Nease head coach Collin Drafts was looking for a response from his team following last week’s loss to Creekside, and it’s safe to say he got that in a big way.
The Panthers cruised to a 49-6 victory at home against Orange Park that saw a complete outing with all three phases of the game clicking from start to finish.
Donavan Wilson set the tone for the night with a 45-yard pick six on the game’s opening drive to give the Panthers a 7-0 lead.
The Raiders marched down the field and scored to cut their deficit to 7-6, but that was the only points they mustered all night as the Panthers defense tightened up the rest of the way.
“I’m very excited, because we’ve kind of been waiting for one of these games for three years, where it just feels right,” Drafts said. “Credit to the players because they responded like a mature football team.”
Dom Henry affected the game in multiple ways with a touchdown reception and a punt return for a score on the night to help the Panthers jump out to 35-6 halftime lead.
“Marcus Stokes played very sharp tonight,” Drafts said. “The ball barely hit the ground.”
Kenneth Ponzetti returned for the Panthers after being out with a torn labrum since the spring game in May.
“It feels so good to win in my first game back,” Ponzetti said. “I just love these boys.”
The senior made an instant impact, and his presence could be felt on the defensive side of the ball.
His play warranted Drafts presenting him with the sledgehammer after the game as he had the honor of smashing the concrete block that has become a symbol of victory for the Panthers.
“He’s a heck of football player, and we’re happy he’s back,” Drafts said. “He runs the whole back end of the defense.”
In the second half, the Panthers stuck to the ground game, where multiple backs continued to find success.
Samuel Milton received the share of the workload on the Panthers’ opening drive of the second half, and he capped it off with a touchdown run where he ran over an Orange Park defender on his way to the end zone.
“Our offensive line, I don’t know if they did much wrong tonight,” Drafts said. “The protection was right, and the holes were big. We did nothing but run the ball in the second half and it was nothing but 8 to 10 yards a clip.”
Several players played significant time on the night, including seniors Gabe Ohlson and Zian Matthews.
Ohlson started the fourth quarter at quarterback and Matthews ran for a late touchdown that got the Panthers to 49 points. Both players and coaches swarmed Matthews to celebrate with him as he came back to the sideline.
Next up for the Panthers is a road district contest against Atlantic Coast at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 17.
