PORT CHARLOTTE — Jordan Ingman got the best gift a coach of a good team can get during Port Charlotte’s season-opening game against visiting Island Coast:
A blowout victory with plenty of things to work on.
The Pirates didn’t play their best brand of football Friday night, but came away with a 50-6 victory over the Gators to christen Harbor Nissan Stadium at Pirates Cove in style (somewhat).
Despite the lopsided score, the Gators were very obviously improved from last season, when they wilted against the Pirates during a 49-8 regular-season finale.
“They came in here and played hard and they were coached well,” Ingman said of Island Coast. “They had a good plan and they did some things that they hadn’t showed that took a little while to get used to.
“And, you know, it took us a while, too.”
Port Charlotte’s first two plays were negative ones. First, they muffed the opening kickoff and took a big loss in recovering the loose ball. Then quarterback Logan Flaherty got sacked on the first play from scrimmage.
Stuck at their own 12-yard line facing second-and-long, the Pirates brought out the lunch pails and went to work, embarking on a 13-play drive in which every yard was hard won, even those gathered by running back Ike Perry.
“You could see his athleticism,” Ingman said. “It was harder for him to break loose tonight than last week. Again, give (Island Coast) credit."
Island Coast stalled out the Pirates’ opening march by stuffing Juluis Roach on a 4th-and-3 at the Gators’ 12.
Any good feelings the Gators might have enjoyed in the moment evaporated four plays later when a high punt snap following a three-and-out sailed out of the end zone for a safety.
Finally, after misfiring on his first three pass attempts of the evening during the opening drive, Flaherty hooked up with Cam Becerril for a 23-yard touchdown on the short field following the safety, opening the floodgates for Port Charlotte.
The Pirates led 37-6 at halftime and both teams agreed to a running clock at the water break of the third quarter, making up for time lost when the game’s start was delayed by rain and lightning.
KEY STATS: Port Charlotte finished with 321 total yards of offense, including 257 on the ground. … After needing just 10 carries to reach 175 yards last week against Riverview, Perry ground out 20 carries for 177 yards and three touchdowns against the Gators. While his yards were hard to come by, he did manage six runs of 10 or more yards, including a 30-yarder. … Flaherty completed 6 of 14 passes for 64 yards and two touchdowns to Becerril, but was picked off just before halftime when Port Charlotte had the opportunity to go ahead by a running clock-triggering score. He also ran for a score. … Chavon Lizana, one of the Pirates’ more unheralded seniors, had a stellar game in the defensive backfield and special teams, picking off one pass, nearly getting another and recovering a blocked punt. ... Island Coast was held to 64 total yards of offense, thanks in large part to the two botched punt snaps, which cost a total of 37 yards. ... Gervaris Leaphart had 10 carries for 53 yards.
KEY PLAYS: Port Charlotte likely wins this game 10 out of 10 times, but the Gators twice botched punt snaps, one going for the safety and another for a very short field, and just like that, the Pirates were ahead 16-0 without really kicking into full gear.
QUICK HITS: The future arrived after the running clock and it was fun to see. Two key members of the 2021 12U Port Charlotte Bandits accounted for all the yards on the Pirates’ final scoring drive. Quarterback Dylan Szych plunged in from three yards out after running back Bruce Blanden powered the Pirates into scoring position with a pair of hard-nosed, Ike Perry-esque runs. That 2021 Bandits squad advanced all the way to the 12U National Championship game in Orlando. “You’re talking about guys who are still just ninth-graders,” Ingman said. “So if they come out here and look like a varsity player in ninth grade, that ‘s a good sign.”
QUOTE: “He’s a great kid. He’s one of those guys, like when he’s being rotating in at practice, he’s on the sidelines doing footwork drills. Like he never rests. He’s always on the grass after practice, getting extra work in. He’s probably our most improved player in the program.” –Ingman on Lizana
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