The Nease Panthers opened the season with a memorable victory as they defeated the rival Ponte Vedra Sharks 24-7 Friday night.
It was the second straight win for the Panthers (1-0) over their biggest rival and third in the past four years, which for seniors like middle linebacker Joe Miracle is a record they will always cherish.
“I love it,” Miracle said. “Best feeling in the world.”
Miracle had a key play in the game as he dove to pick off a pass intended for the running back out of the backfield, which halted a Sharks’ (0-1) drive just shy of the red zone early in the fourth quarter to help preserve the victory.
According to head coach Collin Drafts, it was one of the best weeks of practice he has experienced in his years coaching, and the results backed that up.
“All week we were locked in and then this morning, we had the best morning lift we’ve ever had to get prepared for this game tonight,” Miracle said.
It was a complete game all around by the Panthers who were able to control the lines of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and it led to plenty of success.
The offensive line did and excellent job of protecting senior quarterback Nate Harry, who threw three touchdowns on the night, including a pair to Brayden Felder and another to Maddox Spencer.
Four different receivers caught passes on the night for the Panthers as Harry spread the ball around to his playmakers, as the Panthers jumped out to a 21-7 halftime lead.
Tyler Ghazanfari connected on a field goal in the third quarter to increase the lead, but the Panthers were able to manage the game from there and work on running the clock out down the stretch.
Defensively, the Panthers were flying to the ball, as they were seemingly filling up every running lane that appeared to be there for Sharks’ star running back Brian Case.
“We played together tonight, and I feel like we’re just a very disciplined team,” Miracle said.
The big plays were hard to come by for the Sharks, as a result with Case scoring their lone touchdown in the first quarter from a yard out after quarterback Drew Price broke free into the secondary for a 40-plus yard run and was pushed out at the goal line.
