- November 25, 2024
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Coming off a tough loss in the district opener Friday night against Pedro Menendez, the Matanzas Pirates hope to use their week off getting healthy and getting better and minimizing their mistakes, coach Keith Lagocki said Monday.
“Right now, we’re getting better, but we still have too many plays that we're just not finishing, and it’s feast or famine,” he said.
Although the mistakes have been decreased since Week 1, Lagocki said there are still a handful of plays each game that have been a turning point, giving the team an L in the win/loss column rather than a W.
On Friday night against Pedro Menendez, Matanzas was down early, and at halftime, but the team rallied to take a lead in the third quarter. Turnovers and lack of execution, however, proved too costly.
“Our keys to winning are zero turnovers — we cannot have turnovers and expect to win,” he said.
In Friday’s 27-23 loss, Matanzas opened the game with a long drive, but running back De’Undre Lumpkins lost a fumble — an issue he has had through the first four games.
Then late in the first quarter in a scoreless tie, a long run by Lumpkins’ was negated by a holding call and then a muffed snap led to quarterback Jeremiah Wilson getting sacked for a safety.
In the second half, as a torrential downpour came across Matanzas, the Pirates had two opportunities to take the lead, but both drives ended on turnovers (a Lumpkins fumble and a Wilson interception).
Those are things that need to get cleaned up, Lagocki said. And he plans to use the week off to do so.
Last season, Matanzas headed into its bye week in a similar situation — a tough loss to Pedro Menendez with Ponte Vedra, the class of District 4-5A, looming at the other end of the week off.
Lagocki was frustrated because he was anxious to get his team back on the field. This year, though, it’s a little different.
“The focus this week is to get healthy,” he said. “We have a lot of kids hobbling around, especially on defense. ... This is a perfect time for us to concentrate on a couple of fundamental things and try to clean them up.”
With so many injuries on defense, Lagocki and the coaching staff have permanently moved Al’Kwazi Spencer to the defense. Lagocki said Spencer is ineffective when he starts at quarterback and on defense, and so Wilson will continue to be under center. Although Wislon is a different quarterback than Spencer — Wilson is more of a passer whereas Spencer is a running threat — the offensive scheme remains the same, Lagocki said.
This season, Wilson and Spencer are a combined 20-for-63 for 223 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions.
Matanzas (1-3, 0-1 District 4-5A) will be on the road in Week 6 when it travels to Ponte Vedra 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5.
That will be the second of five district games, and Lagocki said there is still plenty of football to be played.
“It’s still early,” he said. “We’re still in the running and we still have a good chance. If we beat Ponte Vedra, not only are we in it, but everybody is in it.”
