GBHS can't hold lead, loses to Tate
Aggies score 28 unanswered to beat Dolphins
BY JASON THOMPSON Gulf Breeze News jason@gulfbreezenews.com

Steve Violette/Special to the News Brandon Van Camp (34) and Sean Zaleski try to block a field goal attempt on the final play of the first half Friday with Tate. The try was wide right, but the Aggies wouldn't need it, winning 35-14.

On one of the dry erase boards inside the Dolphin locker room was a simple message We Win Tonight! By the end of the night, it was replaced with a new message, courtesy of former Dolphin Cody Sharp Don't Give Up!

Sharp, the Dolphin players and coaches hope their school and their community won't do exactly that after Gulf Breeze fell to 0-3 after giving up a seven-point, second half lead in a 35-14 loss to Tate Friday.

"When people see our players, they need to exalt them, because they deserve to be exalted," coach Chris Nemith said. "They made a lot of improvements offensively and they're playing with a lot more confidence."

The 3A Dolphins will play their fourth 4A opponent in as many weeks tomorrow when they travel to Fort Walton Beach to take on the Vikings. FWB improved to 2-1 last week with a 24-14 win over the Baylor School out of Chattanooga, Tenn.

Steve Violette/Special to the News Jimmy Beyers closes in on Tate quarterback Jayce Boyd Friday. The Dolphins lost 35-14.

"Defensively, they don't give you much. We'll have to be perfect in our execution," Nemith said.

Tate 35, Dolphins 14

The Aggies converted on clutch plays (third downs) to rally to beat Gulf Breeze Friday.

Tate was an astronomical 9- for-12 on third down conversions, while Gulf Breeze was only 4-for-11.

The Aggies converted three third downs, two of them six yards or more, to score their first touchdown on the game's opening drive.

An 24-yard grab by Zach Meredith put the Aggies deep in Dolphin territory, while a 16-yard grab by Q Ford put the Aggies inside the Dolphin 'red zone.'

Three plays later, on third and one, Terrel Witherspoon scored from four yards out. Blake Erickson's extra point with 6:55 left in the first quarter made it 7- 0 Aggies.

Gulf Breeze went three and out on their first series before the Aggies embarked on another long drive, aided by a questionable personal foul against Erik Mims.

Jason Thompson/Gulf Breeze News Scott Mitchell pumps up the kickoff team after the Dolphins' first touchdown against Tate.

Facing a third and eight at the Dolphin 43, Tate's Jace Boyd found Caleb Stumpf on a 28-yard reception. But on the very next play Houston Chapman, who had 17 tackles, knocked the ball away from a scrambling Boyd and Jacob Burks recovered.

The Dolphins couldn't capitalize on the miscue, going three plays and a punt. Tate did the same thing after a dropped pass on third down, which was followed by the first Dolphin scoring drive of the season.

The drive, which started on their own four-yard line, included seven plays of seven yards of more, including Justin Hurd's 11-yard touchdown run with 7:09 left in the first half.

Kyle Schnackenberg, who was 9-for-23 passing the week before against Pace, was a perfect 4-for-4 on the scoring drive, completing passes to three different receivers.

Hurd caught on of the passes, a 16-yarder. He finished the game with 88 yards rushing and 83 yards receiving. Thomas Farmer's point after touchdown made it 7-7.

B.J. Rotolo/Special to the News Coach Chris Nemith pumps up Jeff White during the second half.

The Dolphin defense held Tate to another three and out, leading to another long Dolphin drive. Again, Schnackenberg was perfect, going 5-for-5 passing, including three passes for a total of 28 yards to Stuart Franklin. But one of the two Aggie sacks would force a 44- yard field goal attempt by Austin Santiago that fell short.

With 47.2 seconds left, Tate moved quickly to get into field goal range. A 26-yard catch by Ford, followed by a facemask call against the Dolphins, moved them into GBHS territory.

But like the Dolphins, Tate's late field goal missed, theirs wide to the right. The half ended tied at 7.

In the second half, Gulf Breeze needed only three plays to take its first lead of the season.

Hurd caught a screen pass to the left and he did the rest, going 62 yards for the score. Farmer's PAT made it 14-7 with 10:50 left in the third quarter.

The lead wouldn't last long though, as Tate went five plays and 64 yards in only 1:19. Witherspoon, after being bottled up inside, bounced outside to the left to score a 17-yard touchdown. Erickson's PAT with 9:01 left in the third tied it.

After holding the Dolphins to three plays and a punt, Tate tacked on another touchdown in similiar fashion.

Tyler Berry was in the middle of a scrum and managed to break out, going 54 yards for the score. The PAT failed, leaving the score 20-14 with 6:10 left in the third quarter.

Schnackenberg, who was in a 12-for-14 groove, threw a third down pass high to Philip Hoffman. The deflected ball landed in the hands of Tate's Joseph Murphy, who ran it 20 yards for the touchdown. The 2- point conversion with 5:06 left made it 28-14.

Starting on their own 20, Gulf Breeze began to grind out another long drive. The Dolphins converted a pair of third downs on a short run by Franklin and a scramble by Schnackenberg, only to punt with 58.3 seconds left in the third.

The Aggies then went on an 11-play, 53-yard scoring drive to seal it. Trevor Fritz scored on a three-yard run with 9:16 left despite the fact that play clock was at zero before the snap was made. The PAT by Erickson capped the scoring.