Middleburg Fl- Travis Pinkard scored on a touchdown run in the second half, following the punishing blocks of his offensive line to give the Broncos a 9-0 lead. Middleburg would never look back washing out Clay, and sailing to victory Friday night in a down pour.
Middleburg had a dominant performance on both sides of the ball. The defense registered it’s second shut-out of the year. They defeated Westside 13-0 and NFEI 42-6 earlier this year. The unit has only given up 6 points all year. Junior Kadin Hanifen leads the team in tackles, senior Peyton Mooningham is second on the team in tackles.
Middleburg also has sacks from six different players with Hanifen, BJ Carter, and Ronell Seward all leading the team in sacks. The unit has been effective in stopping the run and flustering opposing quarterbacks. They did that against Clay all night Friday.
Once again the kicking game for Middleburg has been a major plus. Junior Brock Araujo hit a field goal in the first half to give Middleburg a lead going into halftime. Coach Ryan Wolfe of Middleburg is built on playing defense, running the football, and excelling on special teams. That formula is working once again, as the team went to the playoffs last year.
The offensive line of Jakeyvious Carter, Charles Little, Noah Montoro, Riley Steele, Travis Antienowicz and Mason Zwilling at fullback controlled the trenches up front for Middleburg. This allowed the Broncos to play field position on an extremely soggy and wet field. Pinknard’s score was his third of the year on the ground, and was the culmination of Middleburg wearing down the Clay defense and washing out the rival Blue Devils.
After Clay’s big win over Yulee last week, many thought this game would be closer. Yet the conditions favored Middleburg heavily, and Clay speed at skill positions was a non factor. Quarterback Landon Martin couldn’t hook up with Lavaris Roberts, Antonio Thomas, or Daylen Brown who’ve all combined for six touchdowns for Clay this season. None would come Friday night.
Jaden Boyd, Joel Lowe, Dusty Silcox, and Floyd Reed, handled the secondary for Middleburg to help stifle Clay’s weapons. Boyd, Lowe, Silcox all have interceptions on the year. The unit ended the night with another interception, this time to thwart any hope of a Clay comeback.
Quarterback Carson Stewart showed that he is a dual threat at the position, able to run and get the ball to playmakers like Deshun Green who leads the Broncos in receiving. Middleburg hosts Hollis Christian (0-3) next week, while Clay looks to rebound after a disappointing showing against their rival. They’ll welcome Tocoi Creek (2-1) next week.
Photo Gallery By Heather Isbell
