Matanzas football team searches for its identity after 0-2 start

The Pirates will try to fit the puzzle pieces together in their home opener against Deltona this week.

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After two losses to start the season, the Matanzas football team is trying to find its identity.

The Pirates went 7-4 last season, averaging 351 yards on offense. But their quarterback and top four receivers all graduated. They were expected to rely on a strong running game this season led by returning 1,000-yard rusher Wiley Conner and an experienced offensive line. But so far, the results have been inconsistent.

Matanzas rushed for 139 yards in the 42-7 loss to Flagler Palm Coast on Aug. 21, but were held to 4 yards on the ground in a 29-10 loss at Clay on Friday, Aug. 28. After passing for 17 yards against FPC, they passed for 149 yards against the Blue Devils. Freshman quarterback Devin Davis entered in the second quarter against Clay and completed 10 of 24 passes for 110 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

“As coaches we’ve got to figure out the identity of this team, because every year it's different,” Matanzas head coach Matt Forrest said. “As much as you would like to have an idea going into the season who we're going to be, it doesn't always work out like that.”

Forrest said two games have given the staff a good sample size. And practice this week will help determine who starts at quarterback in the Pirates’ home opener on Friday, Sept. 4, against Deltona.

The offensive highlight for Matanzas in the Clay loss was Davis’ 44-yard touchdown pass to Conner in the fourth quarter.

“Wiley ran a good route. Devin stood in the pocket. We got some time, and he delivered a great ball,” Forrest said.


We've got some good players on our football team that we got to figure out how to utilize.
— MATT FORREST, Matanzas football coach

“We've got some good players on our football team that we got to figure out how to utilize,” he added. “The beauty of the team game of football is you can have exceptional individuals, but if they're not all together in the right spot, it doesn't always work out great.”

Forrest compares this team to the 2021 Pirates, when they were developing a young quarterback in sophomore Dakwon Evans. Two years later, Evans and fellow seniors Cole Hash and Jordan Mills led Matanzas to the playoffs.

Last year, the Pirates had a senior quarterback in Cole Walker who passed for nearly 2,400 yards. In 2020, they had senior quarterback Ethan Dattilio, who passed for 1,750 yards.

Forrest looked back to the 2021 season to see how they adapted to the new personnel and if they can take any lessons from that season and apply them to this year’s team.

“It’s going back to look at my play calling and my progression of installing the offense, how did we try to go from such an offense that in 2020 was prolific and set every record, to how did we build up with a bunch of young players to what led to the success in ’23, when all those kids were seniors,” Forrest said.

The Pirates have a lot of new pieces this year, Forrest said. And knowing that the program has been through the rebuilding process before and come out of it successfully has been encouraging, he said.

“Regardless who's at quarterback, every single wide receiver on the field is new,” he said. “It's just kind of going back and reassessing where you're at, and then trying to go back into the program to see, how did we get through this before, the installs and philosophies and how did I call plays. This isn't the first time we've been in this situation. It won't be the last. So how do we continue to move our program forward since it hasn't started off the way we would like.”

Forrest said the defense has played well so far, even though the scores haven’t shown it.

“They're flying to the football,” he said. “They're forcing turnovers. We just got to take care of the football on offense and be able to help those guys out.”

The Blue Devils scored on a pick-six last week. And a dropped punt snap and an interception led to two quick touchdowns by FPC in Week 1.

Deltona comes into the Ship with a 2-0 record. The Wolves have given up a total three points in two games.

“They're good. Their defense is stingy,” Forrest said. “Offensively, they like to run the ball, and they've got really good players on [offense]. So, it's going to be a challenge. [But] we finally get back home. We're excited to get back in front of our own crowd and not have to get on a bus this week.

“I feel like we’re in a good spot,” Forrest said. “We're still a long way from where we need to be, but I feel like we're definitely heading in the right direction.”

 

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