Martinez and Eagles Win Burger Bowl

On Friday night, the Springstead Eagles (4-0) overwhelmed the Hernando Leopards (1-3) by a 51-14 margin in the Glory Days Grill Burger Bowl. Rivalries are heated and can even get a little chippy, but no one from either side wants to see a player get injured. Regrettably, those in attendance at Tom Fisher Stadium will likely remember the evening for that very reason.

With the clock winding down, a Hernando player suffered a medical emergency on the sideline following an injury earlier in the matchup. We will not be including the name of the player here out of respect for him and his family, but the player was taken by medical personnel to the hospital immediately afterwards. A prayer was lifted up for the injured Leopard and both coaching staffs agreed to conclude the matchup early with 8:57 remaining in the final frame.

Before the game’s tragic conclusion, the Eagles took advantage of miscues and missed tackles by the Leopards’ offense and defense respectively to quickly balloon their lead following a hard fought first quarter. Considering the offensive explosion, Springstead Head Coach Michael Garofano felt the game plan for that side of the ball went “100 percent” to plan. He discussed why that was after the game.

“I think we punted once,” Coach Garofano said. “We were mixing it up really well. [Senior QB] Gio Martinez threw the ball very well. I don’t know what his stats were or what his percentage was, but he was on point with all of his throws, making the right reads. Really, in our offense, every play goes through the quarterback. So, he’s got a pre-snap option, he’s got a post-snap option where he can give it, hand it, run it, throw it. The offense is in his hands, and he did an unbelievable job tonight […] offense was a well-oiled machine.”

The Red, White, and Blue came out of the gate swinging. A methodical 9-play drive of nearly 60 yards was capped off with a 15-yard touchdown run by Jadon Jaimes. The senior running back/linebacker kept his feet moving for the game’s opening score almost five minutes into the contest.

Then, the visitors would cap off the drive with one of their many unorthodox swinging gate two-point conversion attempts, of which they scored 4 of 6. Martinez would run this one in himself for the 8-0 lead early.

After the Purple and Gold responded with a long scoring drive of their own, the Eagles got back to work with a quick possession that took only one and half minutes to find paydirt. Much of their 75 yards would be churned out in a hurry when Senior RB Connor Mccazzio took a Martinez pass on a wheel route for 52 yards down the left sideline for the score. The quarterback would then pound ahead for the two-point conversion yet again.

Then, Hernando made their first big mistake. After a three-and-out on their second possession, the punter dropped the ball and was forced to fall on it. This set up Coach Garofano’s squad with fantastic field position at the Leopards’ 26. A short six-play drive in which they converted a controversial 4^th down led to another touchdown run (this time by Senior WR Tyree Davis) and two-point conversion. Only one major mistake for the Leopards and they were already down 24-7.

Starting their next drive at midfield, Martinez uncorked a perfect pass and hit his receiver in stride down the sideline to the five. Two handoffs to Mccazzio later and the Eagles were in the end zone again. Kicker/Punter Raul Maldonado even got in on the action when he ran in the two-point conversion. They were pulling away in a hurry now up 32-7.

Coming out of the half, though, Hernando would put points on the board and force the Eagles to punt on their next drive. This gave the home team the chance to make it a game again down 18 with the ball.

This was short-lived as a fumbled snap and a false start doomed their next drive. Senior Chadiell Echevarria’s phenomenal punt return would set the Eagles up in the shadow of the Leopards’ goalpost soon after. The very next play, Davis punched it in for the second time from 11 yards out and the game was officially iced. Two more touchdown drives totaling three plays finish off the scoring before disaster struck and the game was ended prematurely.

Despite the Eagles’ dominant night overall, Coach Garofano saw some mistakes from his defense that he is looking to address such as missed tackles, players out of position, physicality, and sloppy play. His defense did come up with some splash plays, however, including sacks, a fumble recovery, and an interception of Junior QB Michael Saltsman in the second quarter.

Leopards Head Coach John Scargle and company also deserve credit for putting together some strong possessions that forced the visitors into tough situations. Each of their half-opening possessions were lengthy time-consuming drives that kept the Eagles’ incendiary offense off the field.

Saltsman would be responsible for leading the first of these before a pitch to Sophomore Jeremiah Brown ended in six points. Talented Freshman QB Ryan Browning would orchestrate the second touchdown drive that ended with another pitch, this time to Senior Gabriel Sansone. For much of the game, though, the Eagles took it to them. Hernando’s coach knew they would be a tough draw.

“We knew Springstead was the best team on our regular schedule […] Across the board they just have a stronger unit and older, stronger players than we do at this time,” Coach Scargle said. “Our defense had good moments. We were just outmanned for the most part. We’re making progress and I think we’re heading in the right direction.”

While he did not want to jump to conclusion before getting to watch game film, Coach Scargle emphasized that blocking and tackling are key. He will want to identify who is “getting their job” done” moving forward with a road tilt against the Central Bears on deck.

Coach Garofano and the Eagles will look to continue their momentum and tweak things defensively as they also travel to take on the Cypress Creek Coyotes on Friday night. All involved hope for a quick and complete recovery for the Hernando athlete as well.