Dreams and Nightmares: Ribault,Yulee and Suwannee Shootout For The District

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Live Oak FL- Dreams unfold and nightmares came true on Halloween night at Suwannee High School. The football field acted as a field of dreams in District 3-5A of the 2016 Florida High School Football season. It was a dream come true for one team, a dream deferred for another, and a nightmare for one unfortunate squad. No, Monday wasn’t the end of the High School Football regular season, but it was the end for one team’s dream of making it to the 2016 High School playoffs.

A dream Come True..

After losing its district contest to Suwannee three weeks ago, Ribault faced a do or die scenario against Yulee last week. They would prevail 14-7. So just three days removed from a sudden death situation, the Trojans were comfortable with the pressures of a district shootout with Suwannee and Yulee. The loser would either be the district runner up or eliminated from playoff contention all together. Ready for this game of high stakes poker, Ribault bet on themselves and won.

With only one quarter to play Ribault started on offense fast. Shandon Brown got to the edge on a reverse for a first down. Then Quarterback Ryan Williams hit Kenneth Channelle for what looked to be an early touchdown, but was negated by a penalty. Ribault would try through the air again but this time it would be intercepted by Yulee’s Gelique Williams stalling their drive. Yulee could do nothing with their first offensive possession however, and the ball swung back to Ribault. It didn’t take long before the Trojans got in the end zone. It would be a Ryan Williams pass to WR Mike McCray for 70 yards and a touchdown. It was the type of big play Ribault was confident they could make and they made them all night.

At Suwannee High for the 5A-3 tiebreaker. In the 1Q, Ribault leads Yulee 7-0 with 6:57 left to play. pic.twitter.com/uJq6Mv2frt

— Kenny Morales (@KennyMoralesTV) October 31, 2016

Ribault would stop Yulee once again with their aggressive defense as Jaylen Joyner crashed inside to stop Yulee’s big time runningback Jamari Peacock. Peacock had gashed the Trojans defense just three days earlier, but Dewayne Eason and company didn’t have it in the shootout. Peacock was held in check. With their defense sticking and offense clicking, Ribault finished off Yulee with another Ryan Williams to Mike McCray TD pass. This time it went for 30 yards as Ribault defeated Yulee 14-0.

Ribault hoped to keep the intensity high going into their game versus Suwannee. The Trojans have not been a second half team lately being outscored in the second half in their last two games 31-0. But Ribault didn’t treat their second game with Suwannee as a continuation of the first contest, but rather a reset of regulation. In the ladder part of the season, Ribault has been able to start fast on offense. They continued this trend against Yulee in the first round of the shootout. This approach allowed them to start fast again, this time putting Suwannee on the ropes early.

Suwannee getting ready for the 2nd quarter of tonight's shootout. Bulldogs face Ribault, who defeated Yulee 14-0 in the 1st quarter. pic.twitter.com/V6KABu5nZs

— Mike Jones (@MikeJonesSD1) October 31, 2016

Ribault’s Kenneth Channelle and Mike McCray led the Trojans down the field once again as the recipients of pin point passing by Quarterback Ryan Williams. Williams would cap off the drive with a 1 yard touchdown run giving Ribault an early 7-0 lead. The offense repeated their efforts from the first quarter with Yulee and now it was time for the Ribault defense to do the same. Jaalen Ford and his fellow Trojans attacked the Bulldogs from every angle which flustered Suwannee’s offense. Suwannee would fumble on their first drive and Degoberto Norales recovered it for the Trojans. That was the turnover Ribault had been looking for, as on their next offensive possession Javon Williams took the hand-off and sprinted across the endzone to give Ribault a commanding 14-0 lead. Suwannee would get a touchdown from Quarterback Steven Anderson to draw within seven points, but Ribault would run out the clock and race to the top of the district standings as champions.

This year’s team accomplished something that even the talented 2015 team led by legendary Coach Anothny Flynn could not, and that’s win a district championship. They did it in sheer Ribault fashion too, by creating turnovers on defense and making high flying plays on offense. Cudos to Head Coach Kelvin Smith and his staff on bringing a long sought after district title back to Winton Drive. Certainly a dream come true.

It's sports drink shower time for Ribault coach Kelvin Smith and celebration time for the Trojans. pic.twitter.com/FzxZBLGUqK

— Clayton Freeman (@CFreemanJAX) November 1, 2016

A Dream Deferred…

It was a dream deferred for Yulee. They’re loss to Ribault ensured that they would not be crowned district champions. However, the Hornets did secure the dream of a playoff berth by defeating Suwannee 15-14. In a wild quarter of play, Jamari Peacock rushed for over 100 yards and scored twice including a five-yard blast in overtime to carry his team into the playoffs as district runner ups. Peacock was the deciding factor in the contest. They used him in wildcat formations and pounded the rock down the throats of the Bulldogs. Amazingly, the Hornets tried their best to give the game away with just seconds to play. Tied at 7-7 Suwannee had the ball at their own 30 yard line with just 30 seconds to play. They advanced the ball near midfield and attempted a Hail Mary with no time remaining. Quarterback Steven Anderson’s pass to the end zone was dropped by his wide-open wide receiver, but Yulee was called for roughing the passer and that gave Suwannee another untimed down. Suwannee would attempt another Hail Mary pass which fell incomplete, but another roughing the passer penalty gave the Bulldogs more life and more yards. Yulee’s troubles didn’t end there as an off sides penalty on the Hornets placed the ball even closer to their goal around the 25 yard line. Suwannee attempted a game winning 35yd field goal, but it was blocked by Yulee defender Carlos Thomas and the game was sent to overtime. It was in OT where Peacock wouldn’t let his team lose sight of their playoff dreams.

A Nightmare…

Suwannee went into the three team shootout having defeated Ribault and playing its best football of the season since losing at Yulee. They were considered the top team in the district and was granted the dream opportunity to host the shootout because of their efforts. But it all fell apart Monday Night. Turnovers, missed tackles, and missed opportunities plagued the Bulldogs. Against Ribault, a costly fumble resulted in the Trojans taking an insurmountable two touchdown lead in a shootout scenario that only allows one quarter of play. Against Yulee, their defense could not stop Jamari Peacock who rushed for 100 yards in one quarter. Suwannee’s Steven Anderson matched Peacock score for score and showcased the skills that prompted many people to pick Suwannee in the tie breaker scenario. Yet in the game’s most critical moment, Anderson wasn’t afforded an opportunity to flex those skills. In overtime, after Anderson scored the first touchdown of the Kansas City tie breaker, Suwanee elected to kick the extra point instead of going for the two point conversion. They literally put the ball at the feet of their kicker instead of in the hands of their star Quarterback. The kicker did his job by hitting the extra point, but Yulee’s Jamari Peacock did his job but scoring his team’s 2 point conversion. Suwannee decided to go with the percentages over its players, and the result was a nightmare that the Bulldogs wish was simply a dreamthey could wake up from.