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Fleming Island Silver Eagles excite Jags’ crowd

By Randy Lefko
Posted 8/24/17

JACKSONVILLE – Despite a dismal 12-8 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday in Everbank Stadium, the Jacksonville Jaguars football team were smart enough to invite four local Pop Warner …

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Fleming Island Silver Eagles excite Jags’ crowd


Posted

JACKSONVILLE – Despite a dismal 12-8 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday in Everbank Stadium, the Jacksonville Jaguars football team were smart enough to invite four local Pop Warner football teams; one from Fleming Island, to play a 10-minute halftime scrimmage.

With nearly 20,000 fans still seated at Everbank Field, it was Jack Wilkening and Merrick Rapoza throwing down highlight reel material for the ESPN film crews on hand as the Silver Eagles, coached by Donnie Nichols and crew, headed up the east end zone against Callahan.

Wilkening started the scoring off with a hard-battling right sweep that saw the burly tailback ward off a half dozen tacklers before finally diving into the end zone.

Rapoza, with tailback Tommy Beegle in the backfield with him, trampled off right tackle to give the Silver Eagles a second score. As for the Jaguars, pass drops and an inept quarterback experience from Blake Bortles proved fatal, but not disastrous as third string quarterback Brandon Allen put his helmet in the hopper as a possible starter for Thursday’s home game against the Carolina Panthers.

Allen entered the game late in the second half after second stringer Chad Henne proved unable to move the Jaguars offense. He finished with the lone score of the night off 10 of 15 passes for 144 yards. Allen hit Marquez Williams with a four yard scoring pass at 8:06 of the fourth quarter. Bortles finished with just 65 yards with Henne at 44 yards.

Jags wideout DeDe Westbrook was top receiver with six catches for 131 yards with a 30-yarder his longest. Allen Robinson had five catches but dropped a sure touchdown along with Keelan Cole who dropped an end zone pass as well.