St. Johns Fl- Two teams that vied for the coveted St. Johns Middle School Athletic Association Division 2 championship in recent years, met for the first time in the title game on Wednesday. This matchup would determine who would hoist the trophy. Patriot Oaks lost last year to Freedom Crossing, and looked to finish the job. Valley Ridge lost two years ago in the championship game to Liberty Pines, as they looked to finally get over the ridge and out of the valley of runners-up.
The contest started with lots of action as both teams scored on their first drives. For Valley Ridge they completed a long pass to set themselves up in the Patriot Oaks redzone. Valley Ridge would score just a few plays later on a quarterback run up the middle for the game’s first touchdown.
Touchdown Valley Ridge! They lead 6-0 1st qtr over Patriot Oaks! pic.twitter.com/iJVDxxFiYy
— Duval Sports (@DuvalSports) November 16, 2023
Valley Ridge would add the 2-point conversion to go up early on Patriot Oaks 8-0 in the first quarter. The score shocked many in attendance as Patriot Oaks came in as the top seed in division 2. The two teams had faced each other earlier in the season with Patriots Oaks winning. It didn’t take long for them to respond.
2- point conversion is good! Valley Ridge leads 8-0 over Patriot Oaks! 1st qtr pic.twitter.com/t9rqIt7zUN
— Duval Sports (@DuvalSports) November 16, 2023
On their ensuing drive, Patriot Oaks started the game with a few runs to take a look at the defense. That’s all they would need to adjust, faking a run and rolling out to the right to set up a pass to a wide open receiver for a long touchdown. Patriot Oaks would tie the game in the first quarter 8-8 after getting the 2-point conversion.
That’s as close as Valley Ridge would get on the night. As the rain starting coming down in the second quarter at Bartram Trail, the mistakes and misfortunes started pouring in for Valley Ridge. Patriot Oaks would capitalize on them, scoring 28 unanswered points in the championship to take home the victory 36-8.
With the win, Patriot Oaks won it’s second championship in four years. The Chargers also won their second D2 championship in school history. The Chargers, led by Rutgers commit and Creekside quarterback Sean Ashenfelder defeated Liberty Pines in 2020.
