BY GENE NARDI
The Seminole Ridge High School varsity football team hosted Broward County’s J.P. Taravella High School in a preseason kickoff classic game Friday, Aug. 21, and rolled over the Trojans 47-7 before a capacity crowd at Callery Judge Stadium.
The Hawks finished the spring session in big fashion with a 48-35 win over South Fork High School before heading into the summer. Then, the Hawks continued their mission in the gym and participated in camps. The result of their commitment shined last Friday night against Taravella. Seminole Ridge put up 19 first-half points to Taravella’s 7.
“I wasn’t happy about the penalties,” Seminole Ridge head coach Scott Barnwell said. “That’s the part we have to clean up, and I think we did in the second half.”
Early in the second half, Taravella had a fourth-and-long deep in their own red zone. A low snap gave Seminole Ridge cornerback Lavinski Minus the opportunity to tackle the punter and give the Hawks possession on the Trojan 11-yard line. On the Hawks’ first possession, running back Joseph Schergen powered through the Trojan defense for the score. Jared Tolbert’s kick extended the Hawk lead to 26-7.
After the Hawk’s defense shut down the Taravella offense, forcing another punt situation, Seminole Ridge went to work on offense again. The Hawks needed just five plays to drive down to the Trojan 13-yard line. Schergen again sliced through the Trojan defense, this time from 13 yards out. Tolbert’s kick extended the Seminole Ridge lead to 33-7.
“Joey is one of the best kids I’ve ever met,” Barnwell said of Schergen. “Everything he does is always right, and it pays off.”
Seminole Ridge continued to dominate Taravella, scoring twice more before the final whistle and limiting the Trojans to a single score.
Quarterback Michael Adeyanju connected with Justin Allie from 23 yards out, making the score 40-7 to end the third quarter. Hawk cornerback Shaquille Bussey recovered a Trojan fumble on the Hawks’ 18-yard line to thwart a late Taravella rally. The turnover gave the Hawks the opportunity to seal the deal.
“I’m really proud of our defense, the way they played tonight,” Barnwell said.
Adeyanju connected with running back James Dodge for a 71-yard touchdown pass. Tolbert’s kick gave Seminole Ridge the 47-7 victory.
The Hawks rested starting quarterback Dalton Trimble, who sustained a knee injury that required surgery early last season.
“We didn’t play Dalton on purpose, because we didn’t want to risk it going into the season like last year, where we had to rotate quarterbacks,” Barnwell said.
Running back Sean Edwards had 11 carries for 112 yards and a touchdown. Schergen had five rushes for 46 yards, plus 98 yards on three receptions, including two scores. Dodge reeled in one catch for 71 yards and a touchdown. The Hawks combined for 518 total yards on offense.
Seminole Ridge will open its regular season on the road against Pahokee High School on Friday, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m.
ABOVE: Seminole Ridge quarterback Michael Adeyanju looks to throw down field.
