No matter what sport it is, when Ponte Vedra High and Nease High meet on the athletic playing field it always seems to be an epic battle and that was the case once again when the Sharks defeated the Panthers 10-7 in a boys lacrosse matchup on Feb. 26.
The Sharks jumped out to a 7-2 halftime lead as they controlled the pace and found success with offensive opportunities.
“Every year is a close group, but this year, especially so,” Ponte Vedra junior J.P. Dolan said. “We all just know each other, and I’ve been playing with a lot of these guys since I moved in fourth grade. We know what each other is going to do out there and it just makes it awesome playing with them.”
Dolan stood out for the Sharks with a multi-goal night against the Panthers.
“One of the big things for me this year was to just get faster, and also to remember to have fun out there,” Dolan said. “So far, I feel like I’m playing the best I’ve ever played.”
The Panthers’ deficit grew to as much as seven before they began to find some momentum of their own thanks to senor Nik Perkins who had a trio of goals and helped give life to the Panthers’ attack as they outscored the Sharks in the third quarter and only trailed 9-6 heading into the fourth.
“When our offense is clicking we’re the best in the state bar none, but we’re also very high and very low, and it’s all about finding that consistency as a team,” Dolan said. “Physically we’re all big and fast, but it comes down to being a mental thing. It’s all between the ears.”
The Sharks made the necessary corrections and sinched up their defense in the final quarter, as both teams only managed one more goal each and the Sharks secured another win in the series over the rival Panthers.
“In any sport, beating Nease is the best, because we know them and they know us,” Dolan said. “That’s what we live for around here.”
The three-point difference against the Panthers was the closest outcome the Sharks had seen in their season to that point until a narrow 8-6 victory over Jupiter High on March 1.
The win over Jupiter saw them improve to a record of 8-0 at that time prior to their first loss of the season, a 10-6 defeat on the road to fellow unbeaten Orlando Bishop Moore High on March 4.
The Panthers answered the loss to the Sharks nicely with home consecutive wins over South Walton High, 7-6, and Palm Coast Matanzas, 17-2, as they have found their groove of late and have a winning record at 4-3.
