ORANGE PARK - Any momentum built from this point of the season has to be football capital in the bank for the upcoming playoffs installed by the FHSAA (all teams have a playoff game) and a contest between two Clay County teams with exactly one win in 10 games between them (Raiders over Bishop Kenny 38-35 last week), the Friday night fireworks at Hoyt B. Cotney Stadium looked almost like a playoff game with the Raiders holding on to a 30-27 win Friday night.
“We are getting better and better each week as the guys get more reps in games,” said Orange Park coach Tom Macpherson, now 2-4. “Normally, I coach to earn our way in with games like Baker County and Raines that battle test us. This year, and we still have unbeaten Clay, we are maturing as the season goes. That’s always been my theory.”
The highlight of the game, on both sides as Macpherson was switching out quarterbacks Tavien Wilkerson and Derrionte Myrick to offset passing and rushing attacks and Middleburg coach Karl Smeltzer was giving his junior quarterback free reign to run or throw on the fly, it was the first two plays of the third quarter that exploded the county rivalry into a frenzy.
With Orange Park kicking off, Middleburg fullback Logan Padgett showed off some wheels against the highly athletic Raider secondary by blasting through a center-guard gaping hole and outsprinting the likes of Erickson McConnell, Raider safety, to the end zone for an 83 yard score and a Bronco lead of 13-9.
“I was good with having him play a tailback instead of a fullback,” said Middleburg High coach Karl Smeltzer. “He got a big hole in the middle of the line and took off. Orange Park has a lot of speed in their secondary, but he got the jump. One guy was closing, but Logan got the end zone.”
After the frenzy simmered, Orange Park’s kick returner, wideout DeAllen Adams got loose in front of the Raider sideline en route to a 92 yard kickoff return to paydirt.
With Cotney Stadium about to collapse from the earthquake, penalty flags were seen littering the field.
“Tonight, penalty after penalty after penalty, touchdowns called back,” said Macpherson. “Just when we think we are playing good, sound football, we get hit with a helmet to helmet and lose an offensive lineman.”
Orange Park looked to take control of the Homecoming festivities from the first series behind Myrick who raced to the first score of the night with a nifty spin move at the line of scrimmage then a solo sprint from 28 yards out to put the Raiders on the scoreboard. A two-point pass play to end Maliek Carter was missed.
Padgett came right back with his own theatrics as he on and off called his own number on rollout pass-run options involving running back Joe Greene and wideout Caleb Freytag. Freytag took an end around play for 17 yards to get inside the Raider side of the field with Tyler Reid making the stop to save a possible scoring run. Green kept the drive moving with tough runs off right tackle before Padgett went to Padgett for a drop pass behind the linebackers, but the other Padgett, fullback Logan, got a little excited about all the green grass around him and bobbled the ball away.
A Raider sack got reversed with an unsportsmanlike flag and put the Broncos back in play at the 15 where Logan Padgett punched in in two shots; the final a one yarder. Kicker Zane Haack gave the Broncos a 7-6 lead with 1:41 left in the period.
Neither team could generate offense past midfield until just before the halftime break when Raider linebacker recovered a Freytag fumble at the Middleburg 35.
Wilkerson bobbled the ensuing center snap and got corraled at midfield, but got up and hit Nolan Chambers with a rainbow pass to the Bronco seven.
“My theory all the time is give me young players and a couple years,” said Macpherson. “We got a ton of talent, but also all sophomores and freshmen. We’ll see the result in two years.”
A stuff by Middleburg linebacker Wyatt Underwood, a missed slant to Chambers in the end zone and a sack by Michael Jean-Francois halted the Raiders. Kicker Christian Bartley ending the half with a 20 yard field; 9-7 Raiders.
Second half, Padgett explodes, Broncos 14-9, see aforementioned 83 yard scoring play.
For Orange Park, Wilkerson took a snap at the Bronco 36 and appeared to have a blown play as his fake handoff was to air. The crafty Wilkerson wiggled away from a handful of tacklers to get a first down at the Bronco 23 in one of the more inventive plays of the night.
From there, running back JoJo Restall pounded to the three before a hamper full of laundry hit the field and wound up costing Macpherson 15 yards and an offensive lineman.
“We got them flying to the ball and playing solid football and then something like this happens and we lose a little composure,” said Macpherson.
The loss of composure lasted just two plays as Wilkerson found Adams in tight coverage in the end zone and floated a dime to get the Raiders a 16-14 lead with Bartley’s kick.
Orange Park would get another gift with Luke Padgett escaping the pocket, but losing the ball at the Middleburg 23. The mishap led to a Restall sprint around right end to the three and a touchdown scamper from newcomer Deandre Robinson as Orange Park went up 20-14; 22-14 with a two-point run from Robinson.
“Deandre (Robinson) came in as a manager, saw what we were doing, got excited about being a part of it and wanted to play,” said Macpherson. “He had the grades and I told athletic director Mike Harrison that if I could find a helmet for him, he would suit up. He’s one of the hardest workers in practice just to catch up.”
Luke Padgett was not going to throw in the towel on the next series with a 68 yard bomb to wide out Jordan Wells to the Raider 12 preempting a set of plunges into the Orange Park defense before Luke Padgett buried his way into the end zone to close the game to 23-20. The PAT was blocked as the third quarter ended.
Without taking their foot off the gas pedal, Macpherson unloaded Restall again for a 16 yard opening salvo after the ensuing kickoff, a 12 yarder scamper from Wilkerson to the Bronco 45 and another Restall romp to the Bronco 39.
Keeping the pressure on the line of scrimmage, Robinson went left tackle for 14 before Wilkerson found Carter on an sideline pattern that the lanky wideout stretched just inside the pylon for a score; 29-20 Orange Park, 30-20 with Bartley’s kick.
Padgett again took command to move the Broncos swiftly downfield with just eight minutes to go with three straight runs out of the pocket put the Broncos at midfield in less than a minute.
An incomplete to wideout Will Ridgeway with the throw a tad high, led to an interception on the next play from Raider defensive back Larry Thomas to thwart the effort.
Middleburg got pursuit swarming on defense to half the Restall/Robinson shots into the line to give Padgett one more shot.
Two passes to Freytag got the Broncos from the 29 to the Raider 32 with a shot to Wells putting the Broncos as close as the Raider 22. A sideline pass to Kyle Hinton got Padgett to the 10 where he sprinted in for the final score; 30-27.
The Raiders got a 30 yard run from Wilkerson, but a fourth down at the Bronco 15 failed by inches to give Padgett one more shot with just 22 seconds on the clock and 78 yards to go.
Raider defensive end C.J. Jackson sacked Padgett causing a fumble picked up by Roberts to end the game.