Wiley Conner, Matanzas hope to break through the FPC barrier

It's been 10 years since the Pirates last defeated the Bulldogs on the field in Flagler County's annual Potato Bowl game.

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Matanzas running back Wiley Conner is ready for his final Potato Bowl game.

“Going into this game, we’re feeling great,” the senior said after the Pirates held off Seabreeze 17-14 in a preseason kickoff classic on Aug. 14 at ‘The Ship.’

Matanzas and Flagler Palm Coast will open the season on Friday, Aug. 21, at FPC’s Sal Campanella Stadium in Flagler County’s annual Potato Bowl game. The winner will get to hold onto the County Championship Trophy for the next year.

“This game is super important,” Conner said. “All of our mentality is to go in there and just take back what's ours.”

The Bulldogs haven't turned over the trophy to their northern neighbors very often. The Pirates have defeated the Bulldogs just three times in 17 meetings, but one of those was a forfeit in 2022 because of an ineligible player self-reported by FPC. The Pirates’ two victories on the field were in 2015 and 2016.

Last year’s game was close with Conner rushing for 80 yards and a touchdown in a 26-14 loss. Matanzas trailed by six points before FPC’s Logan Jacobelli caught a 55-yard touchdown pass from La’Darius Simmons with 8:30 left in the game.

This year, the Bulldogs will likely see a steady dose of Matanzas running backs Conner and FPC transfer Darwin Harris.

Running behind an experienced offensive line, Conner carried the ball 12 times for 115 yards against Seabreeze in the kickoff classic. He left the game after the Pirates’ first offensive series of the second half. His big play was a 42-yard touchdown run on the last play of the first quarter.

“The gap was there,” he said. “An outside linebacker came out and missed the tackle — I broke the tackle. I saw no one else and took it in for the touchdown.”

Harris gave Matanzas a 7-0 lead with a 3-yard touchdown run. Senior defensive backs Jez McCoy and Brennon Friendly had first-half interceptions. and Friendly added a sack in the second half.

But the Sandcrabs stopped the Pirates twice on fourth downs in the red zone and held them to a field goal on a third trip inside the 20.

“I thought we played hard. I thought we played physical,” Matanzas coach Matt Forrest said. “But I think there were a lot of mistakes that we got to clean up. We knew they were going to bring pressure. Coach [Mike] Klein is, in my opinion, one of the best defensive minds in the area, if not the state, so we knew that they would give us fits. But when you get in the red zone, you’ve got to be able to move them off the ball.”


This is a big game for the county. It's a rival game. They're going to be tough, so we’ve got to be more efficient.
— MATT FORREST, Matanzas football coach

Matanzas junior Cole Hardy made his first start at quarterback and completed three passes for 10 yards. Freshman Devin Davis passed for 41 yards in the second half.

“Devin is a very talented freshman. But he's a freshman,” Forrest said. “He's got a lot of skill. He's got talent. We just got to get him more comfortable in our system.”

Conner, who rushed for over 1,100 yards last year, is very comfortable.

“I thought it was awesome out there with my O-line,” he said. “Honestly, it just felt amazing to be back out here.”

The Sandcrabs’ two fourth-down stops came in the second half with the Pirates’ younger players in the game. But no matter who’s in the game, the Pirates will have to be able to finish drives against the Bulldogs, Forrest said.

“Flagler Palm Coast is always physical. They always fly around. They always play with a lot of energy and excitement,” Forrest said. “This is a big game for the county. It's a rival game. They're going to be tough, so we’ve got to be more efficient.”

 

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