On the comeback trail: Matanzas rallies to keep playoff hopes alive

Cole Walker tossed a touchdown pass to Ladarien Baker with 1:44 left to give the Pirates a 17-13 win over Mount Dora.

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The Matanzas Pirates raised the Jolly Roger on Friday night, Oct. 3, signifying a football victory for all the people driving by on Matanzas Woods Parkway to see.

Matanzas snapped a two-game losing streak, defeating Mount Dora 17-13 on Senior Night at “the Ship” in a game they likely had to win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

The Pirates dominated the Hurricanes in just about every statistical category, yet they trailed 13-10 with less than two minutes left before Cole Walker hit a wide-open Ladarien Baker on a slant for an 18-yard touchdown pass.

“Wow,” Matanzas coach Matt Forrest said. “What an amazing football game.”


Matanzas produced 394 yards of offense while holding Mount Dora to 192 and led in time of possession (31:15 to 16:45), total offensive plays (78-42) and first downs (27-9). But the Hurricanes tied the score at 10-10 in the third quarter on Cayden McCoy’s 42-yard field goal. And then, early in the fourth quarter, with rain pouring down, McCoy booted a 54-yard field goal to give Mount Dora the lead.

The Pirates’ ensuing drive stalled at midfield, but they got the ball back with 3:32 left after Jack Ferguson sacked Mount Dora quarterback Nicholas Kerr on third-and-2.

“That was the best complementary football I think we could possibly play. The defense stood tall. They gave us the ball back when it mattered most,” Forrest said.

Starting at their own 20, the Pirates marched down the field with Walker completing six passes for 78 yards to three different receivers. Baker caught the final three passes including a 23-yard catch to the Mount Dora 18-yard line despite pass interference.

On the next play, Walker faked a handoff and hit Baker for the touchdown with 1:44 left.

“That whole drive, and pretty much the whole game, we kept running inside zone over and over, and we got that backer to creep up to the box really tight,” Walker said. “So, that last play we knew he was going to crash down into the box and leave that slant window wide open for Ladarien to score.”

The Hurricanes turned the ball over on downs with 1:08 left, and the Pirates ran out the clock.

Walker completed 23 of 33 passes for 226 yards with Baker catching eight passes for 99 yards. The Pirates also rushed for 168 yards with Wiley Conner gaining 99 yards on 28 carries and Antone Jenkins adding 68 yards on 12 carries.

“This win feels good, because we know we got to win out,” Baker said. “So we have to go game by game, win by win.”

Matanzas improved to 4-3 with three games to play. The Pirates host Belleview (1-6) on Friday, Oct. 10, in their final district game on Homecoming. But Mainland can clinch the district title with a win at Belleview on Oct. 24, so the Pirates’ best hope to reach the playoffs is with an at-large bid. They entered the Mount Dora game ranked 11th in Region 1-5A with only eight teams making the playoffs. So, they would need to pass three teams in the rankings.

The Florida High School Athletic Association informed its member schools on Oct. 2 that it is adding a second postseason tournament, the Florida Invitational Tournament, for 16 teams in each classification that do not make the playoffs. But the Pirates' goal is to make the playoffs. 


This is basically round one of the playoffs for us. We have to win out the rest of the season to have any chance of getting back to the playoffs. So, this win is huge.
— JACK FERGUSON, Matanzas linebacker

“This is basically round one of the playoffs for us,” said Ferguson, who had two sacks and 3.5 of the Pirates’ six tackles for loss. “We have to win out the rest of the season to have any chance of getting back to the playoffs. So, this win is huge.”

Matanzas held the ball for 20:11 out of 24 minutes in the first half. The Pirates took a 10-7 lead on Alex Procek’s 33-yard field and Walker’s 1-yard touchdown run. But late in the second quarter they missed opportunities to add to their lead.

Jenkins’ 20-yard touchdown run was called back for holding. Later in that drive, with the ball at 5-yard-line, Walker, under pressure, threw a pass into double coverage which was intercepted by Chase Strickland. The Pirates got the ball back, and drove inside the 10 again, but time ran out in the half as Thomas Larywon was tackled at the 8 after making a catch.

“It's been one of those seasons where we’ve just had so many ups and downs,” Forrest said. “(Mount Dora) beat us really handedly last year (36-0). That is a really good football team. So, for these guys to fight through all that and win a football game, I'm just really proud of our team.” 

 

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