It was a struggle offensively for the Ponte Vedra Sharks against the Baker County Wildcats during a 26-7 loss on Friday night.
On the third play of the contest, Benjamin Burk took a shot down the right sideline, but the pass intended for Alex Cotto was intercepted.
The Wildcats capitalized on the turnover with a scoring drive where running back Jamarian Baker was the focal point of the gameplan.
He punched in a touchdown run near the goal line to put the Wildcats up 7-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Despite not being able to consistently move the ball, the defense kept the Sharks in the game with some hard hits, including one by sophomore Dillan Ruise and a sack by Trooper Price on the same drive as the Sharks forced a punt late in the first quarter.
Pressure from the front seven was also something the Sharks were able to muster up against the Wildcats, although they did a nice job on offense of getting the ball out quickly to their elusive playmakers.
Nathan Bunkosky made a highlight reel play on the ball from his safety position to intercept a pass in the end zone and halt what appeared to be another Wildcats scoring opportunity early in the second quarter.
However, the turnovers began to pile up for the Sharks, who gave the ball right back by losing a fumble three plays after the interception.
The next time, the Wildcats made sure to score as Baker scored his second rushing touchdown to make it 13-0 after the snap on the extra point attempt sailed over the holder’s head.
The Wildcats led 20-0 at halftime after Cam Smith ran for a 6-yard touchdown run.
Both defenses were pitching shutouts in the second half, until the Sharks finally got on the scoreboard with a rushing touchdown with four minutes left in the game.
The Sharks onside kick was unsuccessful, and Baker scored his third rushing touchdown with a couple of minutes to go for the Wildcats shortly after.
