MANDARIN-For nine straight weeks, arch-rivals Mandarin and Sandalwood were both ranked in the top ten state rankings and looked well on their way to a potential second round playoff meeting.
That is until Sandalwood blew a 24 point lead and lost to Mandarin 34-31 and a week later Mandarin coming off the emotional win over Sandalwood, laid down in a 42-19 loss to Spruce Creek.
Which brought us to the District 1-8A shootout last night at the Corral between Sandalwood (6-1, 3-1), Spruce Creek (7-3, 3-1) and Mandarin (6-1, 3-1).
Unfortunately, things took a different path and when Spruce Creek knocked off Sandalwood 20-14 in overtime and Mandarin 3-0 in overtime to clinch its first playoff berth since 2008; it meant either Sandalwood or Mandarin would be shut out of the playoffs.
Third quarter: Sandalwood 7, Mandarin 0
Sandalwood made sure it wasn’t them holding off the host Mustangs 7-0 in the final quarter to clinch the 1-8A runner-up spot.
On the seventh play of their opening drive of the quarter, junior quarterback Kyle Smith faked a handoff to Logan Wright and turned up field and saw daylight running 80 yards up the middle untouched for a 7-0 lead with 6:20 left in the quarter.
Trey Graham returned the ensuing kickoff 39 yards to the 41 to set the Mustangs up in great field position seconds later. However, facing fourth and 1 , Josh Steward was hit for a loss by Kamari Sawyer giving the Saints the ball back with about 4 minutes to go.
Behind Logan Wright, the Saints were able to pick two first downs and chew off some clock before being forced to punt with 1:16 left.
Mandarin had one last chance from its own 28 with 1:11 left, but with no timeouts left, the Mustangs began to panic and with .19 left quarterback Spencer Mullnow fumbled the ball away trying to make a play and senior linebacker Bradley Jennings recovered the ball.
Sandalwood took a knee and just like that the Mustangs were out of the playoffs.
Both were missing key starters on the defense, both for different reasons which proved to be costly in the shootout.
Mandarin was missing its top tackler senior linebacker Aundre Kearney, who had been playing with an injured shoulder all season, but reinjured it in the win over Sandalwood two weeks ago. Kearney, who leaves for Virginia Tech in December, made the tough decision to go ahead and end his high school career early.
Sandalwood was also missing one of its key defensive starters as well as in senior safety Devinn Waters who according to Geis was benched due to a coaches decision.
Sandalwood and Mandarin both entered today 6-1, only 1 will go to the playoffs. @DuvalSports
— Corey Davis (@ByCoreyDavis) November 1, 2016
First Quarter: Spruce Creek 20, Sandalwood 14 (2 OT)
SC wins 20-14 in 2 OT @DuvalSports first playoff appearance for Hawks since 2008.
— Corey Davis (@ByCoreyDavis) October 31, 2016
Sandalwood needs Spruce Creek to beat Mandarin or season over. @DuvalSports
— Corey Davis (@ByCoreyDavis) October 31, 2016
The shootout started with a bang as third seeded Spruce Creek, which started out 2-3 at one point before winning five in a row, scored on its opening drive to take an early 7-0 lead.
Wide receiver Josh Tse and tailback Jaquez Lord, who both didn’t play against Sandalwood in the regular season meeting due to injuries, made up for it.
Kyle Minckler hit Tse on back-to-back plays to start the drive for a total gain of 22 yards and Lord rumbled 7 yards moving the Hawks inside the 32 yard line. Faced with third and three, Minckler connected with Tse for a 9 yard completion to keep the drive going.
Two plays later, Minckler ran up the middle on a keeper 13 yards to give the Hawks a 7-0 lead with 7:25 left in the quarter.
Sandalwood appeared on its way to tying the game on its ensuing possession as Logan Wright carries the Saints down to the 11 yard line. Faced with fourth and 5 with 3 minutes left, Smith was hit by Gary Zalich well short of the first down turning the ball back over to the Hawks.
The Saints defense came up with a huge stop and forced the Hawks into a quick three and out giving the Saints one last chance with 1:45 left in the quarter.
Like he has done all season, Wright carried the Saints on his back busting off runs of 10 and 12 on back-to-back plays putting them inside the 19-yard line.
An apparent 8-yard touchdown from Smith to Edwin Carter off an inside slant play was called back due to the Hawks being off sides crushing the Saints players and fans temporarily.
It didn’t matter though as two plays later, with four seconds left in the quarter Wright took a option pitch from Smith and bulldozed his way in the end zone to tie the game at 7-7.
Sandalwood won the coin toss to start overtime and elected to go on defense first giving Spruce Creek the ball first.
It didn’t take long as Minckler found Tse wide open on a 10-yard touchdown catch on the Hawks first play of overtime.
The Saints answered quickly as well as Wright fumbled the ball after the exchange from Smith but Zai Pennington recovered the fumble at the one yard line and Wright rumbled in from the 1-yard line tying the game at 14-14.
Sandalwood came back out on offense to start second overtime but fumbled the ball away again as Smith and Wright lost the ball in the exchange and Hawks Isaiah Poke recovered it.
Instead of kicking the field goal right away, the Hawks offense came on the field and two plays later, Minckler walked in to the end zone untouched from 4 yards to give the Hawks a 20-14 win in double overtime.
A devastated Sandalwood gathered on the grass behind the end zone and prayed for a Spruce Creek win over Mandarin to keep their season alive.
Second Quarter: Spruce Creek 3, Mandarin 0 (OT)
Mandarin can clinch the district title and knock out arch-rival Sandalwood with a win over Spruce Creek. @DuvalSports
— Corey Davis (@ByCoreyDavis) November 1, 2016
Fresh off its win over Sandalwood, the Hawks had to chance to wrap up the district title with a win over Mandarin in the second quarter.
Antonio Spooney returned the opening kickoff 48 yards to put the Mustangs across midfield immediately but the momentum would be short lived. Three plays later, Mullnow fumbled the snap and Faheem Suber recovered the ball for the Hawks.
Tony Syrakis picked off Minckler three plays later to give the Mustangs the ball back at midfield. However, Jhemez Hull picked off Mullnow on the ensuing play giving the ball right back to the Hawks.
Despite the turnovers neither team was able to take advantage of them keeping the game scoreless as the quarter began to wind down.
Following back-to-back three and outs and punts, Spruce Creek took over at midfield with five minutes left in the quarter and wouldn’t give it back.
Behind Minckler, Tse and Lord, the Hawks slowly moved down the field aided by a gutsy fake punt call on a fourth and six play which kept the drive alive. The 14 play drive stalled when Trevor Fournier hooked a 26 yard field goal wide left to keep the quarter scoreless and force overtime.
Spruce Creek stayed on offense to start overtime but Keon Jackson hit Lord for a loss on third and 7 forcing another field goal. Fournier made up for the earlier miss successfully making the 20-yard attempt to give the Hawks a 3-0 lead.
Mandarin began the overtime with some razzle dazzle with a double reverse pass which was broken up near the goal line. Mullnow pass on second down fell incomplete after the receiver and defensive back appeared to draw contact; but nothing was called setting off head coach Quinn Gray, who was flagged for a personal foul pushing the Mustangs back to the 25-yard line.
Two plays later, Nick McQuarry attempted a 42 yard field goal that was low and not even close giving the Hawks the district title.
As the kick failed, it was hard to tell which sideline was more excited the Hawks winning the district title or the Saints just out of the end zone celebrating the fact their season was still alive.
“I wasn’t nervous at all, I don’t get nervous, but I was thinking here we are 8-1 and going to miss the playoffs,” Sandalwood head coach Adam Geis said about waiting for the outcome of Spruce Creek and Mandarin.
Although excited about making the playoffs, Geis actually felt sorry for Mandarin a bit ripping the playoff format.
“I don’t think this is the best format, you don’t find out who the best team is in this kind of format, this kind of format doesn’t show this,” Geis said. “I thought Mandarin and us were the two best teams in the district and still think that. Its not a true teller of who is the best because anything can happen.”
Although not thrilled about the format, Geis was excited for his team making the playoffs and getting the chance to play undefeated Sanford Seminole in 11 days.
“Our goal at the beginning of the season was we wanted to make the playoffs and we did,” Geis said. “We played one bad quarter against Mandarin and everything went wrong including the pick-six but at the end of the day we are in and they (Mandarin) are out.”
Whats next ?
Mandarin (6-1) will close out its season traveling to Fletcher (6-2) Friday in a matchup of two teams who both failed to make the playoffs.
While Sandalwood (6-1) will host Ed White Friday in a playoff tune up before traveling to Sanford Seminole Nov. 11 in the first round of the playoffs and Spruce Creek (7-3) takes the final week off before hosting Lake Brantley (6-3) in the first round of the playoffs Nov 11.
8A 🏈 Playoffs
Sandalwood at Seminole
Lake Brantley at Spruce Creek @DuvalSports— Corey Davis (@ByCoreyDavis) November 1, 2016
“We wanted to play Seminole,” Geis said. “You can’t game plan for Lake Brantley in one week, Lake Brantley is the best triple option team in the country, they ran for 610 yards against us in a 41-34 first round playoff win.”
” Those kids are taught from the time they are in the second grade how to run that offense, they run that offense on every level including Pop Warner,” Geis added. “I will see them in the second round hopefully, you can’t simulate that offense, nobody runs that around here.”
[ABTM id=24571]
