The Ponte Vedra Sharks and Nease Panthers both handled business in big ways with dominant district wins tonight.
The Sharks rolled past Tocoi Creek 38-6, as they continued to ride the momentum they have had with their sixth straight victory to improve to 6-1 on the season.
“We knew from the beginning what we could be and it’s been awesome, but we can’t stop now, because we want to keep it going,” Ponte Vedra senior defensive back Jor Mahoney said.
Both sides of the ball controlled the game from the start and the Sharks never looked back as they continued to look the part, while still not yet having reached their potential, which is a scary thought for other teams in the state.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Sharks held the Toros to just six points, the third time this season the Sharks have limited an opponent to single digits scoring.
“Our coaches always talk about flying to the ball on every play no matter what,” Mahoney said. “If you come to practice, all 11 are going to the football, and that really translates to the game with our gang tackling and that mindset.”
According to Mahoney, much of the success the Sharks are on can be attributed to the confidence and belief that the team has in each other.
“The demeanor in the locker room is really high right now,” Mahoney said. “We know that we’re a good unit and that we we’ve got what it takes to shut out any team.”
The Sharks will travel to Clay County to take on Orange Park High next Friday.
For Nease, they found themselves in a shootout for the second consecutive Friday night, however, this time the Panthers were the ones who jumped out early and were dictating the game from the lead and defeated visiting Flagler Palm Coast 58-43.
The Panthers led 34-17 at halftime and never looked back as they had answers every time the Bulldogs drove down the field to score.
Big plays were the name of the game for the Panthers, as they had several drives that were less than a handful of plays, which showed their big-play potential once again.
One of those big-play threats all season has been junior wide receiver Maddox Spencer, who took a slant to the house with 7:48 in the second quarter, which also put him with more than 1,000 receiving yards on the season.
The state leader in receiving yards continues to rack them up and there is no telling where he will end the season, with still two games to play on the season.
The Panthers will have a week off as they look to continue to get healthy, especially on the defensive side of the ball and prepare to face the rival Sharks on the road on Oct. 27.
