would not be denied later, when set up from the three-yard line, extending the Bulldogs’ lead to 14-0.
This was all the security needed for the Bulldogs’ defense to feast on the Sharks’ offense for the remainder of the game. With their defensive push up front, the Sharks were constantly forced into passing situations, where the Bulldogs’ secondary was waiting. Number 10 Jamarion Smith would grab his second interception of the night, giving the ball back to the Bulldog offense to start the fourth quarter with the score remaining 14-0 for the Bulldogs.
The Sharks would find success in the fourth quarter, only to have it taken away after the Sharks’ quarterback threw his third interception of the night to the Bulldogs #3 Keiwan Ladler on their own 10-yard line.
The Sharks refused to quit and moved down the field for one final drive. The Sharks’ quarterback found a seam down the Suwannee sideline for a long run, setting up the Sharks for a first-and-goal from the Bulldogs’ five-yard line. However, #9 Keshawn Jones would come up with another sack that would put the Sharks in a desperate state. The defense was asked to make one last stand to secure the shut-out. With 58 seconds left in the game on fourth-and-goal, the Sharks ran the ball off the left side of their offensive line looking for the endzone, only to be upended by Jones. Number 58 Garris Reed and the Suwannee defense did what no Suwannee team in the 80’s could do and completed three straight shutouts. No Suwannee team has accomplished that feat since 1967.
The Bulldogs would take over on downs from their own two-yard line where they gathered in victory formation to end the game, as the scoreboard clock counted down to a 14-0 victory over the Ponte Vedra Sharks.
“Defense was the difference in the game,” said Hall. “Time and time again they were asked to make a stand, and they continued to dig in and make the plays.”
Hall continued, “Offensive Player of the Game was #1 Wesley Jones, who was questionable coming into the game after a bad injury last week. But, he had some good blocks and several big catches and just fought for us tonight. On the defensive side of the ball, it would be the whole 11 players for Defensive Player of the Game. That’s three straight shutouts for the first time since 1967.”
Up next for the Suwannee Bulldogs is a bye week, before traveling to Baker County High School on Friday, Nov 6. Suwannee stats were not made available at the time of this article.