Plucky Pirates pleased with progress heading into Potato Bowl showdown – Palm Coast Observer

For most of the first half, Matanzasplayed toe to toe with one of the best football teams in Northeast Florida.

The Pirates scored on theirfirst two possessions and ledSt. Augustine 14-7 before the Yellow Jackets closed outthe second quarter with 17 straight points on the way to a 37-21 victory Friday, Oct. 22, at St. Augustine.

"We couldn't have scripted a better opening start," Matanzas coach Matt Forrest said. "There are no moral victories, but I thought we played our best game of the season against the toughest team on our schedule to date."

"We couldn't have scripted a better opening start. There are no moral victories, but I thought we played our best game of the season against the toughest team on our schedule to date."

MATT FORREST, Matanzas football coach

Noah Cundiff ended an eight-play, game-opening drive with a 17-yard touchdown catch from sophomore quarterback Dakwon Evans. After the Yellow Jackets tied it up at 7-7, Matanzas moved methodically downfield againwith Evans closing out an 11-play drive with a 10-yard touchdownrun.

"The first half we gave it everything we could," Forrest said. "We played well offensively, but we made mistakes on defense and special teams, and when you play a good team like that, you can't give them anything.

"St. Augustine has a longstanding tradition," Forrest added. "And the thing about them is they don't get rattled. In the third quarter when they went up by 17we went into a lull."

The Pirates would not score again until Tate Winecoff punched it in with a 2-yard run late in the fourth quarter.

"Our offensive line played a great game," Forrest said. "(Defensive back/receiver) Jordan Mills played well on both sides of the ball. Dakwon Evans played his best game of the season, and Noah, besides his touchdown catch, caught a lot of balls underneath."

St. Augustine improved to 5-2 overall, 3-2 in District 4-6A. Matanzas, which saw its two-game winstreak snapped, fell to 3-6 and 1-3.

After 10 straight weeks of football,including the kickoff classic, the Pirates will finally have a bye week before hosting cross-town rival Flagler Palm Coast on Nov. 5 in the season-ending Potato Bowl.

"We're going to rest and recover," Forrest said. "A lot of guys are banged up. It's been a long season. We're going to focus on ourselves, trying to getbetter, and we'll worry about Week 11 when it comes."

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Plucky Pirates pleased with progress heading into Potato Bowl showdown - Palm Coast Observer