High school football: Martin County dominates South Fork 35-7
STUART — For the eighth time in 10 years, the Martin County Tigers are Martin Bowl champions.
The Tigers (4-1) dominated South Fork (1-4) on both sides of the ball in their 35-7 victory, not allowing the Bulldogs to cross midfield until there were 10 minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
Sophomore quarterback Jayden Vega got things started early, rushing for a 22-yard touchdown on the game’s opening drive. He capped off a 5:30 drive that started with a failed onside kick by South Fork.
Denzel Alexander then ripped off a long punt return after the Tigers’ defense forced a three-and-out to set their offense up at the 12-yard line. Paul Boisvert punched in a touchdown from the 1-yard line to extend their lead to 14-0 with 3:34 to go in the first.
South Fork took multiple false start penalties early in the second quarter that pinned them back to their own goal line. Martin County took advantage and swarmed the Bulldogs’ rushing attack and forced a safety with 11:25 to go in the first half.
Rain stalled both offenses heading into halftime, but Martin County started to pour on the points late in the third quarter, starting with a Dominic Lucci rushing touchdown with 3:20 to go.
When it rains, it pours, and that was where the floodgates opened for Vega and Tristin Taylor. The two hooked up on a 37-yard touchdown pass with 11:06 to go and later exploded for a 75-yard touchdown pass with 7:52 to go.
South Fork got its lone points on a Maddox Weiner 29-yard touchdown pass to Connor Critoph with 9:20 to go in the game.
Here are three takeaways from the 2022 Martin Bowl:
Martin County pass rush eats South Fork alive
The Tigers swarmed Weiner early on, generating sacks and forcing him to get rid of the ball early. They stopped the run completely and it left the Bulldogs with nothing to work with offensively.
It was not until Martin County eased up with a four-score lead that Wiener showed off his arm strength with two deep passes on South Fork’s lone scoring drive.
Vega-Taylor connection is in business
Vega and Taylor have been developing chemistry all season and it came to fruition against Martin County’s most bitter rival.
Taylor was able to create space with his speed and Vega’s ability to throw the deep ball torched South Fork’s defense. The sophomore quarterback is developing into a dual-threat star with a deep tool bag in his first varsity season.
Martin County’s special teams steal the show
When the Tigers were not scoring points, they were pinning the Bulldogs deep in their own zone.
John Connolly pinned South Fork at their own 1-yard line three different times. With the Tigers’ defense holding strong, he helped put them in a better position to keep scoring points and dominating the game.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Martin County Tigers defeat South Fork Bulldogs in Martin Bowl
