MIDDLEBURG - Fleming Island High quarterback Cibastian Broughton threw four touchdown passes, three to wide receiver Trace Burney, as the Golden Eagles claimed the District 3-5A championship with a 42-6 mashing of host Middleburg on October 25.
A district title seemed unlikely on September 6, when Fleming Island sat at 1-2 and reeling from the sudden departure of then-head coach Chad Parker the week before the season opener. But under the steadying influence of interim head coach Derek Chipoletti, the Golden Eagles have won five of six, including all four district games, to clinch the top spot. Fleming Island (6-3, 5-0)is on a three-game winning streak, with each of the wins by at least 27 points.
“There was never any doubt in my mind that this team can win,” said Chipoletti. “A lot of the things we were doing in those losses were self-inflicted. We had to learn how to win. And we’re still learning.”
The Golden Eagles' offense was unstoppable Friday, scoring on all seven of their possessions after punting from Middleburg’s side of the field the first time they had the ball. Senior running back Demhir Jackson found constant creases in the middle of the defense, churning out 162 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries. When the Broncos’ safeties would come up to support the run defense, Broughton burned them with the pass. The Akron commit was deadly accurate, completing 15 of 18 throws (83.3%) for 220 yards. Sophomore Oliver Piechota was his favorite target, snaring seven passes for 83 yards and the game’s first touchdown on a crossing route.
After Jackson plowed up the middle for a three-yard touchdown run to give the Golden Eagles a 14-6 lead halfway through the second quarter, Burney provided the highlights. The junior, who already holds scholarship offers from Florida Atlantic and James Madison, turned a 10-yard curl route into a 26-yard score to stretch the lead to 15 with one minute to go until halftime. In the third quarter, Burney gave the Eagles a 28-6 lead by stopping, reversing his field, and outrunning the Middleburg safeties to the sideline to turn a short pass into a 38-yard touchdown. Finally, he got behind the defense on a seam route from 28 yards out to close out the scoring.
“He is having a special season,” Chipoletti said of Burney, who finished with six receptions for 126 yards. “He is one of the best and most explosive players I have been around, and I have been around some great ones.”
For a while, it looked like Middleburg would keep pace. The Broncos earned 10 first downs in the first half, driving inside the Fleming Island 35-yard line three times. Middleburg drew within 7-6 when Carson Stewart connected with Joel Lowe on a circle route for a 10-yard score. However, Fleming Island’s Kevin Reyes blocked the extra-point attempt, preventing the tie. Fleming Island’s Sebastian Cruz made sure the Broncos never got any closer. He broke up a fourth down pass when Middleburg went for it from the Fleming 33-yard line and provided the game’s biggest play seconds before halftime.
Middleburg lined up for an apparent field goal attempt at the 25-yard line with 0:07 on the clock. But holder Mason Zwilling rose out of his holder’s stance and rolled slowly to his left. The southpaw lofted a pass toward Jordan Williams running near the goal line but underthrew it. Cruz broke toward the ball, intercepted it at the 10, and raced 90 yards to the opposite goal line. Cruz’s score was nullified by an illegal crackback block during his return, but the interception stood. Instead of pulling to within 21-13 with a score and then potentially tying the game when they received the second-half kickoff, the Broncos faced a 21-6 halftime deficit.
“You know when you play a team as good as Fleming, you are going to have to take some chances. And we had missed a field goal from about that distance,” explained Middleburg head coach Ryan Wolfe. “I was thinking we could catch them slipping, but they’re well-coached.”
The Golden Eagles were not fooled.
“We dropped back one more guy than we normally do,” said Chipoletti. “We had an idea, with the situation, that they might run the fake, so we dropped one more guy back there and it just happened to be number 1 [Cruz].”
The failed fake energized the Golden Eagles and deflated the Broncos. Whereas Fleming Island’s offense took up where it had left off in the first half, the Middleburg offense went nowhere.
The Golden Eagles pass rush, led by two-way tackle Kevin Reyes and end Jarius Rodgers, made life miserable for Stewart. Consecutive sacks by linebacker Cohen Cioffi and Reyes on the opening possession of the third quarter forced a quick three and out on the opening possession of the third quarter, and a sack by Rogers forced a punt in the second. Scrambling out of a collapsing pocket on nearly every dropback, Stewart attempted only two passes in the second half. At the rate the Golden Eagles high octane offense was scoring, the failure to answer with points doomed Middleburg.
“That’s one of the better teams in the state, and we went toe-to-toe with them for a half,” said Middleburg head coach Ryan Wolfe. “I felt like Carson was running around a lot more than he should have had to. We had guys running open, we just were not able to protect and give him time to throw.”
A disturbing trend continued for Middleburg, which has now allowed 44 or more points in losing its last three games after a 6-0 start. Wolfe attributed the defensive woes mostly to the strength of District 3-5A.
“We got some heavy hitters in our district,” said Wolfe. “There’s a pretty good chance that four teams from our district will get into the playoffs.”
Despite the losing streak, the Broncos (6-3, 1-3 in District 3-5A) held the eighth spot in the MaxPreps.com Class 5A regional rankings heading into Friday’s game. The loss to Fleming Island should not cause much of a fall, and thus Middleburg likely heads into its season finale at Class 4A Citra North Marion (4-5) on November 1 in a win-and-they’re-in scenario. A loss to the Colts might keep the Broncos out of the playoffs.
“Our fate is in our hands. If we win, we’re in,” Wolfe said. “If we lose, it’s a roll of the dice.”
Fleming Island is guaranteed a spot in the Class 5A playoffs. The Golden Eagles will tune-up for the postseason with a home game against Fort White (5-3) on November 1.