VERO BEACH — The Fighting Indians hit the road to play the Treasure Coast Titans at the South County Sports Complex Friday night in a must-win situation for both teams to advance to the playoffs. Vero Beach overtook Treasure Coast and won 23-14.
Vero Beach who had previously lost to district rival Fort Pierce Central two weeks earlier needed to defeat Treasure Coast if they had any hope of advancing to the 2013 playoffs.
Vero Beach running back Jason Pierre said that he wanted a shot at the playoffs.
“We needed to win this. It would be the last chance at the playoffs for us seniors,” Pierre said. “We had to come out hard and play hard and stay focused. It was championship week for us.” The Titans who will face Fort Pierce Central next week needed the win against Vero to secure their shot at a playoff spot.
In the first quarter Treasure Coast made a huge mistake on their first offensive possession. The Titans fumbled the ball on a third and long with 9:31 to go.
Vero Beach recovered the ball deep in Titans’ territory and with 7:11 to go Vero Beach quarterback Dalton Stokes hit Pierre for a 6-yard touchdown. Vero kicker Jason Rivas was good for the extra point and Vero led 7-0.
Treasure Coast started their next offensive series on their own 21-yard line. With 2:02 left in the first quarter Titan quarterback Willie Micco threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to receiver Anthony Choppa.
Titan kicker Helen Ramsey made the point after and the game was tied at 7-7 at the end of the first quarter.
Vero Beach linebacker Adam Kuh said it was a must-win game for both teams.
“We knew we were going up against a good opponent. It was do or die for both teams and that was our motto for the whole week,” Kuh said. “We wanted to come out and give it our all. It was a big game tonight.”
Vero Beach kicker Jason Rivas nailed a 37-yard field goal at the start of the second quarter. The Vero defense forced Treasure Coast to punt on their next series and the Fighting Indians took advantage of good field position and with 7:44 to go Stokes connected on a pass to Vero receiver Will Dawkins. Rivas’ extra point was good and Vero led 17-7 at the half.
Turnovers were a major factor in the third quarter, especially for Vero Beach. At one point both teams exchanged fumbles within eight seconds of each other. The main turnover occurred with 9:14 to go in the third.
Vero Beach defensive back Andrew Stirrat scooped up a Titan fumble and took it 30 yards for the and score and a 24-7 Vero lead.
“The ball just landed in my lap,” Stirrat said. “The defensive line made a great play and stuffed the running back and stripped the ball. It landed on the ground and no one was even close to it but me. I was in the right place at the right time and it really changed the momentum for us in the second half. Sometimes I get too excited almost. I started celebrating too quick and almost dropped the ball before I crossed the goal line.”
The Titans were able to get on the scoreboard before the end of the third quarter on a 77-yard drive capped off by a 48-yard touchdown pass from Micco to Titans’ receiver Jaylen Wyatt. The Titans trailed Vero 24-14 after three quarters.
Neither team could move the ball effectively in the fourth quarter. Vero used the clock to their advantage on their final possession of the game to secure their first district win of the season 24-14.
Vero Beach Coach Lenny Jankowski said he felt the team just couldn’t get on the same page offensively.
“Wead opportunities but we had problems with their D line. They had a couple of good players that gave us some fits,” Jankowski said. “We had some penalties and some turnovers that hurt us. When you’re working and putting together 10-, 12-play drives it only takes one to stall it and we stalled on a couple of drives. We played field possession we played special teams and we played defense. I think that was the formula for success tonight and we came up with a win.”
With the win over Treasure Coast the Fighting Indians move one step closer to the District 8–8A playoffs. Vero Beach will host St. Lucie West Centennial in two weeks and that game will determine the fate of the Fighting Indians.