Dolphins lose at PHS
BY JASON THOMPSON Gulf Breeze News jason@gulfbreezenews.com

B.J. Rotolo/Special to the News Joey Leonard (75), Jacob Duggar (70) and Chaz Logan (await Andrew Quadrini's snap during Friday's game with PHS.

The Gulf Breeze Dolphin football team will hope to snap one streak and continue another in their season finale Friday against Navarre.

The Dolphins (2-7) hope to snap their three-game losing streak, while hoping to stay perfect against the Raiders (6- 2), who will playing their third game in eight days Friday. Navarre defeated Crestview 42-23 to clinch the District 2-4A runner up spot and had rescheduled game with Milton Tuesday. Tuesday's game could be preview of a second round playoff game should Navarre and Milton beat Pace and Fort Walton Beach, respectively on Nov. 16.

"They're back where they are (Navarre in the playoffs) because they execute offensively and defensively by defending your horizonally and vertically," GBHS coach Chris Nemith said.

The Dolphin senior players, cheerleaders, Air Force Junior ROTC and members of the SoundWave band will be honored before the game, the Dolphins' seventh this year against a playoff-bound team.

B.J. Rotolo/Special to the News Jacob Burks talks with defensive coaches Mark Ransom (center) and Matt Alt during a timeout Friday at PHS.

"It's not going to be easy," Nemith said. "The kids just need to abstain from anything that will get us beat."

Such things (disciplinary, missing practice, etc.) forced seven Dolphins out of all, or part, of their game at PHS Friday. All seven are eligible to play Friday.

Gulf Breeze 35, PHS 0

The Tigers scored on their first three possessions to win the District 1-3A title for the second straight year.

Coupled with Arnold's 19-7 win over West Florida, the Dolphins will be on the outside looking in of the playoff picture for the fourth straight year.

"The kids played their hearts out tonight," Nemith said.

The first four minutes were a microcosm of the Dolphins' season to date. After runs of sixplus yards by Stuart Franklin, Justin Hurd and Michael Mann (making his second career start at quarterback), a Tiger linebacker knocked Hurd down behind the line, forcing a punt.

Three plays later, PHS quarterback Keldric White, with a blitzing Jimmy Beyers in his face, lobbed a pass to Marquis Adams and raced 68 yards for a touchdown.

Mann, who went 5-for-13 for 33 yards, threw a five-yard pass to Franklin before the Dolphins had to punt again. PHS'Vincent Hill, the area's leading rusher, scored six plays later from a yard out, making it 13-0.

The Tigers had a pair of double digit yard gains in the drive due to missed GBHS tackles.

A botched exchanged between Mann and Hurd, who finished with 118 yards rushing, led to a turnover. But four plays later, Houston Chapman made a stop, one of his 16 tackles, on a failed field goal attempt.

Gulf Breeze went 'three and out' again before the Tigers scored again to make it 21-0. Hill had runs of 25 and 15 yards before scoring again from a yard out with 11:43 left in the second quarter.

Franklin hauled in a 13-yard pass on the next series before the Dolphins had to punt. PHS scored on that next series, with White scoring from a yard out with 26 seconds left in the first half.

The Tigers tacked on another score before a Dolphin drive was stopped on an interception midway through the fourth quarter. A fumble recovery by Jason Pendergraph started the drive.

The stat of the game was starting field position - in the first half, the Dolphins average start was on their own 17 yard line. For PHS, their average start was the Dolphins' 49-yard line.