Jacksonville Fl- Last year in the playoffs, Raines was led by their running game as running back Brandon Marshall racked up 200 rushing yards versus West Nassau in their playoff matchup. This year, Raines is led by their defense. In two playoff games against Marianna and West Nassau they’ve surrendered only 9 points, including a 42-0 shut out of the Warriors Friday night.
The conditions were thought to favor the Warriors. A rained soaked field would seemingly neutralize the offensive speed of Raines. Instead, it hampered the execution for West Nassau, allowing for the opportunistic Vikings defense to capitalize on plays. The first was a fumbled pitch as Raine’s defensive end Jovan Bonsell punished the quarterback. The ball careened on the ground and was scooped up by Uriah Ratliff who raced to the endzone for the touchdown. The play would signify a night of defensive dominance across the board.
Not known for their passing, the rushing offense for West Nassau was forced to go to the air, a mistake that Raine’s Aric Horne made them pay for. Horne intercepted the Dallas Mumford pass and raced 30 yards for the touchdown as the rain showered the Raines home field affectionately known as “The Grave Yard”.
It certainly was the end of the road for West Nassau when in the fourth quarter, defensive lineman Janorris Robertson returned a fumble for a touchdown capping a night filled with lots of plays from units that don’t get a lot of lime-light.
One unit that does get lots of attention at Raines is the special teams unit. A unit that featured former NFL All Pro Lito Sheppard who famously set a school record for punt returns(4) in a season in 1998. Current FAU standout Willie Wright broke the record set by Sheppard with five punt returns in 2016. Well this year Daivarus Thomas is attempting to go one step further, he did so by tying Sheppard with his fourth punt return of the season against West Nassau.
Raines (9-1) moves on to the State Semifinal where they will face a Dunnellon team that went 5-5 on the regular season. To say the road to state is a cake walk for Raines is an understatement, as the Vikings will more than likely await the winner of Cocoa and University in the Class 4A State Championship game. However Raines Head Coach Deran Wiley is taking every game seriously as he attempts to get to his third championship appearance in four years.
Photos provided by Eagles Eye Photography
