Jacksonville Fl- Head Coach and former Jacksonville Jaguar quarterback Mark Brunell said it best, “What a moment, congratulations on the biggest win in this school’s history”. The Episcopal football team had something to prove Friday night. Labeled with the moniker of a team that’s not as strong as it’s 9-1 record suggests, the Eagles came out eager to prove to the high school football community that they were legit.
Early on Baldwin (7-3), made a legitimate push to win the game quickly. Bryce Tompkins hit Tayveon Sutton on a short touchdown pass in the first quarter giving the Indians a 6-0 lead after the failed PAT. Baldwin’s defense would hold Episcopal scoreless in the first quarter as Baldwin headed to the second with a lead.
Tucker Tomberlin would go to work in the second quarter. The junior quarterback hit his big tight end Nick Elksnis for a touchdown. It wouldn’t be the last time the two would connect as Episcopal took a 7-6 lead.
Episcopal’s defense would step up for the team as Ershod Jasey intercepted a Baldwin pass. The interception would not yield points for Episcopal as the Eagles would be forced to punt.
The back and forth contest would shift on special teams however, as Christian Sanderson of Baldwin returned a punt for a touchdown to give the Indians a 12-7 lead in the second quarter. Jack Bogan of Episcopal would keep his team close with an interception against Baldwin to give the ball back to the offense. This set up Jasey to jet to the endzone with another scoring opportunity for Episcopal as he ran in for a touchdown. Episcopal would reclaim the lead 14-12 with 3:00 minutes remaining in the second
Yet Baldwin would not go away. as they secured a touchdown with just seconds left in the first half as the Indians took a 19-14 lead into halftime.
The second half made for a furious of events that would shape the conclusion of the contest. After both teams scored on field goals and touchdowns respectively, Tomberlin and Elksnis would connect again for a touchdown to give Episcopal a 21-19 lead in the third quarter. Jasey would add to the score on a touchdown run, as Episcopal seemed to pull away in the fourth quarter.
Tompkins would keep his team in the game, when he hit Sutton again for a touchdown, as the Indians closed the gap trailing Episcopal 28-25 in the fourth quarter. Yet turnovers ultimately did Baldwin in. First an interception by Episcopal’s #13 #Kaiman Clark stopped a scoring opportunity. Finally, a fumble recovery for a touchdown late in the fourth sealed the win for the Eagles.
Episcopal (10-1) will move on to the regional semifinals to face 9-1 Florida State University ( Florida High). FSU is ranked #2 in the region and will host the playoff game. Episcopal’s faithful march in the post season continues to make believers out of many, as they will attempt to upset the #2 team in the region on the road in Tallahassee.
