Ribault HS- Trailing 6-0 at halftime, the defending Duval County Middle School Champion Ribault Colts needed a spark from someone. That spark came from Naeem Burroughs, who took the second half kickoff 60-yards to the end-zone for a Ribault touchdown. That play proved to be the deciding factor in the game, as Ribault won the Duval County Middle School Championship 8-6 over Lake Shore.
Burroughs refused to let his team lose the game. He would be named MVP of the championship, scoring a touchdown on a kickoff return and grabbing an interception in the second half.
The Colts and Coach Aaron Pinckney (Ram) would bring home their second consecutive championship. Said Pinckney after the game to his team, “I’m proud of the way we never gave up. We are a disciplined team, and they (Lake Shore) were a good team, but we were better”. A pivotal point was Ribault’s 2-point conversion. The great play call and execution gave Ribault an 8-6 lead over Lake Shore in the third quarter.
The game came down to defense. Lake Shore completed a long pass to set up first and goal at the 7-yard line with 4 minutes to play in the 4th quarter. The Warriors elected to pass on first down and were sacked on the play by the Ribault defense.
Lake Shore would then burn a timeout, and attempted two more passes resulting in another sack by the aggressive Colts defenders. On fourth down, Lake Shore attempted another pass to the back of the end-zone which sailed high and was defended well by Ribault. The play resulted in a turnover on downs. Ribault would run out the clock.
For Lake Shore, it was a heart breaking loss. An undefeated team that dominated most of the game from time of possession, to yards, and was the only offense to score on the night. Seventh grade quarterback Jaidan Delaune hit several receivers for first downs in the first quarter, however the score remained 0-0 after the one.
In the second quarter, Delaune would power into the endzone behind his offensive line to score the game’s first touchdown. The 2-point conversion was no good and the Warriors led 6-0.
The Lake Shore defense would also make plays throughout the game to stifle the powerful Ribault offense. Hard hitting, sacks, and forced fumbles kept the Lake Shore offense in the game. Yet Ribault’s defense stood tall in the end, keeping Lake Shore out of the end-zone, and keeping the Duval County Middle School trophy home at Ribault.
Championship coaching may have been the difference in the game. Although Ribault trailed the entire first half, most of the game was played on Lake Shore’s side of the 50 yard line. That’s because Coach Ram elected to punt and play field position near mid-field, while Lake Shore rolled the dice and went for it on fourth downs instead of punting. This made Lake Shore put together long drives, which eventually stalled inside the red-zone when it counted.
