Fleming Island @ Clay

[Joker99]

Twitter has been the battleground for this rivalry over the past few days.

 

I'm not gonna add to the trash talk but I'll just talk about the game.

 

Last year we went away from playing Fleming Island football in a few games. I felt like the Clay game was one of the games we went the wrong direction. Last year we ran for just a measly 106 yards. The game last year was probably one of the worst Offensive Line performances since we started winning football games back in 2007. 100 rushing yards does not cut it at Fleming Island. Luckily we won last year, but I don't think we'll win again if we play that bad.

 

Be the Bully 2013.

 

That's the Joker's and Fleming Island Football's Campaign Slogan this year.

[Joshua Wilson]

This rivalry never gets old and it is a good way to start of the season. Of course....lets see what happens when its Fleming Island vs. Middleburg a couple of weeks later...LOL

[Joker99]

I really hope the new guy turns that program around in Middleburg. I think we are getting closer and closer to the day when you can say the overwhelming majority of the county is playing good football. And really competing not only against the top teams in the county but competing at a state wide level and in the playoffs. These county rivalries are great but they would mean a lot more if everyone was making some noise in the playoffs. Nobody wants to see the other teams in the county do well more than I do.

[Guest tampa1]

Is Clay in Jacksonville also?

[Joker99]

Clay is in Green Cove Springs. It's probably 20 minutes from Jacksonville. Clay County is one of the larger counties surrounding Duval County.
 

And Nolan Carroll of the Miami Dolphins and Cliff Avril of the Detroit Lions are products of Clay High School.

 

[Guest tampa1]

Ok, sweet

[Joker99]

We played awful but found a way to win.

 

Offense did not score by halftime for the first time since 2003. And they ended up only accounting for one touchdown by the end of the game.

 

The game started off with Clay scoring on their first possession. Then playing keep away the rest of the night. My understanding from different accounts was that the officiating was one way. Joker99 doesn't blame officials for losses or wins though. Why blame someone else, when you can blame yourself? Then the first possesion in the second half for Fleming Island was capped off by a 85 yard bomb from Scarnecchia to Bryce Motes. Then Clay answered a few drives later with a touchdown of their own. With 4 minutes to go Clay was kicking near their own endzone when Brandon Kuhn blocked a punt and the ball wound up in the hands of Bryce Motes who ran a few yards in for a score. On the ensuing possesion Clay had Fleming Island on the ropes nearing our 20 when Clay High transfer Zach Devore picked off a Wesley Weeks pass with 20 seconds to go. Fleming Island took a knee and let it go into overtime. Clay had the ball first and on third down fumbled the snap and the ball was going the other way. The turnover setup Brooks Brooks(That's his first and last name I believe lol) kick to win the game.

 

All in all really disappointed with how the offense played. They are supposed to be alot better than they played last night.

 

Defense let them run all over us. And the offense did a great job of playing like crap.

 

Congrats to our guys for winning a game you are supposed to win.

 

If we play like that against Bartram Trail we WILL lose.

[STARaiders2014]

Congrats on the nice W joker but it seems like your boys have some work to do

[Joshua Wilson]

STARaiders2014...you are right about Fleming Island. They will have some work to do, especially if they want to make it back into the playoffs once again this year, otherwise its going to be a very long season.

[Joker99]

We'll be okay. We have great coaches. We just can't afford to go into a game not focused. And with the amount of experience we had coming back on the offensive side of the ball, there is no excuse for the lack of production on offense that we had against Clay. Absolutely none.

 

 

But on the other hand the fact that we came out of that game with a win speaks volumes about how hard it is to beat Fleming Island. Very rarely do you see a team win when they play that poorly. Clay outplayed us in everything but the score. They should have won.

 

On another note Clay High School has one heck of a football team over there. And good luck to Clay in the rest of the season.