By Cam Parker
Twitter – @camparker25
On Friday night, the Dixie County Bears traveled to P.K Yonge and dominated the Blue Wave by a score of 42-13.
After a sluggish start that found themselves down 13-0, Dixie County rushed for six touchdowns, five of them in the second half.
In the first half, P.K. Yonge was in a great position to win its second in a row.
Defensive back Yarnell Mccray stripped the ball from Dixie County receiver Brenden Hall to give the ball to the Blue Wave offense at the 45-yard line.
A few plays later, quarterback Aaron Small, Jr. ran the ball 25-yards for the game’s first score. A botched snap on the PAT would make the score 6-0 with 2:50 left in the first quarter.
To start the second quarter, P.K. Yonge (3-6) would add to its lead.
After a Dixie County interception was overturned by a defensive pass interference and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, the Blue Wave offense found themselves inside the 10-yard line. Running back Taylor Kendrick would rush in from six yards out to make the score 13-0.
From there, Dixie County would start its domination with a 16-play, 67-yard drive that ended in a Kolton Hunt 2-yard rushing touchdown with less than a minute left in the half. The drive was led by receiver Hall, who had a one-handed circus catch for 14-yards and a 17-yard rush.
INSANE ONE-HANDED GRAB by Dixie’s Brenden Hall!#RAWE ?@FLgridironpreps @DuvalSports @CenFLAPreps @ThePrepZone @FlaHSFootball @larryblustein @OcalaPreps @hssportsfl pic.twitter.com/yI8nF0VLJG
— Reaching Athletes With Education (@RAWE_RECRUITS) October 30, 2020
Coach LB Cravey raved over Hall’s circus catch.
“It was probably the most amazing catch I had ever seen, but coming from that kid, I expect it,” said Cravey. “He makes those kinds of plays. He’s made them all year long. He’s got a great eye for the ball, great hands. I think he’s got a really good future in football.”
This drive would give the Bears a lot of momentum going into the second half.
After punts by both teams to start the half, Dixie County scored four touchdowns on its next five drives. The first one was a one-yard run by Keatan Brown, which gave the Bears their first lead of the night at 14-13.
On the very next play, Dixie County’s Scott Hysmith intercepted a Small pass and returned it inside the 10-yard line. Three plays later, Hysmith scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to make the score 21-13 with 3:19 to play in the third.
“In the first half, we weren’t doing as good as we could have, said Hysmith, who was named the Sonic Drive-In Player of the Game. “In the second half, we gathered up and talked about everything we were doing wrong and everything we needed to do better. We excelled in the second half. Everyone did a great job.”
The Bears’ defense would continue to dominate by forcing a three-and-out to end the third quarter.
To start the fourth quarter, Dixie County (5-2) extended the lead to 28-13 with Hunt’s second touchdown of the night, this time from five-yards out.
After forcing another punt, the Bear offense would only need one play to score a touchdown- a Brenden Hall 68-yard run to make the score 35-13.
The final score of the night would be a one-yard rush by Chris Staples.
Next week, Dixie County hosts North Florida Educational Institute (Jacksonville), while P.K. Yonge travels to South Sumter (Bushnell).
