Vero Beach has won 13 straight against Fort Pierce Central and are 15-2 against the Cobras since 2006. But the latest win didn't come without a fight.
FORT PIERCE – Vero Beach High coach Lenny Jankowski alternated Micah Roberts between offense at wide receiver and in the defensive backfield early in the season.
Defensive backs coach Bryan Rahal suggested Roberts stay on the defensive side, citing his playmaking abilities.
“He had been mostly working on the offensive side,” Jankowski said. “And then we started working him on both sides. Coach Rahal reminds me on the regular that he’s our next big-timer. He keeps saying, ‘He’s a big-time guy. He’s a big-time safety.’”
Roberts’ work on the defensive side Friday paid off in the biggest game of the season to date.
The sophomore safety made two interceptions, including a drive-stopper midway through the fourth quarter to preserve Vero Beach’s 21-13 victory over Fort Pierce Central in a Class 7A-District 11 contest at Calvin R. Triplett Field at Lawnwood Stadium.
The battle between unbeatens came down to a defensive tussle, and Roberts was in the middle of the action literally and figuratively.
Vero Beach trailed 13-7 at halftime before pitching a shutout in the second half.
The team did not wait to reach the locker room at halftime to address the defensive assignments.
“We made some adjustments because we were having problems,” Roberts said. “We were kinda fighting with each other. He just talked about sticking together, playing together and don’t get mad. Continue to be poised.”
Vero Beach (5-0, 2-0 in 7A-11) allowed seven first downs in the second half, forcing a punt, stopping three fourth-down plays and Roberts’ second pick of the game on the Cobras’ six possessions.
On a third-and-14 play midway through the fourth quarter, Roberts high-pointed the ball and came down with a pass inside the 20-yard line.
“It was Ferrari coverage and I had all verticals and I had No. 2 (JJ Blackwood). I had No. 2 the whole time,” Roberts said. “I see ball. I go get ball, just like a receiver.”
The Cobras got the ball back at their 20-yard line with 1:34 remaining, but four straight incompletions sent Vero Beach into victory formation.
Senior defensive end Maleki Reed had quarterback pressure on first down and senior defensive lineman Bobby Burbic batted down the pass behind the line of scrimmage on fourth down.
“At the end we just kinda picked it up and played as a team,” Roberts said. “We continued to fight through and through, and that was it.”
“He’s smart. He’s physical. He’s got good speed. And he’s a playmaker,” Jankowski said of Roberts. “Obviously we were able to see that tonight.”
The 6-foot-1, 173-pound Roberts also made his presence felt on Fort Pierce Central’s first series, making a one-handed interception to end the Cobras’ drive.
“Those were two huge plays,” Jankowski said.
Vero Beach takeaways
1. Vero Beach’s offense stayed mainly on the ground throughout, rushing for 264 yards on 40 carries. Senior running back Johnathan Hillsman carried 18 times for 133 yards. Senior quarterback Efrem “EJ” White rushed 21 times for 127 yards. White had all six carries for 54 yards and the game-tying score on the first drive of the third quarter. Senior kicker Rylie Swanson broke the 13-all deadlock with a PAT kick. “He’s a tough kid,” Jankowski said of White. “He’s the ultimate competitor.”
2. White completed two passes (in four attempts), one for positive yardage, but it was a big one. On the first play of the fourth quarter, White hooked up with junior wide receiver Marcus Melbourne, who broke a couple of tackles for a 39-yard touchdown to make it 21-13.
3. The size and speed differential on both the offensive and defensive lines were key. Vero Beach used 6-6, 315-pound offensive lineman Champ Smith on the defensive line in the second half, and Smith came up with a key third-down sack. Reed picked up a sack on third down in the fourth quarter. Burbic, Reed, Jaydon Haywood, Sebastian Polynice and Lance Stone had tackles for losses. Josiah Taylor got his arm in the way of a pass on fourth down. Stone also deflected a pass. Polynice and Jordan Crutchfield combined to block a PAT kick on Fort Pierce Central’s first touchdown. Vero Beach has won 13 straight against Fort Pierce Central and are 15-2 against the Cobras since 2006. Vero Beach had scored 28 or more points in the previous 12 games. “We knew, contrary to what people think or believe, that this was going to be a dogfight,” Jankowski said. “On top of cleaning some things up and playing really well in the second half, where we could gain an advantage in this game is in the trenches. I thought we were able to set the tone on both sides of the ball. I’m proud of our coaches for sticking with the game plan. Our players really responded well. I have great respect for Coach (Michael) Watkins. He had his kids ready. It was a district game and both teams were undefeated, you’ve got to do what it takes to win the game.”
Fort Pierce Central takeaways
1. The Cobras played a spirited game early, jumping out to leads of 6-0 and 13-7. Senior Brandon Cummings intercepted a pass and returned it 75 yards before being caught by White at the 10-yard line. Senior Kyron Pratt took it in from there for the opening score. After Vero Beach went up 7-6 Fort Pierce Central came back with an 80-yard drive in 12 plays with junior quarterback Drew LaPlante (15-for-32, 185 yards) hooking up with senior Marquan Burgess (4 catches, 64 yards) for a 25-yard touchdown on a fourth-and-9 play with 5:05 left before halftime. That was all the scoring for the Cobras.
2. Fort Pierce Central defense picked off two passes. Along with Cummings, Blackwood had an interception in the end zone. Seniors Ardarius Elmore and Jonathan Pierre had tackles for loss on the first two plays of the game. Junior Floyd Reynolds, junior Chad DeVries and senior Exavier Mertilus also made big contributions defensively.
3. Cobras coach Michael Watkins knows there are things his team can improve upon. “In a positive light, there are a lot of things we can do better,” he said. “We had too many cramps. We can take care of our body. We can do special teams better. We were dropping like flies. We had three major injuries in the first quarter. That’s not an excuse. We’ve got to do a better job of coaching our special teams and backups. All in all at the end of the day I’m really proud of my coaches, proud of my kids, they fought their butt off. This isn’t the end of our story. We can’t let this set us back. We can learn from this and hopefully improve.”
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: How Vero Beach football escaped upset-minded Fort Pierce Central
Category: General Sports
