Seminole came into this season with something to prove. Mountain Vista came to Seminole with a 21-game winning streak and a No. 4 ranking in Colorado.
After jumping out to a 13-0 lead, the Seminoles watched Mountain Vista turn the game into a 14-13 fight. A year removed from a season that left plenty of questions about what Seminole could become, the Noles weren’t about to let one swing of momentum define them.
“We knew coming into this year we had a chip on our shoulder,” Seminole coach Karl Calhoun Jr. said. “We feel like everybody kind of forgot what we’ve done.”
On Friday night, Seminole reminded them.
Quarterback Daniel Proenza got Seminole going when he zigzagged his way through the Golden Eagles’ defense for the Noles’ first touchdown of the game. Proenza completed 13 of 15 passes for 150 yards and added 40 yards and a touchdown on four carries.
An outstretched Tyree Howard dove for the final yard to put the Noles on the board again and give Seminole a 13-0 lead. Howard finished with 100 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries and added two catches for 20 yards.
That was when two costly mistakes turned the game around for the Golden Eagles.
“We came out hot, and then we kind of plateaued a little bit,” Calhoun said. “We’re trying to go up three scores down here and had an unfortunate turnover. Add to that, they’re a really good football team.”
“Overall, I’m glad our guys responded and they rebounded. They didn’t panic. And we ended up coming up with a win,” Calhoun said.
Seminole finished with 190 passing yards, 230 rushing yards and four touchdowns without a turnover.
Isaiah Taylor completed 4 of 5 passes for 40 yards and added 25 yards on three carries. Da’khi Carr rushed five times for 60 yards, while Kaden Pierce-Flores had 10 catches for 95 yards.
Defensively, Jamarion Coleman led the Seminoles with six tackles, including five solo tackles, two tackles for loss and two sacks. He also forced a fumble and scored a 1-yard rushing touchdown.
Mason Wills finished with five tackles, including two solo tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks. Antrell Armstrong had five tackles, including two solo tackles and three tackles for loss. Ethan Varnadore added four tackles, including one solo tackle, a sack and a fumble recovery.
Earlier in the night, the Seminole JV ran away from Mountain Vista 27-9. The Freshman blanked Lake Brantley Wednesday 34-0.
