FLEMING ISLAND - Fleming Island High's offense cooked up a strong first half of football to capture a 21-12 lead over Ponte Vedra in a key district 2-5A matchup on Friday only to see the Sharks come back and take the lead late in the fourth quarter to quiet the raucous Golden Eagle stacked stands.
"This one goes right up there with some of the big wins on this field," said Fleming Island coach Derek Chipoletti. "We've lost some small before this and now we won this one small. Hopefully, we can win one big to finish. Any district game for us is a playoff game."
In the fourth quarter, with Ponte Vedra up 29-28, Fleming Island kicker Parker Sirdevan finished a spectacular final offensive series with a 12-yard field goal with four seconds on the clock to seal a 31-29 Fleming Island win. The winning points were further sealed with a fumble recovery on the ensuing kickoff for Fleming Island.
"I was ready to kick from about the 30-35-yard line," said Sirdevan. "Dehmir had a big run inside the 20 and Cibastian moved the ball to the middle of the field and it was just going to work time."
Before Sirdevan's game-winner, senior running back Dehmir Jackson, who was bottled up in the first half by the Shark defense, but finished with 186 yards off a 68-yard run in the second quarter and a 75-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter, took a swing pass at the Shark 42 yard line from quarterback Cibastian Broughton and barreled to the Ponte Vedra eight-yard line to set up Sirdevan's game-winner with 0:04 on the clock.
"When I ran the first one, I got the feel that the safety did not want to tackle me," said Jackson. "On the second long one, I was ready to run him over."
From the onset of the crucial first district game for both teams, the game looked to be a fireworks display of highlight reel plays with
wide receiver Trace Burney, who finished with seven catches and 110 yards with two scores, provided the excitement with a series of catch and runs that highlighted the senior's astounding breakaway speed.
"All that me and Cibastian do comes from working off-season together," said Burney.
A smothering sack by linebacker A.J. Witt put Ponte Vedra at a second and seven with defensive end Jarius Rodgers, who had a fumble recovery and blocked PAT kick for the night, forcing an incomplete on third down.
"Defense wins championships right?" said Rodgers. "I got the green light to go and my job is to get that ball or make him hurry. Nate made the hit on the fumble and the ball popped out behind him and I was there."
After a punt, with 5:04 in the first quarter, Broughton hit a 45-yard slant pass and run to Burney to the Sharks 29 with Jackson barreling to the 16 on the next play before Burney struck with an out pass and stretched into the end zone to score at 3:35.
Fleming Island almost got a quick defensive score with defensive back Tacori Brown juggling and dropping a sure Pick-Six interception to force a punt.
After the Sharks' punt, Broughton, who finished with 205 yards passing on 15 of 18 tosses with two scores, but just 60 yards rushing, found some space and got to the Sharks' 44 on a scramble.
"We trust in all the practice and hard work over the summer to get us here," said Broughton. "They can't cover all my guys."
In the second quarter, Burney again took a simple sideline toss for 23 yards on the first play of the second quarter to put Fleming Island up 14-0.
Ponte Vedra got their first score with quarterback Drew Price, who finished with 294 yards passing, broke to midfield on a carry after the kickoff then hit wide receiver Cam Tietze, a 6'-4" athlete, who outmuscled the ball from Fleming Island's 5'-10" defender Chase Donaldson away from the ball at the Golden Eagle five yard line. Price would barrel in two plays later to put the score at 14-6 with 10 minutes to the half after Rodgers blocked the PAT kick.
"
Jackson took his first handoff after the kickoff 69 yards to the Ponte Vedra 19-yard line to set up two scrambles by Broughton to seemingly bring Sirdevan in for a field goal, but Ponte Vedra got tagged with an encroachment flag to bring the offense back out. Jackson powered in from nine yards out behind Reyes for a 21-6 lead with 4:48 to the half.
Price again put Donaldson on call on defense with a 42-yard pass play to his other wide receiver; this time 6'-3" Jack Berquist, but Kevin Reyes and Witt created a second and 20 for the Sharks at the Fleming Island 34 with two minutes to go. Two runs by Sharks power back Brian Case got a third and one at the Fleming Island two-yard line where the Golden Eagle defense stiffened for a down before Shark fullback JP Dolan pile drove in with less than a minute in the half.
In the second half, Ponte Vedra struck first with Price methodically passing on the sidelines to get to the Fleming Island one-yard line before scoring to put the score at 21-19.
Quickly, Jackson, who finished with 186 yards and two scores, broke away after the Shark kickoff touchback and shredded the field for a 75-yard score to put the Golden Eagle up 28-19.
Rodgers would scoop up a fumble by Price on a Cohen Cioffi hit to give Broughton one more shot with Burney making a spectacular catch near the Shark 20 but Sirdevan was off on a field goal attempt.
In the fourth quarter, Price moved quickly with deep passes and got the Sharks the lead with a pass to wide-out Davitt Doherty in a battle with safety Sebastian Cruz in the end zone and kick to score the game 29-28 for Ponte Vedra.
In their final drive, with 2:38 on the clock, Donaldson got another stellar defensive play to force a Shark incomplete before defensive end Nate Van Hof came out of a pileup to force a fourth and five at the Fleming Island 22-yard line with 2:06 to go.
Fleming Island would stuff Price and move the ball to the Shark 31 with 21 seconds on the clock with a third and one.
Jackson would slide to the Shark three with 12 seconds still on the clock to set up Sirdevan's winning kick as Chipoletti worked the referees to maximize his time-out usage.
Broughton took one more shot to move the ball into the middle of the field before Sirdevan sent it for his kick.