Creekside hasn’t been down this road before.
Down Longleaf Pine to face rival Bartram Trail? Of course, every year since Creekside opened in 2008. But to go to the Bears’ home field and take a victory, while winning consecutive games in the series?
Those were new experiences for anybody who has put on the Knights uniform over the past 18 seasons.
Senior captain Jaxon Earle rushed for two touchdowns out of the wildcat formation and picked off a pass as a safety to keep rival Bartram Trail out of the end zone Friday night. With Creekside sparked by a first-quarter fake punt, the Knights emerged with a 28-14 victory in the Varsity 4 Game of the Week.
As Creekside (1-3) is rebuilding a bit with several underclassmen in key spots, it was a much-needed victory. But it was historic at the same time as, in the 19 games played in the Battle of Longleaf Pine — including one playoff meeting — it was the Knights’ third victory in the series, the first time winning consecutive games in the rivalry and their first triumph on the Bears’ turf.
“It’s just a crazy feeling,” said Earle, who had a game-sealing first down run from the wildcat late in the game. “We grew up with these kids in middle school, in Pop Warner. Just to battle and get the ‘W’ means a lot to us.”
It also provides a boost after a rough start to the season. Creekside lost by a combined 78 points to Mandarin, Nease and Spruce Creek. But those teams also hold a collective 12-0 record after Friday.
It’s a similar setup to last season, when the Knights were beaten by those three teams, but a victory against their rival sparked a run to the postseason. However, coach Sean McIntyre cautioned that it’s a very different team this season.
“Every year is different. This team is a lot younger,” McIntyre said. “We don’t have as many older kids, so they’re growing up right in front of our eyes.
“But you have to see some validation in the work you put in, and we have to continue to work and grow on Monday.”
The victory validation did not come for Bartram Trail (0-4). The Bears opened the season with defeats to Sumner, Ponte Vedra and Ware County (Ga.), with those teams combining for a 9-3 mark this season.
Sophomore all-purpose player Gavin Peterson, who had 57 yards passing and guided the team to a third quarter score in a relief quarterback stint, feels like the team is close after going through that tough slate.
“I feel like every week has been a challenge,” said Peterson, who rushed for 28 yards and caught a pass for 19 more. “But we keep working, going through everything like brothers. I feel like these losses have actually brought us closer together. I think that’s what we need to turn around the season.”
At first, it seemed like that gauntlet of a schedule would pay dividends. Bartram Trail linebacker Connor DeMarco, a senior captain, picked off a pass on the fourth play of the game and raced 37 yards until he was ruled out at the Creekside 4. On the next play, Coleson Baum hit Arthur Lewis for a touchdown and a 7-0 Bears edge.
Creekside’s next drive went nowhere, and Javy Aponte lined up in punt formation. However, he threw down the sideline to Timmy Goodrich for a 40-yard pass play with an extra 15 tacked on for a Bartram Trail unsportsmanlike penalty. Two plays later, Davis Baldwin rushed in for a touchdown from eight yards out to knot the game.
That was the jolt the Knights needed.
“We needed a spark,” McIntyre said. “That’s a play we’ve run many times over the years. It was something that we kind of felt like we needed to get going, and it got us going.”
McIntyre became a gambling Riverboat Sean in the second quarter. At the same time, sophomore transfer quarterback Rozzi Sperry, a transfer from Texas, came into his own, coming on in relief after the first drive. On a fourth-and-3 at the Bears 39, Sperry dropped back under pressure and lofted a short screen to Baldwin, who raced through the defense for 39 yards and a 14-7 Creekside lead.
After a 3-for-11 start as a passer, Sperry connected on 15 of his final 26, totaling 266 yards and getting the Knights into scoring position twice more for Earle to take over.
For Creekside’s first drive of the second half, Sperry engineered a 12-play drive, converting three third-and-long situations with his arms and legs. That got the Knights down to the Bartram Trail 7, where Earle bulled in for his second score and a 28-7 lead.
“New to us, great kid,” McIntyre said of Sperry. “I’m proud of Rozzi. He’s battled and worked and kept his head down. He made some awesome plays to help us. He’s worked really hard to give himself a chance to be successful here.”
After gaining 62 total yards in the first half, and being unable to dislodge Brian Harris and his fellow Creekside defensive tackles, the Bears tried the outside. There was some success and, eventually another Lewis touchdown, but another chance for a score was snuffed out by Earle, who glided over from the safety spot and picked off what looked to be a sure touchdown.
“Everything good that happens to Jaxon Earle is because he’s earned it,” McIntyre said. “That kid is the salt of the Earth. He’s the heart and soul of our team. I’ve been doing this for 20 years, and I have not been around as many football players as good as he is. He s an unbelievable kid, more importantly.”
Eventually, Sperry, with a guest appearance from Earle, drove down the field and ate up the final eight-plus minutes of game time. It was time for the victory formation.
Then they could celebrate a rare occasion: a victory, at last, at Bartram Trail.
“We have so much resilience,” Earle said. “We come to work every week. Our team never quits. I think we just have to stack weeks, have a good week at practice and execute the game plan. I think it’s a good momentum boost.”
Creekside 28, Bartram Trail 14
Creekside, 7, 14, 7, 0 — 28
Bartram Trail, 7, 0, 7, 0 — 14
BT – Arthur Lewis 4 pass from Coleson Baum (Lucas Floyd kick)
C – Davis Baldwin 8 run (Landon Mendez kick)
C – Baldwin 35 pass from Rozzi Sperry (Mendez kick)
C – Jaxon Earle 1 run (Mendez kick)
C – Jaxon Earle 7 run (Mendez kick)
BT – Lewis 5 run (Floyd kick)
Category: C — BT
First downs: 19 — 9
Rushes-yards: 31-75 — 27-92
Passing: 306 — 102
Comp-Att-Int: 19-41-1 — 11-17-1
Fumbles-lost: 0-0 — 1-0
Penalties-Yards: 10-85 — 10-98
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — C: Baldwin 16-36, Sperry 7-24, Earle 5-14, Harrison Leddy 1-11, Team 2-(-10). BT: Lewis 14-42, Gavin Peterson 5-28, Baum 5-14, Chris Timmons 1-4, Mario Middleton 2-4.
PASSING — C: Sperry 18-37-0-266, Javy Aponte 1-1-0-40, Leddy 0-3-1-0. BT: Peterson 5-7-1-57, Baum 6-10-0-45.
RECEIVING — C: Garren Blaylock 6-100, Timmy Goodrich 5-88, Baldwin 2-50, Dario Griffin 3-35, Nixson Poppinga 2-21, Chace Dolan 1-12. BT: Colin Reece Pate 1-30, Ryder Uzzel 1-22, Powers Windle 2-20, Lewis 5-13, Peterson 1-19, Reece Moore 1-(-2).