St. Edward defeated Mainland (Daytona Beach, FL) by a score of 47-28 on a beautiful October afternoon at First Federal Lakewood Stadium. Mainland, the #1 ranked team in Florida's 6A division, traveled over 1,000 miles by bus over two days for the game. The win takes St. Edward's record to 6-1 on the season.
The Eagles jumped out to a quick 14-0 nothing lead, but highly touted quarterback Denzel Houston brought the Buccaneers back to tie the game. St. Edward widened the lead late in the second quarter, and took a 35-21 lead to the half. Mainland scored a TD in the third to cut the lead to 35-28, but the Eagles pulled away in the fourth to take a 19 point win.
Uncharacteristically for teams of this caliber, penalties were a major factor in the game. Mainland was flagged 15 times times for 155 yards, St. Edward had 10 penalties for 87 yards. One crucial Mainland penalty negated a fumbled kick return by the Eagles in the second quarter.
Eagle wide receiver Matthew Gonzalez had two touchdowns on the day.
Running back Cole Gest had another big day, 224 yards rushing and a touchdown.
Mainland QB Denzel Houston lived up to his billing. He passed for two touchdowns and ran for another.
Eagle defensive lineman Michael O'Malley had a big day on both sides of the ball. He not only disrupted the Bucs' offense, but he scored 34 yard receiving TD as a tight end. It came on a key fourth down play in the second quarter.
After missing the last two football games due to band competitions, the Eagle Marching Band returned this week.
