Starting from its own 26, Pinecrest kept the ball for almost eight minutes on the opening drive of the game. The Patriots scored on a 20-yard misdirection pass across the field from quarterback Will Latham to tight end Chad Floyd.
On its last two possessions of the first half and its first in the second, the Vikings got inside the Patriot 10-yard line each time.
Following a Patriot fumble on its own 40, a 15- yard run by the Vikings’ D.J. Patterson and a roughing penalty took the visitors to the Pat 30. Later, a nine-yard pick-up by Mario Morales gave the Vikings a first down on the Patriot nine. A touchdown run by Patterson was called back by a penalty. Then, Latham caught Patterson in the backfield for a seven-yard loss and the ball went over on downs at the 11.
On the first play following a penalty, the Patriots fumbled it right back giving the Vikings a first and goal from the nine. This time, a 13-yard loss on an end-around play nipped the opportunity.
Morales returned the second half kickoff 51 yards and a 15-yard penalty tacked on to it had the Vikings back in business on the Patriot 20. Three straight carries by Brandon Harner took it to the eight-yard line for a first down. But the Pats’ Chandler Moore caught Morales for a five-yard loss and on third down, James Gibson recovered a Viking fumble.
Midway through the fourth quarter, the Patriots manufactured the first drive by either team since the first half to help sew up the victory. After Deangelo Robinson returned a punt 24 yards to the Viking 31, he carried it four more times before scoring from five yards out making it 12-0.
Junior varsity coach Keith Spencer credited the blocking of fullback Jawayne Kelly as well as tackles Gary Moon and Andrew Pugsley and the rest of the offensive line with making the key drive possible.
“We tried to do some misdirection earlier, but after a while we decided let’s try to blow them (Vikings) off the ball,” Spencer said. “We gave the offensive line the game ball. They created some holes and Deangelo just held on to the football.”
The Patriot elation over the touchdown was short-lived. On the ensuing kickoff, Patterson went left, outracing the Patriots by a wide margin for a 71-yard touchdown, making it 12-6.
Robinson continued his hard running on the next possession before the drive ended with a punt. The Vikings eventually reached the Pinecrest 42 before a fumble recovery by Latham ended the threat.
The Pinecrest varsity team, standing together in the lower part of the stands, was a 12th man exhorting on the underclassmen during the defensive stands. After the game, they went on the field and cheered for their classmates.
“Football wise we’re a family,” Spencer said. “It’s not just junior varsity and varsity, it’s a Patriot family.”
