COCONUT CREEK — Sophomore quarterback Pedro Martinez threw for a career-best 346 yards and three TDs and added a scoring run for good measure as visiting Atlantic remained undefeated and clinched the District 14-5A title with a 33-30 come-from-behind win over Coconut Creek on Friday night.
Facing a halftime deficit for the first time this season, and with leading rusher Omari St. Fort sidelined most of the second half with leg cramps, Atlantic (7-0, 2-0) rallied behind Martinez and his talented wideouts – seniors James Jones and Mark Hanniford. St. Fort gave Atlantic a 7-0 lead with a 9-yard scoring run before exiting in the second quarter and finished the game with six carries for 70 yards.
“Today was a game we had to overcome adversity,” said Martinez, who threw four TDs in a win over Treasure Coast last week. “Every second matters, and we had to keep on pushing, and it came out good. The offense was just trying to stay calm and keep scoring.”
Jones caught five passes for 151 yards, including an electrifying 63-yard catch and run for a TD, while Hanniford caught three for 54 yards and two touchdowns. It was needed as the Eagles had to overcome 14 penalties for 124 yards, including five pass interference calls against the defense.
“There’s ballplayers everywhere,” beamed Martinez, who also ran six times for 51 yards, including a game-sealing 55-yard run late in the contest. “We’ve never been down before at halftime, and we needed this for the playoffs. This is playoff football, and we showed we could do it.
“We were on another level today,” Martinez added. “It’s never been this good of a connection. They couldn’t cover us. We kept taking our shots, and it paid off. We are just getting better every week.”
Coconut Creek (6-2, 1-1) got the ball back with 37 seconds remaining on their own 33 and drove to the Eagles’ 32 with two seconds remaining. Coconut Creek opted for a possible game-tying 49-yard field goal by Jonathan Hernandez, but his attempt was wide and short.
“This (game) just shows that we are there,” said Coconut Creek first-year coach Christopher Yeargin. “Games like this, you just can’t have mistakes. You have to be able to capitalize on their mistakes, and right now, we didn’t do that. We are a very young team, but when we move into the playoffs, we’ll be ready for it.
“This shows me that my guys are tough and they are locked in,” Yeargin added. “This is one of the number one teams in the state, and it shows us exactly where we are.”
Yeargin said there were no second thoughts on trying a long field goal to tie the game, despite missing a PAT kick earlier in the game.
“I believe in my guys,” he said. “We work these things, and we work the two-minute drill. We’ll bounce back.”
Atlantic scored on its opening drive following a 50-yard kickoff return. St. Fort capped the nine-play drive with a 9-yard scoring run at 8:57 left in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead.
The host Cougars scored 23 points in the second quarter to grab a 23-14 advantage. Coconut Creek tied the game at 7-7 on a 2-yard plunge by Jordan Thompson with 11:40 remaining in the half.
Atlantic took the ensuing kickoff and went 85 yards in six plays, capped by a 27-yard TD pass from Martinez to Hanniford to seize a 14-7 advantage at the 9:13 mark.
Coconut Creek scored on its next two possessions as Josiah Sanchious found Isaiah Calixte from 16 yards out and then tossed an 8-yard TD pass to Everett Butler with 1:27 left in the half to take a 23-14 lead as the Cougars converted on both 2-point conversion plays on runs by Thompson.
The Eagles then drove 73 yards in 9 plays and scored on the final play of the half as Martinez scored on a keeper. The TD was set up by a 42-yard pass from Martinez to Jones that gave the Eagles the ball on the 1-yard line with 6 seconds to go.
Atlantic coach Jamelle Murray said getting the score at the end of the half was crucial.
“That did a lot for us scoring that touchdown right before halftime,” Murray said. “We got the big play from Pedro to James (Jones) to get us to the one, and then Pedro went in to make it a one-score game. That was huge for us.”
Coconut Creek extended the lead to 30-20 on an 8-yard TD pass from Sanchious to Cayden Delions, but the Eagles scored 13 unanswered points to grab a 33-30 lead on a 63-yard scoring toss from Martinez to Jones and an 18-yard TD pass from Martinez to Hanniford, his second of the night.
The 30 points allowed by Atlantic were the most allowed in any of its games this season, surpassing the 20 points allowed in a 26-20 overtime win against Jonesboro (Ga.) and a 43-20 victory over Miami Norland. Their defense stiffened when it was needed as they held the Cougars on their final four possessions of the game.
“We’ve been trying to focus and clean up the penalties,” Murray said. “We are going to work on it this week and eliminate those penalties. We are trying to be dedicated and disciplined and focus on the details. Until we do that, we’ll have trouble if we are penalized for that many yards.
“I am happy about the win and it builds character,” Murray continued. “They have to believe in one another, and we have a chance. It’s a blessing to have the kids we have on offense as a group, and Pedro is still young and learning. He just turned 16. It’s hard to stop us when we are on track. The resilience was there, and I love it.”
Coconut Creek had allowed just 56 points all season. The most scored against the Cougars previously this season was 16 in a 28-16 win over Western. They closed out last season, allowing more than 30 points in back-to-back losses to Atlantic and Blanche Ely.
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