In Middle School action the Oceanway Buccaneers defeated the Ribault Trojans 24-10 at Oceanway Middle. The Buccaneers scored first on a touchdown run by #10 Quarterback Jamal Gelsey to go up 8-0.
Ribault would respond with a drive of their own, going deep into Buccaneer territory but their drive stalled inside the five yard line as Oceanway’s defense held on a goal-line stand.Ribault’s defense would score first on the afternoon when they forced Oceanway to begin their drive out of their own end-zone. Three plays later the Trojans defense pressured Gelsey and was able to score a safety.
On the ensuing possession, Ribault’s Quarterback #15 Wilfrod Jones connected with Wide Receiver # 10 Jacques Sexton on short pass to the right to which Sexton took the pass 55 yards for the Trojans touchdown. Ribault led at the half 10-8. In the second half, Oceanway began to control the line of scrimmage. They turned to their work horse running back #35 Leonard Harris who ran hard all afternoon. Ironically, Harris would score his first touchdown through the air on a 60 yard catch and run.
Oceanway would stop Ribault on their next couple of drives thanks to constant pressure applied by the defensive line. The Bucs were able to rack up the sacks against Ribault who resorted to the pass in order to try and get back into the game. Harris would seal the deal with a direct snap power run from seven yards out, putting Oceanway up 24-10 for good.
Leonard Harris running hard for Oceanway pic.twitter.com/Hu9hF0Rrbf
— DuvalSports (@DuvalSports) September 22, 2015
Oceanway defeats Ribault 24-10 Final pic.twitter.com/I6YYAh5KIT — DuvalSports (@DuvalSports) September 22, 2015
Oceanway’s Coach Jimenez credited his team’s growth as the reason his team is now 2-0 on the season. ” We started off struggling in many aspects of the game. But since the jamboree we’ve really focused on tackling, formations and just fundamental football, and these guys have stepped up”. Coach Ham is entrusted with a defense that has yielded just 17 points in two games thus far. Coach Ham credits the play makers on the team.
#43 Jordan Moore with the pick! Oceanway leads Ribault 8-2. #10 Jamal Gelsey scored the first TD with a strong run! pic.twitter.com/Psk5P9yl9b
— DuvalSports (@DuvalSports) September 22, 2015
” We’ve got some tremendous athletes out there; penetration, blowing up plays, being in the right place at the right time, I really can’t say enough about these guys”. – Ham
Oceanway is in a great position early in the conference with a win over a conference opponent. They’ll look to keep the streak going next week. Ribault must go back to the drawing board after a good looking jamboree and win in week #1 of the season. The team showed they could play well for a half against Oceanway. Head Coach John Lawrence will have the team correcting their mistakes and focused on playing four quarters.
Both teams exhibited exceptional sportsmanship throughout the game. Oceanway’s band and cheerleaders provided an enthusiastic atmosphere for the game. Check out some of the moments from the game below in our photo gallery.
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