By Beth Jones
The Pirates are back home again Friday night, and looking for another win. The Fernandina Beach High School football team (5-0) is hosting Santa Fe for homecoming.
The Pirates are coming off a 28-27 win last week in their home matchup with Fort White.
“Last Friday was kind of a crazy game,” said Blake Willis, head football coach at FBHS. “Fort White did a very good job challenging us defensively and making sure we stayed true to our assignments. They switched up their quarterback and played a little bit more of an option game than what we were expecting from them. That makes you have to be sound defensively.
“Everyone has their job, and they have to execute just that. Not someone else’s, just do theirs, and if they don’t, that’s when the bigger plays happen. They got a couple scores because of that on Friday.
“Traivon (Martin) and the O-line did a tremendous job in the running game. That really helped us control the game and finish it out for us at the end, so the time could run out and secure the victory for us.”
The visitors struck first Friday night, scoring on a 53-yard pass in the first quarter.
FBHS answered with a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter. Traivon Martin scored on a 4-yard run, and Fred Jones scored from 3 yards out. The Pirates led 14-7 at halftime.
Fernandina extended its lead to 21-7 with another 3-yard TD run by Jones. Fort White responded with a 4-yard TD run to cut the Pirates’ lead to 21-13.
Garrett Beckstrom hauled in a 4-yard pass from Ian Miller to open the fourth-quarter scoring, pushing the Pirates ahead 28-13. Fort White managed two unanswered TDs on runs of 8 and 25 yards and a two-point conversion, but the PAT after the second score failed. FBHS held on for the 28-27 win.
Miller completed 14 of 23 passes for 165 yards. Beck Rohe reeled in five of the passes for 94 yards, Ethan Watts had four for 28, Aydin Poe had one for 22, and Khordel White had three for 17.
Martin led the rushing attack with 25 attempts for 135 yards. Jones had five for 15.
Devin Murray led the Pirate defense with six tackles and three assists. Two tackles were for a loss. Rohe had four tackles and an assist, and Kevin Ortiz had two tackles, two assists and a quarterback sack.
Poe recorded two tackles and three assists, Cayden McKinstrie had a tackle and three assists, and Beckstrom was credited with a tackle and five assists. Tanner Duffy had five assists, and Kalani Tucker had six.
The Pirates are looking to add another win on Friday, when they host Santa Fe for homecoming. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
“This Friday is a big one for us, got a lot on the line,” Willis said. “It’s a tough week as a coach to keep the kids locked in, with it being homecoming. There’s a lot more going on than just the football game unfortunately for us.
“I know the kids have fun with it, but we’re trying to make sure they stay focused on the task at hand.”
Homecoming at FBHS
It’s homecoming for the Pirates, and the theme is “Pirates Go Back in Time.”
The dress theme today, Sept. 18, is Soccer Moms vs. Grill Dads. The food drive continues. Students perform at Escapades tonight in the multi-purpose room. The skits start at 6 p.m., and a bon fire follows around 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 19, is game day, and students are encouraged to dress to show their school spirit. A pep rally with lip sync performances will be held at 2:35 p.m. in the gym. The parade is at 4:15 p.m. downtown.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. for the football game. The Hall of Fame induction will be held between the first and second quarters.
Homecoming week culminates with the dance from 7-9 p.m. in the multi-purpose room.
bjones@nassaunewsline.net
