TAMPA – The East squad may not have won the battles on the offensive stats sheet, but they won the most important stat of them all–the scoreboard. The East used the strength of a quick-strike touchdown on the first play of the game and then sealed the deal with two pick-sixes on defense to take away a 27-10 victory against the West on a blustery Saturday evening at Raymond James Stadium.
Just like East Head Coach Keith Chattin of Lennard said he would, the first play from scrimmage saw a flea-ticker perfectly executed from Bloomingdale’s Bobby McIntyre to Spoto’s Terrance Williams from 76 yards out–and following the Michael Bishop (East Bay) extra point and just thirteen seconds into the game, it was 7-0. The West countered on their opening drive of the game with an 11-play, 48 yard drive that ended with a Stephen Yaffe (Plant) 40-yard field goal to pull the West within a 7-3 margin.
Following a Josh Mendoza (Cambridge Christian) punt for the East, Robinson’s Malik Tyson brought his West team back onto the field and were beginning to move the ball, but a tipped pass fell right into the hands of Tampa Bay Tech’s Marchalo Judge playing at the Safety position. It was the first of two interceptions for the Western Illinois-commit on the evening.
The West went back onto the field and was in the midst of a fourteen play, 47-yard drive that ended in downs following a series of penalties and a sack. Perhaps one of the most crucial plays of the evening for the West–a 46-yard TD pass by Middleton’s Michael Edoga–was negated by an illegal shift call. Following the sequence, the East–led by Wharton’s Bryce Martin stalled after a seven play drive that crossed midfield. The West was able to get the ball down into East territory late in the second quarter, but Yaffe’s 49-yard attempt sailed wide as time expired.
The East’ second scoring opportunity of the evening was setup by Riverview’s Cory Jones off of Malik Tyson–the Sharks LB stepped in front of the pass and brought it down to the West’s five yard line. The East could only manage a field goal out of the process however as the West Defense bowed up–allowing Bishop to kick a 26-yard field goal to put the score at 10-3 with just over four minutes remaining in the third quarter.
After an exchange of punts, the East was able to sustain their longest drive of the evening with a 10-play, 67-yard sequence with Plant City’s Markese Hargrove getting the majority of the work. The Raiders running back led the East in rushing on the evening. That drive ended with a Bishop 22-yard field goal to extend the lead to ten at 13-3.
On the following possession and the West starting to push a little bit, Cory Jones picked off his second pass of the night–this time off Michael Edoga and brought it back to the house for a pick-six. Following the extra point, it was 20-3 with just over five minutes remaining in the contest. The West wasn’t done though–as Edoga sought some redemption he rolled out and sent a cannon-shot down the field to a streaking Jamie Reid from Leto for a 72-yard touchdown to bring the margin back to ten at 20-10.
With the East trying to keep their feet on the gas, they were forced to punt the ball back to the West after a quick three-and-out and that’s when Reid broke-off a 60-yard run deep into the East territory. That’s where the momentum ended for the West however and the clock hit zeros. The West finished the evening with over 200 yards rushing alone while the East ended with 181 yards of total offense.
The offensive MVP for the West was Middleton’s Michael Edoga. The Tigers QB finished 7-of-13, 142 yards, TD, 2int’s and also rushed for 51 yards on 12 carries. The Defensive MVP for the West was Jefferson DE, Jackie Moore. The Offensive MVP for the East was Bloomingdale QB Bobby McIntyre. The Bulls QB finished 3-of-7 for 107 yards and a touchdown. The Defensive MVP for the East was Riverview’s Cory Jones–the Sharks LB picked off two passes–one for a touchdown–and was involved in several tackles.
The East has now won six of the last eight meetings and now lead the overall series 8-7.
