TALLAHASSEE — Mosley might need a little extra time to do it, but the Dolphins already are showing they can overcome adversity on the road.
Mosley’s defense made a goal-line stand to begin the second overtime, and the Dolphins’ Trevin Taylor punched the ball into the end zone on a 4-yard run minutes later for a 27-21 season-opening road win over Tallahassee Leon in a non-district football game Thursday night.
Mosley outlasted Lakewood 20-14 in overtime in a preseason kickoff classic last week. The Dolphins made a big stop defensively before scoring the winning touchdown in that game, and they followed a similar blueprint against Leon, a team Mosley hadn’t beaten in eight years.
After both teams scored touchdowns in the first overtime, Leon needed three plays to advance the ball to the Mosley 6 in the second extra period. After mulling a field goal attempt, the Lions instead sent the offense back on the field. Mosley swarmed to the ball on fourth down to tackle Leon star and Auburn recruit D’Anfernee McGriff and return possession the Dolphins with the tie intact.
Three snaps later, Taylor plunged into the end zone from the Leon 2 to end the game.
“That goal-line stand in overtime, they’ve got a guy committed to going to Auburn,” Mosley coach Jeremy Brown said of McGriff, a 6-foot-2, 223-pound tailback. “We hit him at the line of scrimmage four straight plays. The defensive line played well.
“I thought our coaches did a great job practicing all week and executing the game plan. The kids played with a lot of character in the second overtime, and it just paid dividends.”
The Lions returned the game’s opening kickoff for a touchdown, but Mosley evened the score at 7-all with Dillon Brown’s 1-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter.
Leon responded with another touchdown on its next possession, but the Dolphins knotted the game at 14-14 with Ezra Gray’s touchdown 3½ minutes before halftime.
Mosley began the first overtime with a Brown touchdown pass to James Lovett before the host Lions pulled even with a touchdown on fourth down on the ensuing possession.
Both teams struggled on special teams. In addition to the kickoff return for a touchdown, Mosley also had a punt blocked. The Dolphins atoned for that miscue, at least, with a blocked punt of their own in the fourth quarter.
The Dolphins’ schedule doesn’t get much easier next week when Mosley plays at Pensacola Escambia — a Class 6A program — next Friday. Last week’s opponent, Lakewood, reached the Class 5A state semifinals a year ago. Leon is a Class 7A program that reached the regional quarterfinals in 2013.
“We got a lot of confidence last week going to Lakewood,” Jeremy Brown said. “Those guys are ranked No. 5 in the state in 5A. We went down there and beat those guys in overtime. Then we came over here, and Leon’s got a great football team. … We just kept believing.
“We coach them hard, but we love them. We spend a lot of time with them off the field. These guys will run through a wall for us right now because they know we’ll do the same for them.”
Volleyball
Mosley 3, NBH 0
LYNN HAVEN — Kenley Adams posted 13 kills and nine assists, and Heidi Nix added seven kills and 14 assists in Mosley’s 25-20, 25-6, 25-21 victory over North Bay Haven in a girls volleyball match Thursday.
Kiana Yangson had 11 digs, and Elizabeth Wingrove had eight for the Dolphins. Cassidy Gant and Brooke Shade each had nine kills for North Bay Haven, and Devon Stringer added six kills and 14 assists.
Mosley won the JV match 25-12, 25-14. Kelsey Riley paced NBH with five kills.
Mosley (2-0) plays in a 28-team tournament in Hoover, Ala., on Friday and Saturday. NBH travels to Chipley for a tournament on Saturday.
Chiles 3, Arnold 1
PANAMA CITYBEACH — Sarah Robertson tallied 15 kills and 20 digs for Arnold in a 25-12, 22-25, 25-22, 25-19 loss to Tallahassee Chiles.
Casey Justice had 11 kills for Arnold (1-1), setter Gabby Crowley had 40 assists, and Eden Hawes contributed with 20 digs.
The Marlins play North Bay Haven on Tuesday.
Girls golf
Mosley tops Bay
PANAMA CITYBEACH — Mosley’s Mary Beth McQuire staked medalist honors with a score of 31, and the Dolphins defeated Bay in a dual match held Thursday at Holiday Golf Club. Mosley finished with a team score of 155. Bay finished at 175.
Mosley (155): Mary Beth McQuire 31, Betsy Chisolm 37, Katelyn Kovacs 40, Catlin Rogers 46, Brooke Daniels 47, Madison Porcelli 47.
Bay (175): Lilly Mulligan 38, Mary Higby 38, Shyamalee Ramaraj 51, Amber Leachman 51.