SEBASTIAN – It was do or die for Sebastian River and South Fork Friday night. Both teams needed a win in order to have chance for a playoff berth.
Lose and you are out. Sebastian didn’t lose and instead trounced its rival 26-13. “Our team and our coaching staff spent a lot of time this week preparing for this game,” Coach Randy Bethel said. “This was a huge victory for us.”
Sebastian River got on the score board when Nikko Finnegan found the end zone on a 19-yard touchdown run with 8:30 left in the first half. With just 2 minutes left in the half, Sebastian River’s quarterback Wesley Wilson found wide receiver Stephan Clark for a 6-yard touchdown pass.
Sebastian River got the ball back near the end of the quarter. With seconds left before halftime, Wesley Wilson hooked up again with Stephan Clark on a 28-yard touchdown pass. And, by the end of the first half, Sebastian River lead South Fork 19-0.
In the third quarter, the South Fork offense found a spark when South Fork’s Cody Labanowitz broke a 70-yard touchdown run at the beginning of the quarter. South Fork failed on its two-point conversation. With just 1:33 left in the third quarter, Labanowitz found the end zone again, this time on a 7-yard touchdown run. At the end of the third quarter, the score was Sebastian River 19, South Fork 13.
In the fourth quarter, Sebastian River’s Lamarcus Johnson found the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown run with 5:36 left in the game.
“We have to learn to finish, we let them get back into in the third quarter,” said Coach Bethel. “But we made some key first downs and scored when we had the chance.”
With the victory, Sebastian River keeps its playoff hopes alive.
Sebastian River improves to 3-4 and 2-1 in the district. Sebastian River will play Port St. Lucie next week and travel to Martian County the following for a key game in district play.
