Frederica Outduels Bulloch Academy
By: Alex Mathis
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Knights have had this game circled for a while.
If you think back to last year, this is the team who gave the Knights their only region loss. This loss came on a Wednesday night while they were preparing to evacuate St. Simons Island because of Hurricane Matthew.
The Knights started out a little sluggish to begin the game. Jaylin Simpson missed Santana Clark on the first play of the game that would have resulted in a touchdown.
The ensuing play Rett Thompson fumbled and Bulloch Academy recovered.
This start was similar to the start from last year. The Gators offense moved the ball down the field and scored.
The Knights were forced to punt after they saw their next drive come to an end after a few penalties. Bulloch Academy was able to convert on 4th down on their next series, which led to another Gator score. The Knights were down 14-0 midway through the second quarter.
Frederica got the offense going on the next drive. The offensive line, led my junior center Michael Tindle, did a great job helping open up running lanes and also protect Jaylin during passing situations.
Big runs from Jaylin Simpson, Isaiah Jackson, and Santana Clark help move the ball down the field. Jaylin Simpson was also able to move the field down through the air by connecting with Jashawn Sheffield. The Knights found pay dirt after Jaylin Simpson leaped into the end zone after an 11-play drive.
Defensive coordinator, Ben Burkett, made a few minor changes with the defensive line and they were able to force a punt the next Bulloch offensive possession. Frederica got great field position after a high snap sailed over the punters head. The Knights were able to capitalize on this mistake and score right before the half to tie the game at 14 all.
Coach Derricks message to his team was, “Leave no help.” Bulloch is the type of team that you cannot let hang around or they will make things interesting.
Frederica came out of the half and played great defense. Cameron Gardner, Harry Veal, Deke Jernigan, and Tyler Pierce all made great plays to force the Gators to punt on their first offense drive of the second half.
The Knights first offensive possession ended with Jaylin Simpson running in for his 3rd touchdown of the night. Frederica’s defense stuffed the Gator offense once again and forced another punt.
Brandon Derrick’s offense kept the scoring going on their next possession. Jaylin Simpson connected with Isaiah Jackson for a 55-yard touchdown pass. This made the score 28-14.
The Knights seemed to have complete control of the game. The defense forced another stop and the Knights offense drove the field again.
A fumble by Isaiah Jackson in the red zone gave the Gators life. They drove the field and finished the drive with a touchdown pass making the score 28-21. The Knights were moving the ball down the field once again before the drive was stopped inside the red zone with an interception. The Knights defense held strong and forced another punt.
Frederica couldn’t covert on 3rd down and were forced to punt. The punt was blocked by Bulloch Academy and they were given one more possession to tie the game with less than two minutes remaining. The Gators drove the field but were stopped on 4th down on the 10-yard line with 11 seconds left.
The Knights won the game 28-21. Coach Derrick told his team after the game that he was proud of the way they fought and how they did not fold when things got intense.
Next week, Frederica travels to Edmund Burke Academy. Brandon Derrick hopes to finish with a win and win the Region 2 Championship next Friday.
