- November 25, 2024
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Seabreeze struggled to move the ball the entire night against the Sharks’ vaunted defense, managing only a field goal late in the first half. But after another stop by the defense, the Sandcrabs had 1:16 to navigate 70 yards to potentially tie or win the game.
On the first play of the drive, Sandcrabs quarterback Isaiah Shirley placed a well-thrown ball into the hands of full back Colin Doane for a 20-yard gain on a slant rout. But a brutal hit by a Sharks defender jarred the ball loose from the senior’s hands.
Sharks ball.
“The kid his hat right on the ball,” Sandcrabs coach Troy Coke said. “There’s not too many people who are going to be able to hold onto that ball.”
The turnover, the Sharks’ first of the game, helped Atlantic preserve a 6-3 win over Seabreeze (1-5, 1-1) on Friday, Oct. 5, at Daytona Stadium.
Despite the loss, Coke said it was his team’s best defensive performance of the season. The Sandcrabs recovered 2 fumbles and forced the Sharks to punt on almost every drive.
They gave up one touchdown: a 75-yard catch by Sharks receiver Maximus Campbell early in the second quarter.
“Atlantic’s got a lot of ways to hurt you, and I was just really proud of our defense,” Coke said. “The coaches had a great game plan, and the kids executed it. It hurts to have it go to waste.”
Linebacker Jakob Lyke said he has faith in his offense, however.
“They’ll figure something out eventually,” he said. “This game showed the heart in our team. We fight until the last minute.”