ORLANDO – They’ve done it again.
The American Heritage Patriots (14-0) have won their third state championship in four years, and the first for Head Coach Patrick Surtain, who finishes his first season undefeated in Plantation.
The Patriots shook off a 13-0 deficit early in the first quarter on the road to victory.
Not even a minute into the game, Ponte Vedra (13-1) found the end zone for a quick 76-yard touchdown pass from QB Nick Tronti to WR Marshall Few, which set the tone for a high-scoring first quarter in the Class 5A State Championship game from Camping World Stadium on Friday.
On the ensuing kickoff, or lack of a kickoff, the Sharks hit a perfect onside kick to give them excellent field position inside of Patriot territory, which would then turn into a 13-0 lead when Tronti hit Hal Swan from 15 yards out.
But the nationally ranked American Heritage would not go down without a fight, putting their first points on the board when QB Jason Brown ran the ball 12 yards for a Patriot touchdown.
“We knew we had to play hard, adversity came up, this was a very good Ponte Verda team. This is just the best feeling in the world to be on top with my family,” said Brown.
The following American Heritage drive resulted in Miles Jones bouncing to the outside for a three-yard score to put them up 14-13 to end the first quarter. Andrew Chatfield chased Tronti around in the first half, taking him down twice in the opening quarter, finishing with 4 TFL. The junior was part of a front seven that combined for six TFL.
“We were a little bit troubled, but we pulled through and got through it. We kept getting in his face, breathing down his neck, and that was the whole thing, we were just trying to breath down his neck like we did. But I’m just glad we won this, we’ve worked so hard for this,” Chatfield said.
Brown threw for his second touchdown of the evening in the second, this time to Dontavius Butler from 5-yards away in the corner of the end zone.
Three minutes later, Tronti hit Few for their second touchdown connection of the game, which put the Sharks within one point of the lead at halftime.
The third quarter included a missed 50-yard field goal from Ponte Vedra, but defense was the story for the rest of the quarter.
Jason Brown finished off a long 15-play, 80 yard drive, when he ran it in from 5-yards out off tackle to put the Patriots up 28-20 on a very important drive for American Heritage. Anthony Schwartz found his stride in the third quarter, striding through the kickoff team for a 59 yard return. If it wasn’t for the kicker, Chris Howard, the score could’ve been more in favor of American Heritage.
Brown rushed it in from one-yard out, five plays later to make it 35-26 Patriots.
Ponte Vedra wasn’t done scoring yet, making a methodical 9-play, 80 yard drive look easy, which was finished off by Nick Tronti from a 2-yard run through the tackles and into the end zone.
American Heritage ticked 2:56 off the clock before they sent a punt away. The kick went away and the Ponte Vedra punt returner looked at it as time clicked away. The Patriots never touched the ball, and the sideline merged with the field as everyone ran onto it.
“Neither team deserved to lose, hats off to Ponte Vedra for a great season. We made some mistakes, but a win is a win, is a win,” said Surtain.
Brown finished 13-for-16 with 81 yards and a touchdown pass. He added 72 yards on the ground – compiling 4 total touchdowns for the Patriots. Jordan Johnson had 134 yards on 21 carries for American Heritage. Tronti finished 16-for-21 with 265 yards and 3 TDs. Few had 154 receiving yards on six receptions and a pair of receiving touchdowns.