By By Matthew Nascone
Mark Johnson and the Florida State University High School Seminoles ran all over the Northview Chiefs in the first round of the FHSAA Class 2B playoffs Friday night.
Johnson scored two touchdowns on the ground and returned a punt for a touchdown as well.
The Seminoles (11-0) racked up 251 yards rushing in the game, en route to a 33-0 victory. Senior running back Santuan McGhee led the charge with 136 yards on the ground.
"We had an off week and we came out a little sluggish in the first half, but any time you can put 33 points on the board and keep them from scoring you feel good about that," Florida High head coach Jarrod Hickman said.
The final score did not portray what happened in the first half. The Chiefs (6-5) entered the locker room only down 13-0, and could have had at least one score on the board, but the Seminoles defense came up big in the first quarter.
With the score 7-0, the Chiefs pulled out the hook and lateral play to push the ball to the Seminoles four-yard line. Junior quarterback Jeff Price hit senior wide receiver Trent Freeman for a 15-yard gain and Freeman pitched the ball to senior running back Nakita Myles, who was trailing the play. Myles took the ball another 40 yards to the four-yard line.
Myles was stopped on fourth and goal behind the line of scrimmage.
"We thought we were close to scoring a couple times," NHS head coach Cody Keene said. "We got to the four-yard line and didn't score and we got inside the 20 and didn't score. But we went in only down 13-0 and we felt like if we kept fighting we would have a chance to come back, but we just made too many mistakes."
Myles ended the game with 113 yards rushing on 20 carries and 92 yards receiving on five catches.
The Seminoles opened the game with an onside kick and Johnson scored from one-yard out. A true PAT gave the Seminoles a 7-0 lead.
After the Chiefs were stalled on fourth and goal, Florida High took the ball 91 yards and a touchdown on the ensuing drive. Johnson scored his second touchdown of the night from four yards out with 33.9 seconds to go in the first quarter. The PAT was no good and the Seminoles led 13-0.
The second quarter saw many swapped possessions, but no points and the teams entered halftime with the Seminoles clinging to a 13-0 lead.
The Chiefs gave FSUHS a steady diet of Myles on the opening drive of the third quarter, but the drive stalled at their own 31-yard line and they were forced to punt.
It took all of five plays for Shandale Pearson to find the end zone from the one-yard line. The PAT was good and FSUHS held a 20-0 lead with 7:32 to go in the third quarter.
Myles busted a 21-yard run into Seminole territory, but three straight incomplete passes led to another punt for the Chiefs. Senior linebacker James Lewis reenergized the Northview sideline by jarring the football from Johnson's hands and senior defensive end T.J. Hadley covered the ball on the NHS 37-yard line.
But the elation did not last more than one play, as Price was intercepted on the FSUHS 36-yard line. The Seminoles were forced to punt on the next drive, but a reverse pass by NHS junior wide receiver Jay Jackson was intercepted and Florida High's Derrick Demps rumbled 21 yards for the end zone for a 27-0 Seminole lead with 2:27 to go in the third quarter.
The final score of the game came when Johnson fielded a punt at the 50-yard line and took it to the house for his third and final score of the evening with 4:00 showing on the clock in the fourth quarter.
"I think being off for a week and then trying to get back in the flow of the game, it took us a half, but we came out in the second half and established what we do well," Hickman said.
Keene said he was proud of how his guys did not give up when they got down.
"We fought to the end, but we made too many mistakes to win the ball game," he said.