Pirates fall in regional quarterfinal

WINTER HAVEN — After the final seconds had ticked off the clock, Braden River High coach Don Purvis walked out onto the field and looked around.

Then, he did what any coach would do in his position — he began consoling his players. He walked around to each of his players, helping pick some up off the field while offering words of encouragement to those who had spent the past four years building the program.

It wasn’t the way the Pirates had hoped their season would end when they walked into Denison Stadium, but after 48 minutes of football, it was clear — this season there would be no miracle finish.

Instead, Braden River (4-7) found itself on the outside looking in, as the Pirates fell to Winter Haven (10-1) 41-16 in a Class 3A-Region 3 quarterfinal Nov. 19, ending Braden River’s season.

“They’re not intimidated by anybody or by any records,” Purvis said of his players. “They saw the film and felt very strongly that they could compete and win. I feel like we’re a good enough team to play with them, but we did not execute very well tonight.”

The Pirates trailed 13-0 late in the first quarter after a pair of turnovers resulted in a pair of touchdowns for the host Blue Devils. Braden River fumbled the ball on its opening possession. Winter Haven recovered and a 15-yard penalty gave the Blue Devils the ball on the Pirates 33-yard line. Winter Haven capped off the drive with a 21-yard touchdown pass from Levi Borders to Clifford Geiger.

Braden River forced Winter Haven to punt on its next series, but the ball bounced off a Braden River player’s leg and was recovered by the Blue Devils. Later in the drive, Borders connected with Luke Ewles for a 5-yard touchdown with 1:49 remaining in the first quarter.

The Pirates got on the scoreboard with 7:35 remaining in the first half when Braden River drove inside the Winter Haven 5-yard line. Senior running back Dipo Kolawole fumbled the ball in the end zone, but senior Lashay Waiters was there to recover the ball and pull the Pirates within six.

Braden River kicker Kadin Kerns tacked on a 48-yard field goal with 57.6 seconds remaining in the first half to cut Winter Haven’s lead to 20-10 heading into the locker room.

“We were moving the ball and making some good plays — we just had some unfortunate breaks and some things not go our way,” Purvis said. “We got some unlucky bounces and breaks and that’s part of the game.

“The guys played hard all game, and I’m proud of them for that,” he said.
Winter Haven controlled the ball for most of the second half, and the Blue Devils scored a pair of touchdowns to extend their lead to 34-10.

Braden River quarterback Ryan Fischer connected with Brian Bjork for a 10-yard touchdown with 7:29 remaining in the game, but it proved to be too little too late for the Pirates.

But although the season ended sooner than Braden River wanted, Purvis said he was pleased with the way his players — particularly his 19 seniors — responded to adversity throughout the season both on and off the field.

“I’m so proud of this group of seniors,” Purvis said. “They had a lot of reason to quit or not show up to football after everything they’ve been through the last few years. They showed up every day ready to work and they had an outstanding attitude. They played their guts out every single week.

“I hope they learned a lot from me, but I know I learned a lot from them,” he said.

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].

+ ODA’s season ends in regional semifinal
There will be no repeat trip to the state semifinals for The Out-of-Door Academy football team this season.

The Thunder’s 2010 campaign came to an end with a 17-6 loss to Lakeland Victory Christian Academy in a Class 1B-Region 3 semifinal Nov. 19.

Following a 33-yard interception by ODA linebacker Sam Kimmell, quarterback Evan Wilson connected with Jimmy Donnellan for an 8-yard score, giving ODA (6-4) a 6-3 halftime lead.

But early in the fourth quarter Victory Christian (11-0) took a 10-6 lead when a Wilson pass was tipped, intercepted and returned three yards for a touchdown. The Storm added another touchdown on a 44-yard run by quarterback Demeitre Brim to secure the victory and their perfect season.