Saint Johns, Fl- A 54-yard field goal by Bartram Trail kicker David Kemp was the deciding play to lift Bartram Trail over Oakleaf 30-27 Friday night. Kemp, a Memphis commit tied his career long as the 54-yarder sailed through the uprights. Said Kemp after the game “I knew the trust and preparation that I’ve done in the off-season, I just stepped up, hit a few into my net, went out there and God did the rest”.
Bartram, who trailed Oakleaf by as much as 10-points in the second quarter, walked the lead down by halftime as both teams were deadlocked at 20-20.
It was the offensive showcase that everyone expected, with so many talented athletes on the field from both teams. Oakleaf’s Walter Simmons, III rushed for two touchdowns and passed for another in the first half for the Knights. Simmons (Eastern Carolina Commit) dazzled the away crowd with his power and elusiveness, on an 80-yard touchdown run, which kept the Bears defense off balance.
To keep pace with Oakleaf, Bartram converted field goals of 49-yards and 28-yards by Kemp. Also scores from Ajay Jones III on a 3-yard run and Santino Marucci on a 7-yard touchdown knotted the score after one half of play.
Finally, defense took center stage in the third quarter as both teams failed to score. Tre Thomas secured an interception for Oakleaf, to keep Bartram out of the end- zone. The red zone stop prevented Bartram from taking the lead in this very close contest, which seemed to work in Oakleaf’s favor.
Midway through the fourth quarter Running Back Adrian Grey burst through the Bartram defense for a 72-yard touchdown run to give Oakleaf a 27-20 lead in the fourth with 8:00 to play.
Bartram would respond as Ajay Jones ran it in for the second time, this one from 14-yards out tying the score at 27-27. With the score locked at 27-all, Kemp would play the part of Superman, hitting the game winner to joust the Knights 30-27.
This is the second year in a row that Oakleaf has fallen to Bartram as the two teams seem to always play a high scoring affair. Frank Garis and Oakleaf’s last win over Bartram came in 2018, with a 69-53 score. The Knights look to keep the points coming and rebound after the loss against Nease (1-5) next week.
Bartram’s win gives them 19-straight victories over area opponents. In fact, the last loss the Bears suffered to a Northeast Florida opponent was in 2018 to Oakleaf. An impressive feat by Coach Darrell Sutherland, who looks to make it 20 games as Bartram hosts Sandalwood (5-1) next week.
Featured Image by Will Brown
