Friday's final:
Clay 21, Palatka 14
Quinton Battle ran for three touchdowns. Rodney Perry rushed for 120 yards. Quarterback Stephen Hearons completed the only pass he threw.
But the big celebration for the Clay High Blue Devils on Friday night didn't arrive until, in the last minute of the game, senior defensive back Kris Mena picked off a pass to seal a 21-14 victory over Palatka.
How important was this win for the Blue Devils?
Listening to the postgame team gathering offered a clue. "Playoffs!" shouted the Blue Devils. "Playoffs!"
Indeed, Friday night's victory at Palatka didn't give the Blue Devils a Class 3A playoff spot, but it did put the Devils in charge of their own destiny. Riding a three-game win streak and a 3-1 record in district play, Clay can clinch a playoff spot with a win next Friday night over Menendez.
"We're not in the playoffs yet," said head coach Jim Reape. "We put ourselves in position to play for it."
Credit Clay's punishing ground game, and a hard-hitting defense, for that position. Perry rushed for over 100 yards in the first half. Combined, Battle, Perry and freshman back Teddy Monroe were the big pieces in a rushing offense that totaled 237 yards. And don't forget about the Devils' offensive line which plowed the way.
"The offensive line, they played good, they made holes," Battle said.
How dominating was Clay's running game? Consider this -- the Blue Devils attempted just one pass the entire game, and Hearons completed that for a 16-yard gain to Davin Britt, leaving Hearons with one impressive QB rating for this night. And in the first quarter, the Blue Devils pushed the ball downfield in a time-consuming drive that used all the time up except for 6 seconds. It didn't even matter that a field-goal attempt missed its mark; the Blue Devils had set the tone of the game, and Palatka had no answer.
In all, Palatka's dangerous offense had one play in the opening quarter.
"If they (the Panthers) get 15 snaps, or eight snaps, in the first quarter," Reape said, "maybe they find that (rhythm) in the second quarter. They have some players, no doubt."
By the time Palatka's offense began to roll a little bit in the third quarter, the Blue Devils already had a 14-0 lead behind 1- and 3-yard scoring runs by Battle. A 12-yard scoring pass from Palatka quarterback Kevin Davis to Marquis Lewis with 3:13 left in the third quarter, finishing off an impressive 87-yard drive, put the Panthers on the board, but it took Clay just 2:09 to answer with Battle's third scoring run of the night.
The Devils held Palatka quarterbacks Davis and JD Kaymore to 143 yards passing, and picked off two passes. They also forced two Palatka fumbles, and recovered one.
"That was huge," Reape said.
Even on an attempted onside kick by Palataka, with 3:34 left following a 1-yard TD run by Kaymore, the Devils fell on the ball safely.
For a team that struggled with consecutive losses to North Marion and St. Augustine earlier this season by a combined score of 90-14, the Devils are coming together at just the right time. Last week, the Blue Devils pinned a 28-0 defeat on Matanzas. They have won 3-of-4 district games.
"I'm really proud of the coaches and our kids and our parents," Reape said. "We still have two (games) to play to meet our goals."
GAME SUMMARY
Clay 0 14 7 0 -- 21
Palatka 0 0 7 7 -- 14
C: Quinton Battle 1 run (Luke Rizzo kick)
C: Battle 3 run (Rizzo kick)
P: Marquis Lewis 12 pass from Kevin Davis (Dominic Piscitello kick)
C: Battle 29 run (Rizzo kick)
P: JD Kaymore 1 run (Piscitello kick)