VERO BEACH – This one was for district supremacy and also possibly for standard bearer status in the Treasure Coast area.
Last night (Oct. 28) could be described as a defensive game that was decided by special teams for both fourth-ranked Vero Beach (9-1; 3-1 in 12-4S play) and top-ranked Treasure Coast (3-5; 3-1 in 12-4S play).
This heavyweight battle went into overtime at 7-7. And this heavyweight battle came down to the game’s final five plays, which determined the District 12-4S title.
Treasure Coast had the ball first from the Vero Beach 10-yard line.
On first-and-goal, junior running back George Roberts III rushed the ball for a gain of three years to the Vero 7-yard line.
On second-and-goal, Treasure Coast’s offensive line moved the Vero Beach defensive line all the way to the 3-yard line.
On third-and-goal, there was a false start on Treasure Coast, as the ball was moved back to the 8-yard line. And on this next play, Roberts III gained four yards and got his team to the Vero 4-yard line.
Fourth-and-goal: Will Treasure Coast go for the score or the field goal to take the lead?
Treasure Coast chose the field goal route.
The result was a miss – and a huge missed opportunity that would be realized on the very next play.
Now with Vero Beach having the ball and the chance to win it, the decision was easy.
All Vero Beach needed to do was go for the field goal. It did just that.
Indians sophomore kicker Jessie Lewis put just enough power into his leg for the ball to split the uprights and send his team into pandemonium mode.
With the successful field goal, Vero Beach secured the 10-7 overtime win over Treasure Coast and the District 12-4S title.
“Man I was really nervous walking out there,” Lewis said about his 20-yard field goal. “As soon as I seen this miss, I was like, ‘I gotta make it.’ And I just did what I do best and kick the ball. I do it every day, so it’s like a memory.”
Lewis spoke on Vero Beach’s strategy right after Treasure Coast missed its overtime field goal.
“Coach [Lenny] J[ankowski] came up to me before they lined up and was like, ‘If they miss this, we’re going to go for a first down field goal.’ He said to be ready,” Lewis said.
Vero Beach head coach Lenny Jankowski spoke on his team’s 10-7 overtime win over Treasure Coast and how it got done.
“It was a team effort,” Jankowski said. “It was a defensive dominant game on both sides. I really just want to compliment Treasure Coast and Coach [Irvin] Jones and his staff. We’ve had some great games over the years. He does a great job. His kids play with a lot of effort and class. For anyone who has been around for the last 12 years, I wouldn’t expect anything different.”
Jankowski spoke more on his team’s overall performance.
“Our defense played their tails off,” Jankowski said. “We made enough plays when we needed to. Obviously, it’s a collective effort. The field goal in overtime. We made some offensive plays there and some first downs at critical points. Guys just stepped up and made plays. Our coaches worked tirelessly in preparation for this game. They’re not easy to prepare for, so we put a lot of time into it. I want to compliment our defensive staff for all the time they put into this.”
Vero Beach’s defense put the clamps on Treasure Coast – especially after it allowed a 48-yard touchdown run by junior athlete Jamison Davis that put its team in a 7-0 deficit at the 3:39 mark of the first quarter.
Moving on to the offense for Vero Beach, there was a nice connection on several plays between backup junior quarterback Jake Whitely and senior wide receiver Vandrevius Jacobs. One of them was a perfectly thrown 20-yard pass on a corner route from Whitely to Jacobs, who hauled in the end zone catch with 8:32 left in the second quarter.
With an extra point that came afterward, the score was tied at 7-7.
“Me and Dre were telling Coach J to call it,” Whitely said. “I knew he (the Treasure Coast defender) couldn’t guard him. He just makes unbelievable plays. I kinda knew he was going to win it (the 50-50 ball) automatically.”
Jacobs spoke on how Whitely stepped up in a big way against Treasure Coast and more.
“Starting off with last week when our quarterback (Tyler Aronson) went down, Jake came in at the end of the second [quarter] to the rest of the game,” Jacobs said. “He did pretty good. So coming into this week, I felt pretty good about what he could do. I know he was a little bit more comfortable with the offense, so I was confident in him to get it done and lead us to victory.”
WEEK 11 ACTION
Vero Beach: Ends regular season with 9-1 record and District 12-4S title
Treasure Coast: Ends regular season next week on the road against national powerhouse Chaminade-Madonna (8-0; District 6-1M champion) – Thursday, Nov. 3 at 6 p.m. in Hollywood
