Week 10: Port St. Lucie earns key win, Martin County, Jensen, John Carroll keep rolling
Port St. Lucie 25, Fort Pierce Westwood 13
Riding its bell-cow back Friday was exactly what Port St. Lucie needed to do to continue pushing towards playing in the state playoffs.
Senior Saleem Felder ran for 152 yards and three touchdowns as the Jaguars grinded out a 25-13 victory over visiting Fort Pierce Westwood to win their third straight game.
Entering Friday night ranked eighth in Region 3-3S, Port St. Lucie was two spots ahead of Fort Pierce Westwood meaning the winner would earn a valuable leg up on the other with one game left in each other's regular seasons.
The Jaguars played from behind most of the first half after the Panthers struck first. Todd Jackson connected on a 67-yard strike to Jaylyn Monds for a touchdown to put Fort Pierce Westwood ahead in the first quarter.
The Jaguar defense got the team on the board early in the second quarter as the duo of Chris Findlator and Clayton Yearby combined for a sack in the end zone for a safety to make it 7-2.
Felder punched in a 1-yard touchdown run before halftime to give Port St. Lucie an 8-7 advantage.
The standout senior added a four-yard touchdown in the third quarter to give the Jaguars some breathing room and Felder made sure in the fourth quarter the game was put to bed.
Felder gashed the middle of the Panther defense for a 75-yard scamper into the end zone to his 16th touchdown run of the season.
Joesph Weathers threw a 18-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Mills in the fourth quarter for Fort Pierce Westwood, who lost their third game in a row.
Port St. Lucie in their season finale tackles city rival Centennial on the road next Friday night with a win likely securing their place into the state playoffs.
Fort Pierce Westwood heads to Boca Raton for a Thursday night game needing a victory to have any hope of playing in the postseason.
— Gavin Cooney, Special to TCPalm
Jensen Beach 16, Bayside 8
Junior running back Dennis Palmer, Jr. ran for 150 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Falcons (8-1) to their fourth straight victory.
A stout defensive effort was spearheaded by sophomore Julius Puryear, who totaled 11 tackles, five that went for a loss and added two sacks for Jensen Beach.
Dylan Fatovich picked off two passes and Omarion Hall added an interception in the secondary for the Falcons, who wrap up the regular season at home against county rival Martin County next Thursday.
Martin County 51, Fort Pierce Central 12
Pauly Boisvert threw three touchdown passes and Denzel Alexander ran for two touchdowns as the Tigers (7-2) continued their momentum coming off their big win over Vero Beach last week with a convincing road triumph.
Nick Roebas-Bass caught two of Boisvert's touchdown passes in the first half and Ricardo Weaver had a 57-yard touchdown catch in the first half.
Paul Hendrix and Lucson Laguerre added touchdown runs for Martin County, who will take on Jensen Beach in its regular season finale next Thursday night.
John Carroll Catholic 55, Spanish River 0
Tony Colebrook ran for 103 yards and two touchdowns and Trevin VanName caught two touchdowns to lead the Rams (7-1) to their fourth straight victory.
Freddie Pittman caught a 40-yard touchdown from Dawson Maehl, who had two touchdown passes on the night and Pittman added a 36-yard touchdown run.
Chauncey Williams had a 60-yard interception return for a touchdown and Robert Jones added a 75-yard punt return for a score for John Carroll, who concludes their regular season at home against Melbourne Central Catholic next Friday.
South Fork 33, Suncoast 0
Tony Jefferson ran for 133 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Bulldogs (2-7) in its first win since Sept. 9 against Sebastian River.
Solomon Preston added 87 rushing yards and two touchdowns for South Fork, who got an interception and a fumble recovery from Maddox Weiner on defense.
Jonas Barros and Bobby Byrd also added sacks to help the cause for the Bulldogs, who host Jupiter next Thursday in their regular season finale.
Lake Brantley 47, Centennial 24
Trailing by nine through three quarters, the Eagles (5-4) couldn't find late magic and lost their third straight game.
Centennial will take on Port St. Lucie in a critical game for both teams with at-large bid possibilities on the line for the winner.
Out-of-Door Academy 36, St. Edward's 14
Trailing 14-6 through three quarters, the Pirates were overwhelmed in the fourth quarter falling in the SSAC 5A playoffs.
Dylan Redmon hit Sam Thomas on a 17-yard touchdown connection that tied the game 6-6 right before halftime.
For the game, Redmon finished with 241 passing yards and two touchdowns and Thomas grabbed nine passes for 99 yards for St. Edward's.
Sebring 42, Okeechobee 0
The Blue Streaks scored 21 second quarter points to blow the game open and secure the District 11-3S championship.
The Brahmans will conclude their regular season with a game at home against Clewiston next Friday.
Master's Academy 44, Eastland Christian 12
Caleb Cotton threw two touchdown passes and ran for another for the Patriots, who will take on Oasis Christian in the 8-man SSAC playoffs next Friday.
Bryan Cooney is a high school sports reporter at TCPalm, part of the USA TODAY Network. You can reach him at bcooney@gannett.com and also on Twitter at @Bryan_Cooney.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Week 10 football: Port St. Lucie scores big win for at-large hopes
