Coach Lenny Jankowski PHOTO BY JOSHUA KODIS

Vero Beach High School — now 9-2 this season — will face a quick turnaround to play the Heritage High School Panthers of Palm Bay on the road Friday night in the Class 4S Region 3 regional football quarterfinals. Neither team knew its matchup until Sunday.

The Fighting Indians assembled a resume of hurt for the opposition through the end of the regular season, beating opponents by an average margin of 21.8 points. Vero finished atop 4S District 12 in overall win-loss, bolstered by four shutouts. Heritage has six shutouts of its own, including one against 7-3 Palm Bay.

The four-seed Fighting Indians will have their work cut out for them against the five-seed Panthers. Heritage finished its regular season at 9-1, allowing double-digit points only once in a 42-35 loss to Oviedo.

Heritage boasted a balanced offense this season which led the team to an average of 36 points per game. Both teams have showcased offensive and defensive brilliance, leaving the potential for a game that will be decided by star players and big plays.

As Vero Beach High School rolled into the Citrus Bowl for its season-capping senior night against Columbia Lake City’s Columbia High School, thoughts of playoff competition filled the air.

The Fighting Indians’ strong 8-2 record heading into that game had postseason play a no-brainer, yet the team stayed focused on the task at hand. Following all the festivities celebrating its graduating class, Vero Beach put on a defensive opus powered via a smothering secondary and handily downed the Tigers by a score of 31-10.

“We’ll get a shot in the playoffs. I think the key right now is to get in as we did and see who we’ll play, have a good week of practice and keep it rolling,” said Vero Beach Head Coach Lenny Jankowski. “Our region is very tough and there will be some quality teams in there so we’re looking forward to those challenges, whoever it may be.”

Vero Beach utilized a pass-heavy offense to score 14 unanswered points in the first quarter. The Indians’ star running back, junior Jonathan Hillsman, went down with an apparent knee injury after just five carries and had to be helped off the field. After the game, Jankowski said he was unsure of Hillsman’s injury.

The Fighting Indians nearly led a first-half shutout before the Tigers put up a field goal with 2 minutes remaining before the break. Instead of heading quietly to the locker rooms, Vero opted to push the pace.

Backed up at the 20-yard line, Vero senior quarterback Tyler Aronson was sacked, apparently popping the ball free for a Columbia scoop-and-score. Contentiously, officials reversed the huge momentum swing due to an unsportsmanlike conduct flag on the defense.

Vero got back into the saddle and remained composed, driving down the field and notching a field goal with only seconds to play in the half, pushing the score to 17-3.

“We have the ability to play with some tempo and when things are going smooth, you like what it does, obviously puts some pressure on the defense,” Jankowski said. “I thought it was big to come away with some points. We had 6 seconds left, we probably could have took another shot at the endzone, but the risk/reward was in favor of kicking a field goal.”

Aronson, a 4-star SMU commit, led the offense through the first half by completing 13 of 19 passes for 103 yards and one touchdown with an interception. Senior wide receiver Isaiah Roberts, who has received four Division One offers, hauled in 10 catches in the game for 65 yards.

From halftime, Vero pivoted to a more physical brand of football, draining the clock in the hands of senior running back Octavion Osby. Osby, who has received an offer from USF, highlighted the Indians’ offense with 93 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries.

“Right now, I feel tired actually,” Osby joked after the game. “I feel glad. I had to put the team on my back because Hillsman got hurt. I had to step in.”

Osby exemplified his stellar game in the fourth quarter on a 28-yard touchdown run in which he juked out three defenders and sped past several more en route to the endzone.

“Osby, you get a chance to take a look at him, he runs extremely hard,” Jankowski said. “He gets better every time out. I think it’s his best game of the season.”

The secondary, led by senior defensive back Elijah Anderson, held Columbia’s quarterbacks to 8-for-24 pass completions for only 45 yards. Anderson entered the game leading Vero Beach in interceptions, which he improved by adding two more picks — the Indians had four total.

“Elijah is a three-year starter — third generation of brothers that I’ve had an opportunity to coach,” Jankowski said. “Super proud of him, he makes a bunch of plays for us on the defensive side of the ball.”

The Fighting Indians assembled a resume of hurt for its opposition through the end of the regular season, beating opponents by an average margin of 21.8 points. Vero Beach finished atop 4S District 12 in overall win-loss, bolstered by four shutouts.

Following a game in which Vero Beach had three turnovers — two interceptions and a fumble that gave Columbia its only touchdown — Jankowski said the team is focused on refining the little things.

“There’s always little things; there will be a ton of them,” Jankowski said.” No matter what the score ends up — win, lose or draw — when you get an opportunity to look at the film, there is always lots to improve upon. I think the one thing that stands out the most is just the constant effort.

“We’ve got a lot of really cool kids that like practicing and play and I think it’s evident each Friday night,” he continued.

While the status of Hillsman is still unknown, the Fighting Indians’ depth throughout the field hopes to give them a good chance against a tough field of play. The winner will move on to the regional semifinals and take on the winner of one-seed Treasure Coast (Port St. Lucie) versus eight-seed Osceola (Kissimmee).

Photos by Joshua Kodis