A white Atlantic Coast flag waves at the brink of a rainstorm. Students are dressed in “Barbecue Dad” and “Soccer Mom” outfits as the sound of slippery shoes on the wet steel bleachers fill the Bay.
This means football season is back, with the Stingrays of Atlantic Coast taking on the Braves of Terry Parker. Terry Parker is coming off of a 2-8 record last year and Stingray head coach Stephanie “Step” Durham is looking for his fifth win in his Atlantic Coast career.
The first quarter was filled with grind and gritty football, as the quarter ended scoreless for both teams. Run play after run play, neither team was able to get the ball moving with only a combined 52 yards of offense.
Pinned in his own endzone, Stingrays punter Ian Santos could not control a bad snap which led to a poor punt and great field position for the Braves.
Sat at the 25-yard line, a breadbasket touchdown pass to Sidonie Limehouse Jr. capering over the defender from Tony Kennedy, would put the Braves up 7-0.
The student section started to diminish. But that barb on the stinger was the only thing keeping the Stingrays alive.
A third quarter filled with three straight turnovers forced by the Stingrays; kicker Ian Santos drilled a 35-yard field goal to put Atlantic Coast on the board. 7-3 heading into the fourth…
The bell was rung by the Stingrays as running back Jordyn Bell busted up the middle for a 60-yard touchdown following a Craig Murphy interception, giving the Stingrays a 10-7 lead in the fourth.
Two more turnovers from the Stingrays, including a fumble recovery by Cory Mathews, who ripped the ball and the win away from Quarterback Tony Kennedy in a corralled dogpile late in the fourth, would keep the Stingrays afloat in their first game of the season.
The Stingrays will face a star-studded Mandarin team at the Bay in a rivalry game this week, with all odds against the Stingrays…
