LAKE ASBURY – They waited a long 10 months; but they finally got their revenge and in the process sent a message to everybody in the North East Florida Athletic Conference (NEFAC).
Lake Asbury and head coach Tim Hamel clearly sent a message ‘Don’t forget about us’.
In a rematch of the 2016 NEFAC title game, this time No. 2 Lake Asbury came out on top, knocking off 2016 county and NEFAC champion No. 1 Oakleaf 20-14 at home.
Having played multiple times over the last couple years including twice last season the two teams were quite familiar with each other.
Lake Asbury won the regular season meeting on a Hail Mary pass at Oakleaf in the final game of the regular season.
A week later, Oakleaf got their revenge when they Jackets traveled to Lake Asbury in the North East Florida Athletic Conference title game and earned their third straight conference title.
Going into this season, anything less than a rematch in this years NEFAC title game would be a shock. As the defending champions, Oakleaf came into the game ranked No.1 in the Duval Sports Clay County Junior High football rankings, while Lake Asbury was ranked No. 2 in the poll.
Early on both teams struggled to find any kind of rhythm; but midway through the first quarter Samuel Singleton raced 55 yards untouched and Julian Mitchell added the two point conversion giving the Tigers an 8-0 lead.
Ian Butts fumbled the ensuing kickoff giving the Tigers the ball at the 15-yard line. A few plays later, Alquerious Ray extended the lead to 14-0 in the second quarter to give the Tigers a two touchdown lead.
Oakleaf finally settled down and got a huge run from Devin Outlaw, who raced 34 yards untouched and followed with the two point conversion cutting the lead to 14-8 with 2:29 left till half time.
Lake Asbury attempted to score again before half but an errant pitch was recovered by the Yellow Jackets killing the drive and sending the Tigers into the locker room with a 14-8 halftime lead.
Both teams huddled up in their respective end zones to make necessary adjustments. Both coaching staff had to figure out how to stop Ray and Outlaw as well as Singelton. Lake Asbury was able to attack the Jackets defense through the air and ground with ease, while the Jackets were content keeping the ball on the ground.
As the third quarter started, Oakleaf made it clear get the ball into the hands of Outlaw as much as possible. Outlaw took a handoff from quarterback Honrae Murray and raced 85 yards breaking one tackle before rumbling down the Oakleaf sideline tying the game at 14 all just seconds into the third quarter. The two point conversion failed keeping the score tied.
Both teams made the adjustments after that drive and the defenses took over the rest of the game until it was crunch time.
With four minutes left in the game, Ray struck again with a 20-yard touchdown run giving the Tigers a 20-14 lead.
Oakleaf (0-1) went three and out but forced Lake Asbury into a quick three and out to get the ball back with under two minutes to play.
However, Jonathan Rouw picked off Murray to seal the win and give the Tigers the win.
Lake Asbury (1-0) took a knee to end the game and appeared to have fumbled the ball on the final play, which was recovered by the Jackets.
As the clock kept ticking away the last 30 seconds and Oakleaf coaches argued it was their ball, the refs signaled it was still Lake Asbury ball and the game was over after the clock expired.
Which led to the Oakleaf fans yelling at the referees and booing the Lake Asbury kids and calling them cheaters as they made their way out of the stadium.
Having played now 3 times in the last three games, including the final two games last season, there is no love lost between the two programs. One can’t wait for the rematch potentially Oct 17 at Oakleaf possibly in the NEFAC title game.
Week 1 Scores
Lake Asbury 20, Oakleaf 14
Bradford 6, Lake Butler 0
Wilkinson 24, Green Cove 2
Keystone 20, Lakeside 14
Lake City 46, Orange Park 8
