Tiger Sharks shut out Trojans, win state title

ORLANDO — In an age of almost unlimited offense, the new 1A state football champion’s season was defined by its defense as Port St. Joe registered its third straight shutout in a 16-0 victory over Hamilton County in Friday’s title game at the Citrus Bowl.

The Tiger Sharks’ defense limited the Trojans to 125 yards of total offense and eight first downs in notching its seventh shutout of the season. It was the third consecutive in the playoffs after blanking Blountstown and Vernon in preceding weeks.

“Our defense played lights out today, as they’ve done for the entire season,” Port St. Joe coach John Palmer said. “These kids really just play relentless. They run to the ball. (Defensive coordinator Chuck Gannon) and our staff on defense does an excellent job getting these guys ready to play week in and week out and that’s where it all begins.”

After holding opponents to 9.7 points per game during the regular season, the Tiger Sharks defense’ went to an even higher level in the playoffs. First it throttled a dynamic South Walton passing attack in a 37-14 win before shutting down Blountstown and Vernon in wins of 6-0 and 35-0.

The offense wasn’t especially dynamic in Friday’s game, compiling just 247 total yards, but it was more than enough support for a defense that proved impenetrable when it mattered most.

“We put an emphasis on defense because we’re primarily a run offense, so we’re going to grind it out,” Palmer said. “We’re built to win games when it’s low scoring. I think when we minimize mistakes on offense, which means not turning the ball over, we have a chance to win close games.”

Jarkeice Davis paced Port St. Joe’s offense Friday, as he usually does, rushing for 146 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries. His 22-yard scoring run in the second quarter gave him 40 TDs for the season.

Davis got the Tiger Sharks, 12-2, in the end zone less than 90 seconds into the game after a fumble by Hamilton County’s J’Quan Cole was recovered by Umstead Sanders at the Trojans’ 26-yard line.

Four plays later, Davis found the end zone from 12 yards on third-and-8, and Cole Cryderman’s extra point made it 7-0 with 10:32 left in the first quarter.

After taking advantage of a Trojans’ miscue for their first score, the Tiger Sharks scored a second time with the best drive of the game for either team marching 70 yards on 10 plays.

Davis rushed four times for 45 yards on the series, with his second touchdown and the ensuing extra point by Cryderman giving the Tiger Sharks a 14-0 halftime edge.

Port St. Joe held Hamilton County, 10-4, to 73 yards of offense in the first half and the defensive domination continued in the third quarter.

The first Trojans’ series of the second half ended in a punt, and the second resulted in more points for the Tiger Sharks. Hamilton County quarterback Kentwan Daniels was dropped for a safety by Sanders to put Port St. Joe up 16-0 with 37 seconds left in the quarter.

Port St. Joe played it safe thereafter, running the ball on all 10 plays from scrimmage and allowing its defense to provide punctuation. It do so with an interception by Jak Riley with 3:01 remaining.

It was a rough night for Daniels, who finished 5-for-19 for 36 yards and two interceptions and was sacked four times. The Trojans didn’t have much success on the ground, gaining just 89 yards on 30 attempts.

 The victory capped a remarkable run for a Tiger Sharks’ team that finished second in its district behind Liberty County, which dealt Port St. Joe one of its two losses in 2014, 19-14 on Oct. 31 in Bristol.

 Port St. Joe was 5-0 from that point, winning by a total margin of 135-49, including 94-14 in the playoffs.

“I think the runner-up spot really motivated our team,” Palmer said. “These kids worked extremely hard. The commitment level from all the kids has been just outstanding. I can’t say enough about what these kids have sacrificed.

“I hope they’ve grown and learned from these experiences. They’ve earned everything they’ve gotten and we’re awfully proud of the fact that they stuck with what we were saying as coaches and preaching to them on a weekly basis.”

Aaron Paul added 49 yards on 13 carries for Port St. Joe, with Cryderman gaining 28 yards on 10 rushes. TJ Williams completed 2-of-4 passes for 23 yards.

On top of his big rushing day, Davis also placed three punts inside the Hamilton County 20, including one downed at the 2 that set up the safety.

It was the fourth state championship for Port St. Joe and the second for Palmer, who previously won with the Tiger Sharks in 2005.

“Everyone’s really excited and we’re just awfully proud of the effort of the kids,” Palmer said. “The support we got from the community has been unbelievable. It was just a tremendous year and we feel awfully blessed. We’re excited for what these young people got to experience today.