OAKLEAF – In what was a shutdown performance from the Oakleaf High defense, the Knights crushed winless Creekside High 42-7 in a district 3-7A clash that stands as the prelude to an epic district showdown with Bartram Trail for the final playoff spot of the season.

Oakleaf, with district wins over Fleming Island and Creekside, but a 10-7 loss to district leader Gainesville Buchholz, needs a win over Bartram Trail to earn the second seed spot in the district. Bartram Trail has wins over Fleming Island and Creekside, but lost a 17-10 decision to Buchholz. Fleming Island lost to Buchholz last Friday to be eliminated from the mix.

Against Creekside, senior secondary aces Kwame Clark and Nick Roberts both pick-sixed passes by Creekside to shut down the airways while defensive tackle Jayon Bradley controlled the line of scrimmage from the trenches.

On offense, sophomore running back KeShawn King ran for three scores while wideout Rontrez Morgan snagged four passes for 68 yards with a 26 yard score. Morgan leads the Knights’ offense with 30 catches for 608 yards and six scores. Against Creekside, quarterback Jordan Johnson found Jakari Williams and Jamaric Bonner for plays of 32 and 65 yards.

Oakleaf and Bartram Trail have a brief torrid history with the Shaquille Quarterman-led Knights of last year seemingly in control of a second straight playoff berth with just a win over Bartram Trail the final step, but, Oakleaf let a 33-30 fourth quarter lead evaporate in the final moments to lose 37-33. The loss stunned the Oakleaf program.

Now, in 2016, Oakleaf does not have Quarterman as he hammers ACC ballcarriers for the University of Miami and running back Keylan Brown is swiftly making his mark at Davidson College with 363 rush yards and a score as a freshman. The ball has fallen into the hands of youngsters KeShawn King at tailback and Dexter Moore at linebacker to put the Knights in exactly the same position as last year.

Bartram Trail, on the other hand, at 4-4, 2-1, still has its three-headed quarterback trio with Joey Gatewood, Jordan Smith and Riley Smith able to bequile opposing defenses and a fast-moving defense able to suffocate offenses behind the line of scrimmage. To note, Fleming Island shut down the Bears until a fourth quarter trick play gave the Bears a 10-0 win and Buchholz execute their speed game to win 17-10. There is a soft underbelly to the Bears monster.

King has broken 1,000 yards with two games remaining and brings a tough inside run game with outside break speed to the game with Moore, just a sophomore, having plenty of solid friends around him with seniors Nick Roberts, Kwame Clark, Anthony Norris behind him and Jayon Bradley, Bradley Hunter-Williams in front of him. Add freshman defensive end Chantz Williams to the mix and Moore is sitting pretty as the recipient of a defense that funnels everything to him. And, the energetic tackler is every bit the cerebral player as his famous predecessor.

Oakleaf’s penchant for searching for the knockout blow may very well be an achilles heel as Bartram Trail coach Darryl Sutherland is a matter of misdirection. That will be the key to the game. If Oakleaf reads efficiently, and plays smart off the ball, the misdirection will be neutralized. Knights win. Athlete to athlete, both teams are near equal.