First Baptist headed to Class 2A state semifinal with 51-28 rout of Northside Christian
Not many coaches enjoy Gatorade being dumped on them by their players after a win.
On the other hand, FBA coach Billy Sparacio had both of his fists up and was all for it when Jose Cintron and Jimmy Ridinger were ready to douse their head coach with the orange drink.
The Lions (10-1) handled business in the Class 2A-Region 3 championship game, throttling Northside Christian 51-28 Friday night, giving the team a Class 2A Final Four berth and First Baptist’s 100th win as a program since starting football in 2009.
Previously: First Baptist has sights set on Class 2A regional title, 100th win in program history
“I was just happy. I know the two kids so well that dumped it (Gatorade) on me, so I was like you know what, bring it on,” Sparacio said. “It’s fun. That’s what you were supposed to do in a big game like that. I love the kids. We’ve got a great staff.
“They’ve been working hard. It’s a long season, and they’ve got a lot of fight in them.”
The Lions set the tone early, forcing a Northside Christian three-and-out before Michael Votta blocked a punt to give FBA an instant goal-to-go opportunity. One play later, a Jordan Jean-Luc 4-yard touchdown run gave Sparacio and the Lions a 6-0 lead.
“It feels fantastic,” Sparacio said. “Really happy for the kids. Really, really happy for the kids. A huge night for them. I thought the defense played lights out. I thought they came out fast. We got the ball in great field position. The offense capitalized; it was a big thing for us. The way we finished the first half and came out in the second (half) was awesome.”
The Lions tried to go 2-for-1 to close the half but ended up doing even better, going 3-for-1. With 1:16 to play, Rich Mellien cashed in from 6 yards out to stretch the lead to 36-14. Northside Christian went three-and-out, giving FBA another opportunity to score before half.
On the ensuing drive, Preston Shemansky caught a ball on a ricochet off a Northside Christian defender, before he was rewarded a few plays later on the drive via a 6-yard touchdown pass from Ty Keller with no time remaining, going up 44-14 at halftime.
To open the second half, the Lions went four minutes before Keller (10-for-22, 168 yards, 4 TDs; 1 rush, 11 yards) tossed his fourth touchdown of the game to Jean-Luc, who finished with 134 scrimmage yards on 12 touches.
Olsen Patt Henry’s physical presence turned into multiple defensive pass interference penalties called on him, which helped extend FBA drives on offense. The junior finished with 67 yards receiving on four catches with a touchdown.
“It’s very special,” Henry said. “We’ve had teams in the past that have hardly made it. We just wanted to do it for them, and we did all this hard work during Thanksgiving break.
“I’m happy for Coach Sparacio. He does everything for us. He pushes everybody to their potential. I’m just very thankful that he’s my coach.”
Northside Christian eighth-grader Will Griffin struggled to buy time in the pocket, as the FBA pass rush gave coach Mike Alstott’s team problems early on. Griffin completed 13-of-30 passes for 213 yards with three touchdowns.
Most of Griffin’s production came in garbage time with a running clock, tossing two touchdown passes to One Williams (7 catches, 146 yards, 3 TDs) in the second half. His first came with 4:36 remaining in the second quarter, to give the Mustangs their first points of the game.
Sparacio and company will host Champagnat Catholic (9-2) in a rematch of last year’s playoff game, a contest the Lions lost 42-0. Champagnat’s two losses this season are to Miami Northwestern (Class 6A, 10-3) and Gulliver Prep (Class 4A, 8-2).
“Of course it does (cross our mind),” Sparacio said. “I’m not gonna lie to you guys. You know they’re gonna be there. We’re going to enjoy this for a few hours, then we’re going to start working on Champagnat.”
Follow Southwest Florida Sports Writer Alex Martin on Twitter: @NP_AlexMartin. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: First Baptist gets program win No. 100, returns to 2A Final Four with 51-28 win
