PNJ Power Poll: Pensacola Catholic stays at No. 1; Tate football takes No. 2
Here’s the PNJ Power Poll heading into Week 3. Pensacola Catholic stayed on top. Who took the No. 2 slot after a tough second week of the year?
It was a tough night for West Florida as the Jaguars’ football team struggled to get the offense going against Fort Walton Beach on Friday.
The Vikings emerged victorious, 14-0, on a pair of Ramon Sampson touchdowns, both from within 11 yards during the second and fourth quarters.
West Florida, now 1-2 after a thrilling overtime win during Week 2 over Booker T. Washington, hits the road next week at Walton.
Here are three takeaways from Friday’s loss.
Lack of execution
The Jaguars are running a primarily option-run offense, handled by a multitude of running backs and quarterback Xavier Finley. At first, it was working when Val Johnson broke off a large run during the Jaguars’ first drive of the game to put the team within five yards of the end zone.
But the buck stopped there, and West Florida couldn’t convert.
There were a few other decent-sized runs from the Jaguars, but the offense was stonewalled several times by the Fort Walton Beach defense. In the postgame huddle, West Florida head coach Harry Lees told his team that, in this type of offense, the team has to be “nearly perfect” for it to succeed.
On Friday, it wasn’t.
“There are a lot of different parts that have to be working and are on the same page,” Lees said. “We did some good things. We just weren’t consistent enough to make it happen. … We got some looks at what we wanted. I think we’re too young in the offense to say, ‘Oh, we can just jump to that.’”
Defense holding strong
Whether it was by design or due to wet conditions on Friday, Fort Walton Beach had a run-heavy offense, as well, using a handful of different players. The Vikings were able to penetrate the middle of the defensive line a few times for larger gains, and found some success on the outside during pitches and sweeps.
But the Jaguars’ defense, ultimately, didn’t give up too much as the offense struggled. Outside of the two touchdowns, both within the red zone, Fort Walton Beach was stonewalled and was forced to punt a few times from its own territory.
Led by a few key players like Andre Caldwell on the defensive line, plus Trevor Rogers at linebacker, West Florida’s defense gave the offense a fighting chance.
“I just hate that we didn’t answer the call on offense, because I felt like we had some things going. Fort Walton Beach had a good plan and did a good job,” Lees said. “Whether we win or lose, we have to keep getting better because we know where we want to be at the end of the year – and we have a long way to go.”
Remember the Titans
Forty years after Woodham High School won its last state championship in 1984, the West Florida football team transformed for one night into the Woodham Titans, representing the old high school that closed down after the 2006-07 school year.
The Jaguars remembered the Titans on “Woodham Night,” sporting unique jerseys that paid tribute to the team that used to play on the same football field. Woodham was housed where West Florida now is on East Burgess Road in Pensacola.
Dozens of Woodham alumni from the 1960s to the early 2000s were in attendance on Friday, and several took part in a campus tour before the game and also had a cookout in an alumni tent near the field where the 1984 state championship football game was being played on a TV monitor.
For some Woodham alums, it was the first time back to an area football game – or back to the Pensacola area, in general, as some alums traveled in from out of state. Lees said there was a large group “supportive” of the night, and he was glad that West Florida was able to “pull this off.”
“The only thing that really could’ve messed this up was the weather, and they still came out. I’m thankful it still got done,” Lees said. “We would’ve liked to get a win for them. But I don’t think it was about that for the Woodham folks. It was about them coming together on this campus, and that was special for them. …
“I’m proud of the way that was handled. I just wish we could’ve come away with a win.”
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Publish date : 2024-09-06 13:00:00
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