Next man up: Pirates keep battling despite rash of injuries

Matanzas fell to Menendez 18-6 in its final home game of the season.

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For the second week in a row, Matanzas junior Jordan Mills stood on the sideline dressed in street clothes. It was no consolation that he had plenty of company.

Eleven players slated to start before the season were out with injuries on the Pirates' Senior Night as Matanzas fell to Menendez 18-6 on Oct. 28.

“It’s tough not being able to play,” Mills said. “But I know that (my teammates are) doing the best they can, and a lot of people are stepping up, and they're doing a good job.”

Matanzas is now 4-6 after receiving a forfeit from FPC which played an ineligible player in four games due to a miscalculation in the player's GPA.

The Pirates have been without starting quarterback Dakwon Evans since he fractured his collarbone in the third game of the season. Linebacker Dayd Peterson was injured in the same game.

Defensive tackle Amir Tariq and center Ahmad Louis-Charles missed the Pirates' final home with recent injuries. Lineman Peyton Ellis left the Menendez game with an injury.

“A lot of teams can’t sustain injuries the way we’ve been able to,” Matanzas coach Matt Forrest said. “We were never overmatched to the point where we backed down from anybody. That’s something our kids need to be praised for, and so does our coaching staff. They’ve done a great job in developing guys.”  

Jordan Mills suffered a shoulder injury in practice on Oct. 20. He said he should be back by the end of November, in time for wrestling season. Dawkon Evans is slated to start rehab next week and should be ready to re-join the boys weightlifting team in January or February, coach Matt Forrest said.

Mills suffered a shoulder injury in practice on Oct. 20. He said he should be back by the end of November, in time for wrestling season. Evans is slated to start rehab next week and should be ready to re-join the boys weightlifting team in January or February, Forrest said.

The Pirates trailed Menendez 6-0 at the half. Senior Aiden Langford, normally a defensive back, caught a 49-yard touchdown pass from Jackson Lundahl early in the fourth quarter to bring the Pirates back to within a touchdown at 12-6.

“They finally put me at receiver,” Langford said. “I’ve been asking to be a receiver all season. I showed them what I can do. It felt good too, because that’s my first touchdown of the season. I’m thankful for this team, thankful for these coaches. I’m just glad that they’re here for me.”

Running back Christian Coleman scored all three touchdowns for the Falcons. His 42-yard catch and run off a screen pass from former Pirate Bryce Petellat set up his 2-yard touchdown run for the first score of the game late in the first half. Coleman also scored on a 48-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter and 19-yard run with 8:52 left.

“Our defense has kept us in a lot of ballgames this year,” Forrest said. “It seems offensively (against the Falcons) we were just a step off everywhere on the field. Either you have to dominate the line of scrimmage and run the ball well or you have to be able to pass the ball effectively, and we couldn’t do either one.”

The Pirates travel to Winter Springs on Friday, Nov. 4 for their final game. The Bears are 0-9 and have been shut out four times this season. They have scored in double figures just once.

“We need to go down there and play well,” Forrest said. “We need to go into the offseason with some success.”

Christine Rodenbaugh contributed to this story.

 

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