By Marco Martinez
Contributing Writer
Twitter – @MarcoJMartinez_
P.K Yonge Blue Wave
Coach: Marcus McDonald
Record: 4-1
Key Players: #1 Jacoby Byrd (JR., WR/FS), #2 Israel Wilcox (SR., RB/CB), #4 Carter Kutchko (SR., QB), #6 Pernell Sylvester (SR., RB/OLB), #7 Jacari Byrd (JR., WR/SS), #10 Quintin Williams (SR, WR), #17 Deontae Mavin (JR., WR/DB)
Outlook: The Blue Wave had an impressive outing last week against the Seven Rivers Warriors, 78-0, which followed the 76-0 rout of the Bronson Eagles. Make it two shutouts in a row for the Blue Wave, and winning by a margin of 70+ points, making it a combined total of 154 points in the past two games. Eighty is the school’s record and they were just two points shy of hitting their mark in one game and four points in another in back-to-back weeks.
Jacobi Byrd, Pernell Sylvester and Israel Wilcox man-handled the Warriors defense with ease as they amounted a combined seven touchdowns, (Byrd 2, Sylvester 2, Wilcox 3). Five touchdowns were scored in the first quarter, including 57 points in the first half alone.
Head coach Marcus McDonald emphasized that penalties were an issue a week prior and they were even worse this game, but he seemed fine with it this week.
“These penalties that were called on our kids were because they didn’t back down from intimidation,” said McDonald. “I’ll take those, because our guys were being dominant, and most of the penalties were because we were putting guys on the ground with pancake blocks.”
The game also marked their fourth win of the season which is already a huge step in the right direction for the Blue Wave compared to their last couple of seasons. McDonald has stuck with three steps since the beginning of the season and will stick with it until the very end.
“Alignment, assignment, and job,” said McDonald, when asked about how he got to this successful point in the season. “When I first got here, these guys didn’t know how to line up correctly, they didn’t know who they were supposed to block on their assignment and they also didn’t know how to execute and finish their job. So, we work on fundamentals every day.”
The Blue Wave feel determined to win in their second away game of the year.
Bell Bulldogs
Coach: Joey Whittington
Record: 1-3
Key Players: #2 Branden Wallace (JR., FB/LB), #5 Wyatt Thornton (SR., DB/WR), #10 Jonathan Walls (SR, QB/DB), #15 Jonathon Neudert (JR, LB/WB)
Outlook: The Region 3-1A Bulldogs are having a tough start to the season. They’ve only scored 20 points in the past four games, and those 20 points came in a win against the 1-4 Franklin County Seahawks. But, the Bulldogs momentum has drastically shifted after losing to Hawthorne 60-0 two weeks back, a team that gave the Blue Wave their only loss of the season thus far. Fortunately for the Bulldogs, they’ve had a week’s worth of rest and they also play at home this Friday, where it seems they play to their best potential.
Head coach Joey Whittington is aiming for a playoff appearance for the first time since 2013 and there are still a lot of games left in the season. Unfortunately, their huge loss of their star John Powers, who transferred to their district rival Lafayette has diminished their running game. But, if they manage to beat the hot Blue Wave, then things could be looking up for the Bulldogs this season.
Prediction: P.K. Yonge 54, Bell 7
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: Bell High School, Bell, FL
