High School Football: Trinity Catholic eases past Ponte Vedra
OCALA — Trinity Catholic running back Beau Beard scored two touchdowns and atoned for a fumble by rumbling 16 yards on fourth-and-one with less than two minutes left in the game to seal a hard-fought 26-21 win over Ponte Vedra on Friday night.
The loss dropped the Class 4S Sharks to 3-4 on the season, while the win on Senior Night improved the Class 1S Celtics to 5-2.
"We can play better," said Trinity Catholic coach John Brantley. "Offensively we're doing okay, but defensively we've got to do a better job. Beau has had a great year, is up to 195 pounds and running with some power behind a good offensive line.
"I'm real happy with the way Beau has played all season and he helped us win this game tonight. It was Senior Night, Pink Night and we had a lot going on and I'm just glad we hung on."
Here are five takeaways from the game.
Trinity starts out strong
Trinity Catholic got a great return on the opening kickoff and started its first possession at its 46-yard line.
Sophomore quarterback Preston Wright led the Celtics down the field by completing four passes to three different receivers and Beard powered his way into the end zone from 1 yard out. Justin Arroyo kicked the extra point for a 7-0 lead.
Special teams come up big
Ponte Vedra's special teams set up its first score with a punt return to the Trinity Catholic 36. Junior running back Griffin Owen carried the ball four times, the last for a 2-yard touchdown. The point after by Mark Romano tied the score at 7 early in the second period.
Trinity Catholic answered on its ensuing possession as Wright, who completed 24 of 31 passes for 318 yards and one touchdown, connected on six passes to move the ball to the Ponte Vedra 14. The drive stalled and Arroyo came on to boot a 33-yard field goal for a 10-7 lead midway through the quarter.
Teams trade touchdowns in third quarter
Trinity Catholic increased its advantage in the third period with an 85-yard drive capped by a short scoring run by Beard, who gained 73 yards on 22 carries to go with five receptions for 110 yards. The point after was wide left to leave the Celtics ahead, 19-7.
After forcing a Ponte Vedra punt, Trinity Catholic was moving the ball before Beard was hit after catching a pass and fumbled at midfield and the Sharks recovered.
Ponte Vedra capitalized on the turnover as Burk scored on a nifty 12-yard touchdown run. The extra point pulled the Sharks within 19-14.
Fourth-quarter fireworks
Trinity Catholic answered with an 80-yard scoring drive with the key play being a 65-yard screen pass from Wright to Beard on third-and-eight from the Celtics' 22. Wright hit Courtney Patterson for a 25-yard touchdown pass to make it 26-14 with 11:12 left in the fourth quarter.
Ponte Vedra moved smartly down the field with Burk scoring from 2 yards out to pull the Sharks closer at 26-21 midway through the quarter. Burk ran the ball 11 times for 69 yards and two scores. He was 8 of 15 passing for 85 yards.
Final drive seals the win
Trinity Catholic took possession at its 20 with six minutes left to play and proceeded to pick up a pair of first downs forcing Ponte Vedra to use its three timeouts. The Celtics faced fourth-and-one at midfield and went for it. Beard followed his blocking and broke through the middle of the line for a 16-yard gain and a first down.
Trinity Catholic's Wright took a knee to seal the victory.
"We got the win and I'm happy with the progress of a new quarterback (Wright) and now we get a week off," Brantley said. "We play P.K. Yonge for the district championship in two weeks and every goal we set for the season is still out there in front of us."
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Beau Beard leads Trinity Catholic by Ponte Vedra in high school football
