Key takeaway: Vero Beach defense stands out in 41-13 win over Centennial

PORT ST. LUCIE – In top-ranked Vero Beach’s 41-13 win last night (Oct. 14) over third-ranked Centennial, at least two big plays stood out in the Treasure Coast’s Game of Week 8.

Those key moments to remember at South County Stadium came in a different way than one would normally think and see.

Centennial (5-2; 2-1 in District 12-4S play) had Vero Beach (8-0; 2-0 in District 12-4S play) on upset alert for much of the first half.

The top highlight for the Eagles on their senior night was when senior quarterback Malik Torres – most proven quarterback in the Treasure Coast – found junior wide receiver Jacob Hovey on a screen pass that resulted in a 27-yard touchdown with 2:27 left in the first half.

After the Torres-Hovey touchdown connection, an Eagles lineman ran the ball into the end zone for a successful two-point conversion and a 13-7 lead over the Indians.

Just when almost everyone at South County Stadium thought the Eagles would hold on to a 13-7 lead at the half over the Indians, we were caught with a stunner right before our eyes.

With eight seconds left in the first half, Vero Beach freshman athlete Efrem (EJ) White saw a ball in the air on a pass and picked it off. As White picked it off, his mind was on the end zone as he raced to it almost untouched.

After the extra point, Vero Beach took a 14-13 lead and never looked back from there.

“We’re down at that point and EJ is just one of those players that…he’s just dynamic as it gets,” Vero Beach head coach Lenny Jankowski said.

“That’s why you see him on offense, on defense, in the return game,” Jankowski continued. “With that ball in his hands, he’s pretty special. They threw it to the wrong guy, and he made them pay. He just made a great play and finished strong.”

Vero Beach would go on to outscore Centennial by a score of 27-0 in the second half.

To put this in clear focus, Vero Beach scored 34 unanswered points from the eight-second mark of the second quarter to 55.5 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

Speaking of the second half, one of the Vero Beach touchdowns came on defense.

In what could be seen as an exclamation point moment, Indian junior linebacker Kevin Pollock recovered a lost fumble for a long touchdown run that saw him reach the end zone untouched.

Pollock’s score came at the 6:35 mark of the fourth quarter as Vero Beach took a 35-13 lead over Centennial at that point.

“We all play as a unit,” Pollock said. “No one left out. We’re all one. I seen my teammate poke out the ball and I just seen it in front of me. So I just executed and I got us a touchdown.”

Vero Beach senior defensive lineman Kezni Brown described how his unit can impact any game in a big way.

Vero Beach offensive lineman Chase Stevens, linebacker Kevin Pollock, defensive end Matthew Bacon, defensive lineman Kezni Brown, quarterback Tyler Aronson, and athlete Efrem (EJ) White

“Over here at the Tribe, we tend to say that our d-line is the heart of the team,” Brown said. “We like to set the tone and just come out banging. We got a great d-line coach, Coach Bethel. He pushes us to be the best versions of ourselves every single day. Every Friday night, we come out and show what he instills in us. We just thank God for having him.”

Jankowski summed up this key District 12-4S in the best way possible, considering the fact there was a 30-minute lightning delay at the half.

“I think there’s an old saying that defense wins championships,” Jankowski said. “Our defense played really, really well tonight. Obviously with conditions like that, you’re gonna need stuff like this. We had a hard time staying in rhythm on offense and staying ahead of chains. Credit to Centennial. They had a good plan. They have good players, and Coach (Josh) Watkins and his staff did a great job with it. But we kept it rolling and kept it moving.”

OTHER WEEK 8 RESULTS: TREASURE COAST

•No. 2 Treasure Coast 44, No. 10 Fort Pierce Central 7 – Thursday, Oct. 13

The Titans (2-4; 2-0 in District 12-4S) kept the Cobras (1-6; 0-3 in 12-4S) winless in district play with their 37-point blowout victory at Lawnwood Stadium in Fort Pierce.

Junior running back George Roberts scored three rushing touchdowns, while senior running back Emonte Brown added two rushing scores of his own to make the difference in this one.

•No. 4 John Carroll 26, Cardinal Mooney 3: The Golden Rams (5-1; 1-0 in District 6-1S) earned the 6-1S district title at home.

•No. 5 Jensen Beach 37, South Fork 0: The Falcons (6-0; 2-0 in District 12-3S) earned the 12-3S district title on the road.

•Sebring 49, No. 6 Fort Pierce Westwood 7: The Panthers (5-2; 1-1 in District 11-3S) finished as the 11-3S district runner-up at home.

•New Smyrna Beach 29, No. 8 Sebastian River 7: The Sharks (3-3) have lost two straight games and dropped to .500 on the season. But they will look to bounce back in Week 9 on the road against the FHSAA playoff bound Jensen Beach Falcons (Friday, Oct. 21; 7 p.m. kickoff).

•St. Edward’s 34, Tradition Prep 22: The St. Edward’s Pirates (3-3) reached the .500 mark on Thursday night, while keeping the Tradition Prep Pirates (0-5) winless in their first full varsity football season.

WEEK 8 BYE: No. 7 Martin County (5-2; 0-2 in District 12-4S play)

PLEASE NOTE: No. 9 Port St. Lucie (3-3; 0-1 in District 12-3S play) did not play Okeechobee (1-5; 0-1 in District 11-3S play) last night (Oct. 14) due to it being canceled. This game will not be made up, according to WOKC Sports.