- Santa Fe's mistakes and repeated holding penalties hurt their chances, especially in the second half of the game. Santa Fe battled a flu bug during the week, which affected the team's energy and play.
- Santa Fe leads 6-2 overall and 2-1 in the district; their coach acknowledges the playoff path is tougher and plans to refocus for their next game against Belleview next Friday.
- Santa Fe was a quarter away from their first district title in almost a decade on Thursday night.
Santa Fe was a quarter away from their first district title in almost a decade on Thursday night.
Then Dunnellon’s senior running back Tony Tanner took over. Now Santa Fe faces a different postseason road.
Tanner scored on a 31-yard run and a 69-yard touchdown reception on a short pass to lead Dunnellon to 12 unanswered points in the final period and a 22-17 win over the host Raiders.
The win wrapped up the Class 3A District 5 title for Dunnellon, as the Tigers remain undefeated at 7-0 and 3-0 in district play. Santa Fe dropped their second game in three tries and is 6-2 and 2-1 in the district.
Mistakes and penalties hurt the Raiders throughout the game, especially in the second half.
“Our guys were competing and it seems like we were getting holding penalty after holding penalty,” Santa Fe coach Earnest Graham said. “Any time we had some momentum, we seemed to shoot ourselves in the foot really in all phases.”
Dunnellon scored first and took a 7-0 lead on Tanner’s 13-yard run to the end zone with 5:59 left in the opening quarter. Santa Fe answered with a 65-yard run by junior quarterback Gavin Peterson, who set up a 24-yard field goal by senior kicker Mayer Steen to cut the Tigers’ lead to 7-3.
After Dunnellon kicker Jhordy Valle Linares knocked home a 34-yard field goal with 9:41 to go in the second quarter for a 10-3 Tigers lead, the Raiders responded with their first touchdown drive. Senior running back Jasiah Powell scored from three yards out to tie the game 10-10 going into halftime.
Santa Fe battled a flu bug this week, including Graham himself. While he didn’t like to make excuses, he did think the illness affected his team.
“We were definitely lethargic. I didn’t think it was a very spirited effort,” Graham said. “I want to commend our guys on giving the effort with all that was going on, but at the end of the day we are big boys and we have to find a way to win games.”
After downing a Steen punt inside the five-yard line, Santa Fe forced a Dunnellon punt and senior Kayoni Briggs returned it to the 25-yard line. Powell scored on a 13-yard run for a 17-10 lead in the final minute of the third quarter.
But Dunnellon answered early in the fourth quarter as Tanner scored on a fourth-down play. The Tigers had the extra point blocked and trailed 17-16.
After another Santa Fe punt, Tanner caught the short pass from sophomore quarterback Zion Benn and raced down the right sideline for the winning score.
“He (Tanner) ran the ball very well,” Graham said. “I thought they (Dunnellon) held more to their identity than we did.
Santa Fe was stopped on fourth down on its final drive, after another holding penalty erased a long punt return.
For Graham, it’s back to the drawing board as Belleview visits Alachua next Friday.
“It makes it a much tougher road if we get to the playoffs,” Graham said. “That’s our fate and we are going to do what we have to do.”
