Video of 1991 5A Title Game - What an Ending!

[OldSchoolLion]

Bill Gierke vs Don Soldinger...talk about a coaching battle.  Imagine being that poor kicker.

 

 

[DarterBlue2]

I had been looking for that game in the past. I had given up as I could not find it. Southridge should have been up by 21 at the end of the first half. But a combination of stout defending inside the 10 by Evans, penalties on the part of Southridge and three picks by Evans (two of the passes were poor decisions), and instead Southridge only has a 9 point lead at the half. 

That allowed Evans to work its way back into the game via a long clock eating drive, a bomb and a short field touchdown setting the stage for the Ridge's final drive which lasted nearly eight minutes and ended with the QB just barely getting the ball over the line on fourth down with less than 10 seconds on the clock. 

Watching the film, I realize how much the game has changed in Florida over the past 28 years. 

Thanks for finding and posting this film!

[FL_HS_football]

Was this the year that the Miami area was devastated by a Hurricane and in fact wasn't even able to complete its full regular season?

[DarterBlue2]

1 hour ago, FL_HS_football said:

Was this the year that the Miami area was devastated by a Hurricane and in fact wasn't even able to complete its full regular season?

I believe it was the year before. In fact I am pretty certain the Andrew Hurricane was 1992, not 1991. 

Evans was actually loaded in 1991 and went into the game the big favorite. They were lucky to survive the first half down only 9. 

[FL_HS_football]

Manatee met Evans a number of different times in the playoffs, and as I recall Evans always came into those games with a clear advantage from a talent standpoint.......the difference in all those games always came down to Manatee being the better coached team......Joe just seemed to have their number from the standpoint of attacking their defense with a precision - finesse offense.......one year in fact they had to delay the game for about 20 minutes, because the sprinkler system for watering the field activated during the game.

[DarterBlue2]

2 hours ago, FL_HS_football said:

one year in fact they had to delay the game for about 20 minutes, because the sprinkler system for watering the field activated during the game.

Now that was a pretty unique situation! 

[Perspective]

On 7/5/2019 at 12:21 PM, FL_HS_football said:

one year in fact they had to delay the game for about 20 minutes, because the sprinkler system for watering the field activated during the game.

Hmmmm, almost sounds like one team wanted to slow the other team down a little bit.  

[FL_HS_football]

Well Manatee in 1990 was a classic finesse team at that point, and Evans was typically big on size and big on talent but not so big on being coached up. I believe Manatee was already up on Evans at that point by  double digits (it was 21-0 Manatee at the end of the 1st qt), but at the point the sprinklers came on was the 2nd half, so no there was no intended slow down, except getting home alittle later because of the delay.

1990 2nd round playoffs - Manatee 55 Evans 34 ( 2nd ranked Evans, defense hadn't allowed more than 260 yards in total offense or 30 points in any game all season. Manatee had 256 yards of offense and 35 points at half and finished with 429 total yards by the end of the game, 309 coming on the ground.) Manatee was QB'd by Tommie Frazier and had future NFL DB Tyrone Williams at TB.

The following year I believe to beat Riverview in the 2nd round there was a play late in the game that cost Riverview the win.......didnt keep an article on that game i could reference, so just going on memory??????