JUPITER – The second half of last night’s (Oct. 28) Jupiter Christian-Legacy Charter game could have gone either way.
Down 27-26 early in the fourth quarter, it seemed as if Jupiter Christian was ripe for an upset home loss in the first round of the SSAC AAAA playoffs.
One play changed everything, however.
At the 8:30 mark of the fourth quarter, Legacy Charter senior quarterback Jayden Colon (three rushing touchdowns, one passing touchdown) had his team in position to extend their one-point lead.
But Jupiter Christian senior Jamarr Fleuridor stepped in front of a Legacy Charter receiver and snatched an interception mid-air that galvanized his team for a momentum shift to remember.
Fleuridor (two defensive interceptions in the fourth quarter) spoke on this key moment.
“It changed the energy of the game,” Fleuridor said.
Jupiter Christian head coach Baz Alfred chimed in.
“Jamarr has been making big plays for us all year long,” Alfred said. “Brian [LaFrance] shoved a guy out of bounds and was playing lockdown defense on third and long…The ball was up in the air, and Jamarr just picked it off.”
Shortly after Fleuridor’s interception, fellow Jupiter Christian senior Brian LaFrance used his speed and athleticism to break off a long touchdown run that gave his team the lead back with 7:51 left.
LaFrance’s score made it 32-27 in favor of Jupiter Christian (7-1).
“We had to pick it up in the second half,”Alfred said. “We knew we had to figure some things out.”
LaFrance finished the game with three touchdowns, including a kickoff return for a score on the game’s very first play.
“I couldn’t have done it without my teammates,” LaFrance said. “With the opening kickoff, they kicked it to me and we knew where we were going…End zone.”
The game’s final score at 40-27 came with 5:55 left, thanks to a blistering touchdown run by Jupiter Christian junior Alex Rosario (three rushing scores).
“The only people I can thank are these guys,” Rosario said. “The linemen, the wide receivers, they were blocking all season long. Ever since June, we have been in the weight room, we were hitting the pads and just blocking. All my props go to them.”
Jupiter Christian’s defense held steady from that point on and preserved the 13-point victory over Legacy Charter (7-2).
With the win, Jupiter Christian will move on the next round of the SSAC AAAA playoffs. Next week’s opponent will be either Mt. Dora Christian Academy (6–1) or St. Stephen’s Episcopal (3-4), both of which will play each other tonight (Oct. 29; 7 p.m. kickoff).
“Both opponents are amazing teams”, Alfred said. “Mt. Dora lost one game to Lake Highland Prep by one point. And then you have St. Stephen’s, who is one of the better teams in the SSAC. How it stacks up in the top eight, you’re not going out there and playing anyone who is 0-7 or 1-7. Legacy Charter is one of the best team we’ve seen all year. They gave us a dogfight, so hats go off to them.”
Alfred said his team will need to be locked in for next week.
“We just have to get back to it,” Alfred said. “On Friday we’re in the weight room. And we’ll be hitting the ground running on Monday. We’ll start installing the game plan for next week. We’ll be ready to go.”
PHOTO CREDITS: Ronaldo Garcia
