Ponte Vedra mastered the two-minute drill to perfection with a thrilling come from behind 23-22 road victory Sept. 1 over Florida State High.
Third year starting quarterback Ben Burk directed the offense brilliantly to secure the win, just moments after Michahi Danzy’s dazzling catch and run of 79 yards appeared to have secured victory for the home team.
Danzy, a Florida State University commit, brought the home crowd to its feet when it looked like the Sharks (1-1) had the Seminoles doomed as they were faced with a long 3rd and 25 to go to pick up a first down.
Danzy broke a tackle after receiving a short pass over the middle and then used his four-star speed to race into the end zone to give the Seminoles (0-1) a 22-17 lead with only two minutes remaining.
Sharks’ defensive back James Richardson made a shoe-string tackle of a Seminole running back just inches away from the goal line on a two-point attempt that ultimately proved to be a huge play.
After the ensuing kickoff went into the endzone for a touchback, Burk began his by heroics orchestrating an 80-yard drive to pay dirt in eight plays.
Burk first connected with Griffin Owen for a 25 yards completion that moved the ball to the Shark 45. After Burk scrambled for six yards, he then completed a pair of passes to Cole Madson for 27 and 19 yards to move the ball down to the Seminoles 3-yard line.
Two plays later, Brian Case powered over from the one-yard line with just 13 seconds left on the clock to make the final score read Ponte Vedra, 23, and Florida State High, 22.
However, with time for only one more play, Danzy threw a scare into the Sharks as he nearly broke away for another long touchdown gallop but again it was Richardson who made his second big defensive stop to bring down Danzy as time ran out.
Third-year Ponte Vedra coach Steve Price showered nothing but praise on Burk’s performance.
“He’s a really good quarterback,’ Price said. “You can really see that he has played quarterback for three years. I’m really pleased that Ben is enjoying his senior year, he’s a fine young man for sure.”
Burk had his best day as a Shark by completing 15 of 21 passes to five different receivers for 219 yards.
He also ran for a tough 60 yards to give him a total of 279 yards against a very strong opponent.
With a number of returning veterans from a 2022 team that won 14 straight games before losing in overtime to Cocoa in the state championship game, Florida High came into this season with the highest of expectations.
According to coach Price, they had been ranked as the 21st best team in the state in all divisions.
Madson also had a career day as the senior wideout caught nine passes for 121 yards, and Case was a workhorse as a running back by rushing for 110 yards and two touchdowns.
“I thought we made some good strides and we need to just continue to improve. It’s amazing the improvement from game one to game two, especially the work of our offensive line,” Price said.
In addition to a couple of key tackles from Richardson, Price had the highest of praise for defensive back Joe Mahoney.
“I’ve coached a long time and Joe is the best technician corner that I have ever had. He’s really – really good,” Price gushed.
Mahoney completely locked down Florida High’s four-star receiver Ashton Hampton who had zero receptions for the entire game.
He also knocked down three Seminole passes and also made a huge play in the game when Florida High took the lead at 9-7. Mahoney streaked through to block the attempted extra point in a game that was decided by one point.
