- November 6, 2024
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The Matanzas Pirates cleaned up the penalties, dominated the ground game, and scored a two-point conversion.
All of that was enough Friday night, as the Pirates earned their first victory of the season with a 50-13 drubbing of Florida Air Academy.
Florida Air (0-2) senior Alex Bouie opened the game by taking the kickoff back for a touchdown, staking the Falcons to a 7-0 lead. But The Pirates answered quickly. Shawn White rumbled 39 yards on a sweep play within two minutes, tying the game, 7-7.
Later in the first quarter, Pirates QB Al’Kwazi Spencer raced down the field on a 33-yard keeper for a touchdown, giving the Pirates a 14-7 lead.
Florida Air answered with another long touchdown by Bouie, but a missed extra point made the score 14-13.
Penalties might have been the biggest factor Friday night. The Falcons were penalized more than 19 times in the game for nearly 200 yards. The Pirates, however, were much more disciplined, something coach Keith Lagocki stressed after last week’s loss to Flagler Palm Coast.
The Pirates (1-1) continued to dominate into the third quarter with another rushing touchdown by Spencer and two more by White. To end the quarter, Dorian Stanard scored in a 38-yard pitch-and-catch.
Spencer finished the game 9-for-21 for 169 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He also rushed for 145 yards and one touchdown.