Orange Park FL– The sequel of any great movie is almost never as good as the first. In the case of Oakleaf versus Bartram Trail, this fact proved to be true, as their regular season match up provided much more suspense than their playoff blockbuster battle Friday night. With the stakes as high as they could get, and all eyes centered on St. Johns County, Bartram completely dominated Oakleaf to move on to the next scene of the 8A playoff saga.
The opening scene featured junior Eric Weatherly and senior Santino Marucci leading the way for Bartram. Affectionately known as “the weatherman” Weatherly stormed out of the gate with a 20-yard catch and run from quarterback Santino Marucci to the end-zone giving Bartram an early 7-0 lead.
Marucci would follow that act with his own line of work, take a zone read 13-yards for a score as the Bears increased their lead to 14-0 in the first quarter. A David Kemp field goal gave Bartram a 17-0 lead.
The next scene saw Marucci show his versatility as a multi-faceted talent. First, the Wake Forest commit showcased his legs, rushing for a 10-yard touchdown in the second.
To follow it up, Marucci showcased his arm talent hitting Tight End Eli Sutherland for another score in the second quarter. That touchdown would balloon the Bartram lead to 31-7 headed in to halftime.
Oakleaf could never get into a rhythm, and the Bartram defense made sure that the Knights were knocked off their high horse. Pressure from the Bears harassed Simmons III resulting in an early sack. Michael Manno would recover a fumble and Lorenzo Aramayo secured an interception for the Bears as the game turned into a horror movie for Oakleaf.
Fittingly, the grand finale was delivered by senior Ajay Jones III who in the second half acted as the proverbial show stopper. The senior running-back took the hand off left, then cut sharp up field breaking tackles on his way to a 45-yard touchdown as Bartram sabotaged any hopes of an Oakleaf comeback.
Final Bartram Trail 51 Oakleaf 7
Bartram now sets their sights on Spruce Creek (6-3), who defeated West Port 35-12. With the win, Bartram Trail and Coach Darrell Sutherland improve to 9-1 and still unbeaten by local teams this season.
