by Vero Beach needed every last play to hold off a scrappy Mainland team, escaping with a 24-22 win in a back-and-forth battle that came down to the wire.
Vero Beach struck first after Jamarian Hillsman blocked a punt off a bad snap, setting the offense up at the Mainland 14. A direct snap to Jayden Lockhart went 1 yard for the score, but a missed extra point kept the lead at 6-0. Mainland’s second punt was a bad snap which sailed out the back of the end zone for a safety, making it 8-0 early.
Mainland clawed back with a 2-yard direct snap touchdown run from Braylyn Simmons, and a two-point conversion to lineman Chevin Davis Jr, tied it at 8-8. Vero Beach missed a chance to answer when kicker Snyder Arbelaez missed a 42-yard field goal that came up well short. Things got worse when a backwards pass from Makai White was scooped up by Mainland with under two minutes left in the half. Mainland cashed in with a 4-yard touchdown catch from Nolan Caliendo to take a 15-8 lead into the break.
Vero Beach’s defense set the tone out of halftime, with CB Jaydon Haywood forcing a fumble on Mainland’s first drive back. After a blocked punt gave Mainland a short field, the defense held, and Vero Beach got the ball back and struck right away. Makai White found Latravious Woods for a 54-yard touchdown where Woods bounced off a couple defenders, tying the game at 15-15.
Dontellis Render picked off Mainland on the very next play to swing momentum back Vero Beach’s way. Arbelaez connected on a 25-yard field goal with 7 minutes left to make it 18-15. On the following kickoff, Mainland let a ball they expected to roll out of bounds stay in, and Vero Beach recovered at the Mainland 7. Lockhart punched in a 1-yard touchdown on fourth and goal, and even though Arbelaez missed his second extra point of the night, Vero Beach led 24-15.
Mainland wasn’t done. QB PJ Miller scored on a 1-yard scramble to cut the lead to 24-22. Vero Beach’s offense closed the door for good when Jayden Lockhart broke off a 16-yard run to move the chains and seal the win.
Player of the Game: Latravious Woods, WR, Vero Beach
In a game that came down to the wire, Latravious Woods delivered the swing play Vero Beach needed. With the score 15-8 in favor of the Buccaneers in the fourth quarter and Mainland threatening to take control, Woods hauled in a 54-yard touchdown from Makai White, bouncing off a couple of defenders on his way to the end zone to put Vero Beach back on top. He finished the night with just 2 receptions, but they went for 55 yards and the touchdown that flipped the game in Vero Beach’s favor.
