Minneola Fl- St. Augustine (10-2) road a 9-game winning streak into Lake Minneola Friday night as the Jackets faced the Hawks in the Class 6A State Semifinals. Fairly overlooked all season by many, St. Augustine finished in the top 10 of the Duval Sports Final Regular Season Power Rankings, as their ability to string together consecutive wins impressed every week going into the playoffs. In the playoffs they kept momentum defeating Mosely 38-24 on the road, Escambia 48-27 at home, Pace 34-7 at home, and Columbia 35-24 on the road to advance.
They faced a 10-1 Lake Minneola team whose only loss came to undefeated Seminole (11-0) on the season. The Hawks averaged 40 points a game, and scored 60 points twice in the regular season. The scene was set for a high scoring thriller and that’s exactly what fans got on Friday night.
St Augustine started slow falling behind 20-0 to Lake Minneola thanks to a Robbie Sanders (Senior QB) 59 yard touchdown with 11:21 to play. A blocked punt by Lake Minneola led to a 22-yard touchdown run by senior Sidarius Walker with 3:17 in the first quarter. An on-sides kick was recovered by Antwan Walden of the Hawks leading to junior Jojo Smiley’s touchdown catch from Sanders as Lake Minneola jumped out fast on St. Augustine in the first quarter.
Yet a furious comeback would ensue for the Jackets in the second quarter. Senior Sammy Edwards would find junior Riley Stevens for a 10 yard touchdown to get on the board 20-7. Edwards would drop back again on their next offensive possession hitting senior Cody Cooper for a 35-yard touchdown as Cooper did the rest. The score brought the Jackets to within six points 20-14 with 6:14 to play in the second quarter.
On St. Augustine’s next possession, senior Dequan Stanley ( USF commit) took a reverse 25-yards to the house for a Jackets touchdown. The extra point put St. Augustine up 21-20 at halftime.
Incredibly, St. Augustine had clawed their way back into the game after trailing 20-0 in the first quarter. Both teams would trade scores in the second half. Lake Minneola would regain the lead with Sidarius Walker scoring first on a 10-yard touchdown. Robbie Sanders would convert the 2-point conversion as the home team took a 28-24 lead in the third.
St. Augustine would tack on a 23-yard field goal in third by junior Jay Doughty to bring the score to 28-24 heading to the fourth quarter. At this point in the game, quarterback Sammy Edwards rushed 14 times for 86 yards, and passed 11 times for 92 yards. He’d need another giant effort as he’d done all year to bring his team back on the road for the chance to go to the State championship. Effort is exactly what he and the Jackets would give.
In the fourth, St Augustine trailed 35-24 after a 2 yard touchdown by Sanders increased the Lake Minneola lead. St. Augustine would drive down the field and Edwards would capitalize on an open lane near the goal-line to score on a 9-yard touchdown run. Edwards then would score on a 2-point conversion on a pass to Cooper pulling St Augustine to within three points, 35-32 with four minutes remaining in regulation.
The Jacket’s defense would get a crucial stop, giving the ball back to the St. Augustine offense. The Jackets would drive down the field and with seconds remaining in regulation, Jay Doughty would hit a 20-yard field goal to tie the game and send it into Overtime.
In overtime, Lake Minneola would get the ball first but a fourth down fumbled snap gave the ball to St. Augustine. Doughty would line up for a field goal but Lake Minneola would block the attempt sending the game into a second overtime.
In overtime number two, Riley Stevens caught the touchdown pass from Edwards as St. Augustine took a 42-35 lead. However, Lake Minneola would answer the score on a touchdown run by Sanders sending the game into a third overtime.
Tied 42-42, Sidarius Walker would scored on a 10-yard touchdown run as the Hawks took a 49-42 lead. St. Augustine would respond with a touchdown of their own leading Head Coach Brian Braddock with a crucial decision. Go for one and the tie, or for two and the win. Braddock decided to end the game at this moment going for two, but a pass by Edwards sailed incomplete as he avoided the rush. The Jackets would fall in triple overtime to Lake Minneola 49-48.
Lake Minneola will advance to face Miami Central in the Class 6A State Championship. Central defeated Palmetto 47-20 in the state semifinal Friday night.
Featured image courtesy of Tom Reed
