PORT ORANGE — Normally, if your offense isn’t on the field, it’s a bad sign. But not Thursday night for Seminole.
The Seminoles turned in a dominating special teams performance Thursday night, rolling to a 43-0 road victory over Spruce Creek while avenging last season’s loss to the Hawks that knocked Seminole out of the playoffs and ended its season.
“Special teams stole the show tonight,” Seminole head coach Karl Calhoun Jr. said.
After a scoreless first quarter, Calhoun was pleased with the way his team responded, particularly after a slow start offensively.
“We needed guys to step up and they did,” Calhoun said. “We need them to rebound after a slow start and they did.”
That might have been an understatement.
Seminole scored three special teams touchdowns in the third quarter, turning a 15-0 halftime advantage into a 36-0 lead and triggering a running clock for the remainder of the game.
The Seminoles’ offense ran just six plays in the second half, but with the way the defense and special teams were playing, it hardly mattered.
Luis Ojeda opened the second half with a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, extending Seminole’s lead to 22-0 and setting the tone for what would become a remarkable third quarter.
Moments later, Kadin Pierce-Flores electrified the Seminole sideline with a 60-yard punt return for another touchdown. The special teams unit wasn’t finished.
Jackson Robbins blocked a Spruce Creek punt, and Jelani Williams scooped up the loose ball and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown, pushing the Seminoles’ advantage to 36-0.
In a matter of minutes, Seminole had scored 21 points without its offense taking the field.
The Seminoles’ defense was equally impressive, repeatedly shutting down Spruce Creek’s offense and keeping the Hawks off the scoreboard.
Jamarion Coleman led the defensive effort with 17 tackles, including nine solo stops, five tackles for loss and a sack. Coleman also blocked a fourth-quarter field goal attempt that was recovered by QJ Washington, preserving the shutout.
Dai’corian Douglas added 12 tackles and two tackles for loss, while Jaylen Lowman finished with 11 tackles, including seven solo stops.
Eddie Bouey Jr. recorded 10 tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack. Kendrick Miles Jr. contributed nine tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack and two quarterback hurries.
Mason Wills and Jaxson Wade each added eight tackles and a sack as the Seminoles consistently disrupted the Hawks’ offense.
While special teams dominated the highlights, Seminole’s offense was efficient when it had the opportunity.
Quarterback Daniel Proenza completed 4 of 6 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown, while Isaiah Taylor went a perfect 3 for 3 for 54 yards.
The Seminoles finished with 245 yards of total offense, including 187 through the air, despite having just one offensive possession in the second half.
Cameron Roberts caught two passes for 45 yards and a touchdown, while Pierce-Flores added an 80-yard reception to go along with his punt return score. Johnny Hymes had a 40-yard reception, and Xavier Thompkins finished with two catches for 16 yards.
After a scoreless opening quarter, Seminole broke through in the second on a 2-yard touchdown run. Hymes added the two-point conversion to give the Seminoles an 8-0 lead.
Proenza later connected on a 38-yard touchdown pass, and Austin Plebanski converted the extra point to send Seminole into halftime leading 15-0.
Then came the third-quarter special teams explosion that put the game out of reach.
With the running clock in effect, Seminole added one final touchdown in the fourth quarter when Williams scored on a 4-yard run. Honor Loureiro converted the extra point to complete the 43-0 victory.
Plebanski was perfect on four extra-point attempts, while Loureiro converted his only attempt.
The Seminoles finished the night without a turnover and with their defense recording a shutout.
For Seminole, the victory was more than another win. It was a measure of redemption against the team that ended its season a year ago.
And this time, it wasn’t the offense that delivered the biggest blows.
It was the special teams.
Bowling closes regular season against Lake Mary
Seminole’s boys and girls varsity bowling teams wrapped up their regular seasons Thursday with losses to Lake Mary.
The boys fell 2,403-2,042, while the girls dropped their match 1,871-1,345 against the Rams.
Both teams now turn their attention to postseason competition.