By Johnny Inama
Vs. Tocoi Creek
The Ponte Vedra High School (PVHS) Sharks football team played their seventh game of the season against Tocoi Creek High School (TCHS) Toros on Oct. 13, looking to pick up their sixth straight win. The Sharks started out the game with a 73-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver, Cole Madson, to give Ponte Vedra the lead early in the first quarter. The Sharks then expanded their lead to two scores with a 4-yard rushing touchdown from junior running back, Brian Case, to make it 14-0 at the end of the first quarter. The Toros offense slowly made their way down the field towards the end of the first half and found the end zone, but a missed extra point made the score 14-6 going into the half.
The Sharks came out and dominated the second half, with multiple passing touchdowns from senior quarterback, Ben Burk, to make it a blowout win of 38-6. This would turn out to be the third straight 30-point win from the Sharks, as they have caught major momentum towards the end of the season. “It was a great team win, we started off slow but both sides of the ball picked it up and made big plays throughout the game. We came in with a game plan and executed,” said Madson when asked about how the Sharks overcame the challenges they faced during the first half.
Burk finished 11 for 16 for 212 passing yards and 3 touchdowns, with another 32 yards on the ground. Case finished with 20 carries for 75 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns, with another 21 yards through the air. The Sharks leading receiver was senior wide receiver, Griffin Owen, with 3 receptions for 92 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Madson added another 86 yards and a touchdown as well. Sophomore linebacker, Talan Babin, had the lone sack of the game for the Sharks, and his brother, senior linebacker, Maddux Babin, had an interception that he returned for 44 yards.
The Sharks look to carry the momentum on to Oct. 20 as they face a 3-4 Orange Park High School, as Ponte Vedra will look for their seventh straight win before the highly-anticipated rivalry matchup against Nease High School.
Vs. Bishop Kenney
The Ponte Vedra High School (PVHS) Sharks football team faced their sixth opponent of the season, Bishop Kenny High School (BKHS) Crusaders on Oct. 6 in a game between two 4-1 opponents. The Sharks started out with a huge momentum-building play on the opening kickoff, as senior kicker, Evan Redmond, picked up a fumble recovery to give the Sharks the ball in BKHS territory early. “Getting a recovered fumble on the first play of the game, which is far from normal for me, was a really great feeling,” said Redmond. The Sharks capitalized off the turnover and punched it in from four yards out with junior running back, Brian Case. The Sharks defense quickly gave the ball back to the offense, and the Sharks expanded their lead to 14-0 with a 12-yard receiving touchdown from junior tight end, Landon Okla. The Crusaders finally found success on offense with a touchdown, but a missed extra point made the score 14-6. The Sharks matched the Crusader touchdown with a 96-yard kickoff return from senior wide receiver, Ryan Smith to expand the Sharks lead to two scores again. The dominance continued on the defensive side as they quickly gave it back to the offense, followed by a 55-yard touchdown from Okla to make it 28-6 to end the first quarter. The Crusaders scored yet again to open the second quarter, making it 28-13 Sharks. The Sharks followed the Crusader score yet again with another Okla touchdown, but a missed fake extra point made it 34-13. The offense continued the monsoon with a long touchdown to senior wide receiver, Cole Madson, to make it 41-13 at the half.
The Sharks came out of the half and found the end zone yet again with a rushing touchdown from senior running back, Joey Stephens, and another rushing touchdown from junior quarterback Drew Price. The defense held BKHS to just one touchdown in the second half, and the game finished with a final score of 55-20, making it the highest-scoring game for the Sharks since the 2016 season.
Senior quarterback, Ben Burk, went 9 for 13 for 172 yards and 4 passing touchdown, with another 41 yards on the ground. Case finished with 23 carries for 149 yards and a touchdown, with 2 receptions for 13 yards through the air. Okla finished with 3 catches for 73 yards and 3 touchdowns, and Madson finished with 2 receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown. Senior linebacker, Joshua Kim finished with 2 sacks, and three other players finished with a tackle for loss. This win was certainly huge for the Sharks, moving them to 5-1 on the year, and they will now face a 4-3 Tocoi Creek High School on Oct. 13 in the homecoming game.
Featured Image: Sharks offensive line faces off against BK defense
