VERO BEACH — The Vero Beach Fighting Indians improved their record to 3-0 with a convincing win over the Lake Minneola Hawks Friday night at the Citrus Bowl.
At the end of Vero’s 42-6 win over Martin County last week Vero Beach Head Coach Lenny Jankowski said that the Lake Minneola game would be their first true test of the season.
“The Hawks have a pretty good football team in all phases. They’re a big strong team their athletic and they’re well coached,” Jankowski said.
The Hawks came into Friday’s game with a perfect 2-0 record and Coach Corey Brinson, who graduated from Vero Beach, was familiar with the 12th Man atmosphere.
Vero Beach passed the test and sent the Hawks home with their first loss of the season.
Vero appeared to score on their opening drive but referees ruled Vero Beach wide receiver Jimmy Williamson had lost the ball before he crossed the goal line and the ball rolled out of the end zone for a touchback.
Neither team could generate anything offensively in the first quarter.
With 10:36 to go in the second quarter Vero defensive back Ira Graham tackled Hawk’s punter Rickie Mortlock deep in Hawk’s territory after a bad snap from center. Sixty seconds later Vero quarterback Dalton Stokes hit receiver Will Dawkins for a 5-yard touchdown and Vero led 7-0.
Vero’s next score started when Lake Minneola fumbled the ball on a second down and goal and the Fighting Indians’ Antonio Jones Davis recovered on the Vero 2-yard line.
Vero Beach put together a 98-yard drive capped off by a 69-yard pass at the 4:37 mark from Dalton Stokes to running back Jason Pierre.
“I told Dalton, ‘I think I’m going to be open and if you see me scrambling just give me the ball,’” Pierre said. “After I caught it I just said, ‘come on legs, move move.’ When I got into the end zone I felt like I needed an oxygen tank.”
Jason Rivas got the extra point and Vero led 14-0. Vero Beach then effectively executed and recovered its onside kick which resulted in a 27-yard field goal by Rivas that put Vero up 17 – 0 with 1:36 to go in the first half.
Lake Minneola started its final drive before the half from its own 24-yard line. Vero Beach linebacker Adam Kuh picked off Hawks quarterback Jesse Fiske and returned the ball 60 yards for the score.
“We had a bend but don’t break defense tonight,” Coach Jankowski said. “Our job is to keep the other team out of the end zone and, if we can do that and score with our defense, that’s even better.”
Lake Minneola went into the locker room trailing Vero Beach 24-0.
In the third quarter Vero Beach scored once more on a 99-yard drive that ended with a Jason Pierre touchdown from 28 yards out with 2:56 to go.
Lake Minneola didn’t get on the board until the fourth quarter when Hawks quarterback Jesse Fiske threaded the needle on a touchdown pass to running back Desmond Johnson with 10:25 remaining in the game.
Fiske was picked off on the final play of the game by Vero’s Dawanya Guilford.
Vero Beach remains undefeated at 3-0 and will have some time off during its bye week.
“The bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for us,” Jankowski said, “We have several players who have some nagging injuries and they can use the time to get healthy. We are going to give the guys the weekend off then get back to it Monday.”