FORT PIERCE – JJ Blackwood got the start at quarterback for the Fort Pierce Central High football team on Thursday, Sept. 4.
Blackwood was so efficient he wasn’t needed behind center after the first quarter.
The senior led the Cobras on three scoring drives on their first three possessions in a 76-6 thrashing of visiting Hollywood Hills High at Calvin R. Triplett Field at Lawnwood Stadium.
The points were the most since scoring 63 against Wellington in 2016. The 70-point margin of victory tops the 61-0 whitewash of Fort Pierce Westwood in 2011.
The visiting Spartans (1-1) won the toss and elected to take the ball in the second half.
Fort Pierce Central (3-0) needed three plays and 71 seconds to reach the end zone. On the first snap, Blackwood read the defensive end and kept the ball on the option, going 23 yards. On the second play, Blackwood handed off to Chevy Watts who rambled for 12 yards. On the third play Blackwood connected with AJ Hill for a 45-yard touchdown pass down the right sideline.
“We came out, we dominated, we did our thing,” Blackwood said. “The first series was good. We started off small and we made it into big plays.”
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On the second series, Blackwood connected on all four of his passes: 19 yards to Duane Simon, 17 and 10 yards to Marquan Burges and 14 yards to Hill for another touchdown.
Also a cornerback, Blackwood set up the third touchdown with an interception and return to the Hollywood Hills’ 4-yard line.
“I jumped the pick in cover two,” Blackwood said. “I tried to take it to the crib, but they didn’t block for me.”
From there, Blackwood hooked up with Burges for another touchdown.
On the first two scores, Blackwood also connected with Trey Flowers and Chad DeVries on 2-point conversions.
“This was a big game,” said Blackwood, who was 6-for-6 for 98 yards. “We never played this team, but we came out and executed.”
While he didn’t get to see the second quarter from behind center, Blackwood made his mark.
“I dominated the first quarter and showed my skills,” he said.
Blackwood got a chance to show his skills because of a “situation” involving regular quarterback Drew LaPlante, according to Fort Pierce Central coach Michael Watkins.
“JJ Blackwood is a really good player,” Watkins said. “He’s a top-notch player at his position at corner. Obviously, he’s a very good quarterback. He’s very dynamic.”
Watkins calls Blackwood the Cobras’ version of Travis Hunter, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner out of the University of Colorado and rookie with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“He long snaps. He’s our wildcat QB. He can run the offense. He starts at corner. He’s one of the best players in baseball,” Watkins said. “He’s got great grades, a great family. Just really proud of the kid. He likes to compete. He’s really, really grown as a student athlete. I was glad to see him get those couple of drives and kick butt, because he’s capable of that. We’ve got two really, really capable QBs, a good problem to have.”Watkins did not mention that Blackwood also is the holder on PATs, so he got back on the field on special teams as well.
“The win means a lot, but we’ve got to work and compete to get ready for next Friday,” Blackwood said.
At 7 p.m. Sept. 12, Fort Pierce Central plays host to Port St. Lucie Tradition Prep at Lawnwood Stadium.
Fort Pierce Central takeaways
1. LaPlante, a junior, came on at the end of the first quarter and directed three scoring drives of his own in the first half. He connected with Hill for a 23-yard touchdown on the final play of the first quarter and threw 32 and 48 yards to Burgess for scores in the second quarter. LaPlante went 6-for-9 for 106 yards. Burgess caught six balls for 129 yards and three touchdowns. All three of Hill’s catches went for scores, spanning 71 yards. The only pass during the second half was a completion from Logan Gluck to Aiden Gluck for 21 yards.
2. The Cobras’ defense chipped in with three scores. AJ Nathan-Marsh and Ardarius Elmore returned interceptions 29 yards for touchdowns, and Floyd Reynolds scooped up a fumble and went 27 yards for the final score. Von Adams also had an interception. Burgess, Joey Grone and Tyrone Johnson notched sacks. Grone, Johnson, Exavier Mertelus, Ivan Blackmon, Grone, Steve Giancontieri and Matt Haynes all had tackles for a loss.
3. Fort Pierce Central improved to 3-0, but played its first full game since a 48-13 Week 1 win over Davie Nova. “It was a last-minute schedule,” Watkins said. “We weren’t real familiar with that team. We got film really late. I was really proud with the performance of our team. Just like anything else, we’ve got to clean plenty of things up. We made plenty of mistakes tonight. I have a talented group. A lot of our issues with this group, if they could stay out of their own way, and that’s not even with on-the-field things. It’s off-the-field things. I’m very encouraged by the performance, really excited about the contribution of a lot of the kids. We’ve got some great players. We’ve got to show up tomorrow with the mentality that this game is over and it’s on to Cincinnati, as they say.”
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This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Fort Pierce Central football enjoys historic offensive outburst in rout of Hollywood Hills
Reporting by Dennis Maffezzoli / Treasure Coast Newspapers
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
