STUART – Martin County (8-2) has had a season to remember on the field.
The way Week 11 ended for the Treasure Coast’s No. 3-ranked team could not have turned out any better.
Led by head coach Rod Harris, the Tigers were able to finish their regular season with a 93-yard kick return for a touchdown from senior wide receiver Ricardo Weaver at the final buzzer. This resulted in an exhilarating 27-22 road win over Jensen Beach (8-2) on Thursday, Nov. 3.
“That return will go down in Martin County folklore,” Harris said. “I have never been on a field for that turn of events. Jensen Beach scored and got the two-point play to go up 22-21 with 6.3 seconds left. You’re talking Auburn return vs. Alabama, Cal beating Stanford with band on the field. And then you throw in the fact that it’s a rivalry game. The student section at Jensen Beach was at the gate, ready to storm the field. We could replay that 1,000 times and lose 999, but not that Thursday night.”
Martin County senior athlete and team leader Pauly Boisvert (No. 11 overall player in the Treasure Coast) spoke on how his team won the Treasure Coast’s Game of the Year and earned our Team of Week 11 honor.
“We knew we had to switch up the play calling a bit,” said Boisvert, who accounted for three total touchdowns in last week’s instant classic. “We knew we could beat them with the pass. They didn’t think I could throw. They blitzed nine people every time, and I just started throwing it. Receivers were getting wide open.”
Boisvert spoke on his clutch touchdown pass to senior tight end Nick Roebas-Bass (No. 25 overall player in the Treasure Coast), which helped to tie the game up at 14-14 with Jensen Beach at the 9:14 mark of the fourth quarter.
“When I threw the dropback pass, I knew Nick was going to be wide open,” Boisvert said. “We practiced that play all week. I got sandwiched. He’s wide open, somehow catches it, and somehow stands on the corner in bounds.”
And earlier in the second half, Boisvert found an open man in senior running back Denzel Alexander (No. 12-ranked player in the Treasure Coast) for a 9-yard touchdown pass that helped their team tie the game up at 7-7 with Jensen Beach in the third quarter.
“I didn’t think he was open at first,” Boisvert said. “I just threw, and then he scored.”
All of this made it possible – somehow – for Weaver’s kickoff return for the ages.
Our No. 40-ranked player in the Treasure Coast spoke on his legendary game-winning kick return for the score.
“I knew what was on the line,” said Weaver, who was our MVP of Week 11 and Special Teams Player of Week 11. “The trophy…Fergie Ferguson…the legacy of this team. I seen people leaving, so I had to show ‘em why we’re Martin County.”
SIDE NOTE: Martin County has won the Fergie Ferguson Trophy over Jensen Beach for the third consecutive year, which includes 2020 and 2021.
CLASS 4S-REGION 3 PLAYOFFS
Now that Martin County has completed its regular season to remember, it has earned the No. 3 seed in the FHSAA Class 4S-Region 3 playoffs.
And with that, Martin County (No. 3-ranked team in the Treasure Coast) will be at home for the 4S-Region 3 quarterfinal round against No. 5/No. 6 seed Treasure Coast (3-6).
The Martin County-Treasure Coast playoff game is essentially a rematch from what took place in Week 4 of the regular season. It was a 28-7 win in District 12-4S play for Treasure Coast at Lawnwood Stadium (Fort Pierce) that was called at halftime due to inclement weather.
Photo credits: Mary Lucci
Harris spoke highly on Treasure Coast and what this team has done throughout the regular season.
“They are big, fast, and well-coached,” said Harris, who was selected as our Coach of Week 11. “They are an outstanding football team that played arguably the toughest schedule in the country. I want to see a team who had a tougher schedule than they had. It was very difficult for them. They are the best sixth-seeded team we might ever see.”
The Martin County-Treasure Coast playoff game will kick off tonight (Nov. 11) at 6 p.m. in Stuart.
PHOTO CREDITS: Mary Lucci
VIDEO CREDITS: HurriShane (Shane Robinson) and Ricardo Weaver Sr.
