St. Johns County- Gamble Rogers is headed back to the SJMSAA football championship game to defend their title after defeating Fruit Cove Wednesday 34-10. Joseph Soto scored three times for the Stingrays, including a pick-6 late in the game to put the icing on the cake.
For Head Coach Matt Potak, it’s been a sweet ride for him and his Stingrays the last two years. They finished last season 11-0 on their way to their second championship, and finished the 2020 regular season 7-0. Two back to back undefeated seasons in one of the most competitive middle school conferences in Northeast Florida is a major accomplishment. However, their work is far from over. As they look to repeat, they have a tall test in store. They’ll face Landrum in the Class 3A SJMSAA Championship next week.
Landrum advanced to the 3A championship game after defeating a familiar foe in Murray in the playoffs. Landrum also defeated Murray in 2018 for their second SJMSAA title. This year’s Lions are led by the rushing attack of Emmett Grzebin and Mason Hausman who have led them in yardage. The Lions now look forward to plying for their their third title next week against defending champion Gamble Rogers. A team they fell to earlier in the season 16-6.
Liberty Pines advanced to their first county championship after defeating Valley Ridge in dramatic fashion. Liberty Pines were down by 7 with 3 minutes left in the 4th quarter for a chance to move on to the middle school football championship game to occur next week. Quarterback Jaden Weatherly, threw a 55-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Marco Lanza to bring Liberty Pines to within one point. A taunting penalty after the touchdown was assess on our extra point. Down 20-21, Liberty elected to go for the 2-point conversion now from the 18 yard line after the penalty. Weatherly hit Lanza again on a beautiful pass to the end-zone for the win. Liberty Pines 22, Valley Ridge 21. Liberty will face Patriot Oaks for the championship.
Patriot Oaks defeated Palms Valley 21-14 to advanced to their first ever championship game. At 6-2 , the Chargers have navigated a successful season with big plays and big hits. They’ll get a shot for a rematch with Liberty Pines, who they fell to in week #1, 14-0.
