In two of the Coffee Trojans’ first three games, the first half was a slow burn. But in neither of those games did the Trojans take as long to get going as they did in game number four. And the opponent in game number four wasn’t one to go to sleep on.
Yes, Coffee won 27-14 Friday night over a tough Gadsden County Jaguars team from Havana, Fla. But they navigated a slippery slope over the first two quarters. The Jaguars were big, physical, athletic, and undefeated. They came to Jardine Stadium 3-0 and having beaten McCallie, one of Tennessee’s best high school programs, 27-23 on August 30. Gadsden had also notched blowout wins against Tift County and Godby, another Tallahassee area school.
Bottom line: The Jaguars weren’t your average pushover Homecoming opponent.
From the start, it looked like the Trojans would have some trouble. Gadsden took the opening kick and marched down the field directly to the end zone. Before Coffee had the ball, the score was 7-0. And 7-0 it remained until just 2:55 were left in the first half.
The two teams actually traded turnovers prior to the Trojans getting on the board. Coffee had the ball in good field position and was moving. Then a fumble gave the ball back to Gadsden. When the Jaguars made their miscue, they had crossed the 50 and had some momentum when linebacker Jyarius Carter made a highlight-worthy one-handed interception to halt Gadsden in its tracks.
That turnover led to a 29-yard field goal by Jonah Saylor to narrow the Jaguars’ advantage to 7-3. Neither team scored in the final few minutes, and Gadsden carried a four-point advantage into halftime.
Coffee received the kick to begin the third quarter. Things started slowly for the Trojans. Their first possession ended in a punt. The Jaguars, however, couldn’t do anything with their first opportunity, either. They punted back to Coffee but the kick was a bad one. The Trojans took over at Gadsden’s 32. The Coffee offense ran one play then quarterback Bray Coe connected with running back Tyrese Woodgett for a 28-yard touchdown to finally give the home team a 10-7 lead.
On Gadsden’s second possession, defensive end Montana McGinty sacked quarterback Landon Dougherty. That led to a 4th and 4 situation – and the Jaguars decided to go for it. However, Dougherty’s screen pass fell incomplete and the Trojans took over at their own 48. On the first play from scrimmage, Woodgett broke free up the middle for a 52-yard touchdown run. With just 35 seconds left in the third quarter, Coffee had a 17-7 advantage.
But the Jaguars weren’t done yet. They returned the kick to Coffee’s 35. Running back Tristen Davis then broke a long run that was nullified due to a holding penalty. The officials backed up Gadsden to the 40. Then Davis took the ball again. This time, however, there was no stopping him. He went into the end zone and narrowed the Trojans’ lead to 17-14 with just four seconds left in the third quarter.
The ensuing kick ended up being the last play of the third quarter. Coe and company took over on their own 20 to open the final period. Then Woodgett struck again, scoring his third touchdown of the night. This time, Woodgett went 80 yards for a back-breaking score that shifted the momentum back in Coffee’s favor.
From there, Gadsden’s frustration only intensified. The fourth quarter was marred by personal foul penalties and scuffles between players. Senior cornerback Jamir Morton intercepted another Dougherty pass that didn’t help calm the tensions between the two teams.
On the Trojans’ sixth possession of the half, a significant confrontation occurred that led to the ejection of a Gadsden player. Coffee took advantage of the penalty yardage and added three points on a 24-yard field goal by Saylor. With just 2:17 left in the game, the Trojans were up 27-14.
The Jaguars tried to salvage the night on their final possession. Dougherty completed a long pass that came back on an offensive pass interference call. After that, another big scuffle broke out that led to another personal foul penalty. When the dust settled, Gadsden faced 3rd and 46 from their own 17. Players were still going at each other so, with 37 seconds left on the clock, the officials called the game, bringing what had been an otherwise entertaining contest to a bitter conclusion.
“I made a comment two weeks ago that our team was built for four-quarter games. I think they showed it again tonight. The offensive line – I shouted them out in [the field house]. We’ve struggled some all year but I told you before the game that I ran the scout defense this week. You could just see the offensive line – they just had a hat on a hat. They weren’t missing people like they were earlier in the season. I’m proud of our guys. That’s a dang good football team right there,” said Coffee head coach Mike Coe following the game.
The Trojans are 4-0 on the season and have now won 19 games in a row. The final non-region game of the year takes place next Friday when the defending Florida 5A state champion Mainland High School (Daytona Beach) comes to Jardine Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.