Story by Near Post Sports
Running back Troy Coughlin broke through the Patriot defense for a 25-yard scoring run, capping a 42-24 victory Friday for the Gulf Breeze Dolphins.
The game was close – 28-24 – until the Dolphins punched in two touchdowns in the last seven minutes of the game. The last was a 25-yard rumble by Troy Coughlin with less than 20 seconds remaining.
This may finish the spring workouts, but it put a big smile on Dolphin head coach Bobby Clayton’s face.
“It sets the tone,” he said. “That’s momentum we carry into the summer. We get into the weight room. We work hard.”
Clayton employed a young roster – 10 freshmen and 18 sophomores – to compliment the 19 rising seniors. Most notable was freshman signal caller Battle Alberson. He appeared poised in the pocket. He threw two interceptions, but also connected with Carson Hepworth for a 55-yard touchdown.
“We’re young at quarterback, but Battle’s doing an outstanding job going through his reads. He understands where to go with the football. He put us in great spots to win,” the Dolphin head coach said.
The Pace offense flashed its moxie early in the second half, and nearly matched Gulf Breeze’s scoring down the stretch. After spotting the Dolphins two touchdowns in the second quarter, the Patriots came out of halftime with a 10-points surge.
It’s running game gobbled up land with the ball in Tyree Haynes’ hands.
“We knew we’d have to run the ball to be successful,” Pace head coach Kent Smith said. “Most of them are back, so we expected that to be good. We’ve got to throw the ball better, too.”
The Patriots are hoping to build on their 5-4 record from last year.
Gulf Breeze wants to flip the numbers from their 2-5 fall campaign with a solid group of seniors, the best offensive line the Dolphins have had in a while (according to Clayton), and the younger players developing.
“It’s going to be fun here at Gulf Breeze for a while with these guys playing,” Clayton said.
