Blue Jays run past Tarpons

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By Tom Dodge
Sports Editor
CREOLE – It was tale of two halves between the Blue Jays and Tarpons.
With the game tied 14-14 at the half, St. Edmund outscored South Cameron 41- 13 in the second half as the Blue Jays rolled to a 55-27 District 4-1A win.
“In the first half it was very sloppy and we made a lot of mistakes,” St. Edmund head coach Andy Hargroder said. “I was dissapointed by the fumbles and mistakes in the first half, but we did recover in the second half to put the game away.
“It wasn’t pretty, but it was still a win.”
After forcing South Cameron to a short punt on the game’s first possession, the Blue Jays took eight plays to go 34 yards.
St. Edmund quarterback Brad Miller sealed the drive with a 1-yard touchdown plunge and Peyton Marcantel’s PAT gavve the Jays a 7-0 lead with 6:41 left in the first quarter.
After another Tarpon punt, the Jays were quickly halted when South Cameron’s Brayden Richard snared an interception.
The Tarpons recorded three first downs before the Jays stopped the drive as Austin Poncho recovered a SC fumble at the St. Ed. 34.
Three plays later the Blue Jays fumbled the ball back and Brant Little recovered the turnover near midfield.
South Cameron went 43 yards in 10 plays as Caleb Little connected with Ty Trosclair and Richard to keep the drive alive.
The Blue Jays were flagged for offsides on fourth down and Little then found Richard open for an 11-yard touchdown.
Diego Morales’ kick tied the game 7-7 with 8:25 left in the second quarter.
A strong kick return by Noah Clause put St. Ed’s in great position near midfield, but two plays later the Jays gave the ball back when Trosclair recovered a fumble.
The Tarpons were moving the ball, but Brad Miller picked off a Caleb Little pass to stop the drive.
On the very next play, the Jays fumbled the ball back to South Cameron as Brendon Doxey bounced on the loose ball at the Jays’ 43.
It took plays for the Tarpons to score, capped by a 38-yard touchdown strike from Caleb Little to a wide open Kyler Little.
Morales kicked the extra point to give South Cameron a 14-7 advantage with 3:20 left in the half.
The Jays answered with an 11-play, 58-yard drive to close out the second period.
Luke Doucet had several key runs and Brad Miller capped the drive with a 1-yard scoring run.
Marcantel’s kick tied the game 14-14 with 21 seconds left before intermission.
The Jays began to take control of the game with a 27-point third quarter surge.
Clause raced to the Tarpon 32 with the second half kickoff and five plays later, Doucet scored on an 8-yard run.
Marcantel’s PAT gave the Jays a 21-14 lead with 9:56 left in the third period.
The Tarpons quickly responded when Caleb Little connected with Richard for 57-yard pass and then found Kyler Little open for a 36-yard touchdown.
The PAT failed and the Jays held onto a 21-20 lead with 8:45 remaining in the third frame.
Another impressive kick return by Clause moved the Jays near midfield and St. Edmund quickly scored on a 52-yard touchdown run by Brad Miller.
Marcantel’s PAT increased the Jays’ lead to 28-20 with 7:46 left in the period.
After a short South Cameron punt, the Jays moved 30 yards in just four plays, capped by a 17-yard touchdown run by Brad Miller. The PAT failed, but St. Ed’s led 34-20 with 5:17 remaining in the third quarter.
The Tarpons were held inches short on fourth down at the Jays 30 and the St. Edmund offense took just three runs by Doucet to score on the tired South Cameron defense.
Doucet broke loose for 5 and 25-yards and then scored on a 2-yard run. Marcantel’s PAT increased the Jays’ lead to 41-20 with 1:56 left in the period.
A misplayed kick off put the Tarpons inside their own 10 and a short punt gave the Jays the ball at the South Cameron 20.
Three plays later, Doucet scored from 10-yards out and Marcantel’s kick pushed the Jays ahead, 48-20 with 11:41 left in the game.
After the fifth South Cameron punt, the Jays mounted their longest drive of the night, going 80 yards in seven plays.
Three strong runs by Marcantel and an unsportsmanlike penalty by the Tarpons helped the Jays move int he South Cameron territory.
Three plays later, Marcantel broke loose for a 29-yard touchdown run. His PAT pushed the Jays ahead, 55-20 with 6:20 left in the game.
South Cameron fought for one last scoring drive as the Tarpons went 75 yards in eight playss, aided by catches from Richard and Kyler Little.
A roughing the quarterback penalty kept the drive alive and Caleb Little connected with Kyler Little for a 9-yard scoring strike. Morales’ PAT closed the margin to 55-20 with 3:41 left in the game.