Northside- When Kicker Garrett Godfrey lined up to attempt the 33-yard field goal for Fleming Island there were several things at stake. A win on the road was at stake, first place in their district was at stake, and their undefeated record was at stake. As the kick sailed through the uprights with just three seconds on the clock, all of which became a reality for Fleming Island as they defeated First Coast 17-14 Friday night.
Fleming Island improved to 6-0 on the season, but it wasn’t without a fight as First Coast showed they were hungry for a win. The Buccaneers hadn’t won a game since August, and coming off their bye week, Fleming Island knew to expect a tough test from the talented team. Yet, early on it was the Eagles who started off hot. Running-back Tristian Kocak took the direct snap behind a wall of blockers for his first touchdown of the game. Fleming Island led 7-0, but not for long.
First Coast would respond on a quick strike for 75 yards as quarterback Jake Corley hit wide receiver and Virginia Tech commit Tyree Saunders for the touchdown. The quarter would end as both teams were knotted at 7-7.
Quarterback Jacob Corley moved up from junior varsity a few weeks ago, and had little to no practice reps with the varsity starters, yet that didn’t stop him from making a big impact in the game. Corely would score the next touchdown in the game, as he plunged in from one-yard out to give the Bucs a 14-7 lead in the second quarter.
The score wouldn’t remain untied for long as Kocak rushed it in the end-zone for another Eagle touchdown. He’s been an exceptional player for the team, as they’ve capitalized from a strong running game from him, Timmy Thomas, and Sam Singleton.
With the score tied at 14-14 the defenses began to adjust and take plays away. For Fleming Island it was defensive tackle Tyler Cross who punished ball carriers and applied pressure. Yet First Coast’s defense got the job done as well. Defensive back Davon Davis intercepted quarterback Dean Hyams pass to prevent a score late in the game.
In the end however it was Fleming Island’s defense that capitalized off of turnovers when Corley lost control of the ball on a wide receiver screen fumbling the ball into the hands of defensive tackle Jeremiah Jackson in Buccaneer territory. The turnover set up the Godfrey kick, sending Fleming Island home with another “W”.
Fleming Island takes on Buchholz (4-3) next week in another district showdown of 2-7A . First Coast (1-4) will now turn its attention to Atlantic Coast (2-5) in a district battle.
