Thursday night’s rivalry game between host Newberry and Williston was a tale of two halves.
The Panthers took a 14-0 lead in the second quarter, but the Red Devils scored 15 unanswered points in the second half to win their eighth straight game with a 15-14 win on the road.
“We were outcoached that second half, outplayed, outphysicaled, it was a tale of two halves for sure,” said Newberry coach Ed Johnson. “It’s unfortunate, man, this is a tough one to lose.”
Trailing 14-7 with 11:05 remaining, Williston marched 78 yards on 12 plays, all run plays, and scored on a 2-yard run by senior J’Dyen Manneh with 6:41 to play in the game.
Freshman kicker Giovanni Delacruz was 48-for-48 on PATs, but head coach Robby Pruitt decided to go for two.
“I went for two because I just felt like the momentum was on our side,” he said. “They hadn’t stopped us…I just felt like at that point we had them on their heels a little bit, and our kids wanted to go for two.”
J’Dyen Manneh scored the 2-point conversion on a run out of the Wildcat formation for the game-winning score.
His twin brother Kameryn Manneh had runs of 4, 12, 2, 8, 10, 3, and 14 yards on the scoring drive.
Kameryn Mannah scored their first touchdown on a 15-yard run, capping a 58-yard touchdown drive on the Red Devils’ first possession of the second half. Facing a 4th-and-2 at the 50-yard line, he kept the drive alive with a 14-yard run.
His touchdown and ensuing extra point by Delacruz cut the deficit in half at 14-7 with 5:15 to play in the third quarter.
“I thought our line tonight, people talk about those two (J’Dyen and Kameryn), and they should, but I thought tonight the heroes were our offensive linemen,” Pruitt said. “I mean, they were knocking them off the ball.”
Following the first score by the Red Devils, Newberry drove down to the Williston 13-yard line, but freshman kicker Kaiden Bush missed a 30-yard field goal. He had the distance but missed wide left with 2:12 to play in the third quarter.
Two possessions later, Williston (8-1) scored what proved to be the game-winner.
But the first half was a different story.
The Red Devils fumbled at the Newberry 40-yard line on their first possession, one of three turnovers in the opening half.
Newberry (4-5) was forced to punt, but Panthers’ senior defensive end Luke Bennett sacked Williston quarterback John Jazikoff for a 7-yard loss on third down on Williston’s next possession, which forced a punt and pinned the Panthers back at their 15-yard line.
From there, a 12-yard run by senior Kaleb Woods and a 26-yard pass from senior quarterback Kobe Johnson to University of Minnesota commit Hayden Moore put the ball in Williston territory.
Kobe Johnson had 49 yards passing on the drive, which ended with a 6-yard run by junior Jamarcus Wimberly on a 4th-and-1 with 8:14 to play in the second quarter for a 7-0 lead. It capped a 13-play, 85-yard drive.
Facing a 4th-and-1 at their own 44-yard line, Kameryn Manneh was stopped short for a turnover on downs.
Kobe Johnson hit Woods on a screen pass for a 24-yard gain to the 20-yard line. However, it was called back due to holding.
On the next play, Wimberly had a 44-yard scoring run for a 14-0 lead with 5:28 to play in the half.
“Kid works hard every single day,” Ed Johnson said. “That’s what we see every single day in practice. He’s a competitor, he’s a warrior. He works hard, and I was happy for that.”
Despite being outplayed in the second half, Newberry still had a chance to win the game.
The Panthers began their final drive of the game at their own 35-yard line with 6:33 remaining and moved the ball to the Williston 41-yard line.
However, Kobe Johnson’s pass was intercepted by Williston defensive back Marcus Appling at the 15-yard line.
“Bad ball, bad call,” said Ed Johnson, who said he should have run a different play. “Hindsight is 20/20. They were playing off, and I shouldn’t have went there.”
It was the second interception of the season for Appling and helped secure the come-from-behind victory.
“I’m proud of him,” Pruitt said. “Marcus is a kid who came to our mid-summer program last year, then I gave him the July 4 week off, but he didn’t come back to summer workouts, so I didn’t let him play. He had to sit as a junior. Well, he came this year, made every summer workout, worked into being a starter, so I’m proud of him.”
It was the first turnover of the night for the Panthers, who won the turnover battle but came up just a little bit short.
“It was two halves, but we made fewer mistakes in the second half,” Pruitt said. “With three fumbles, you usually don’t beat a team like this, so I feel fortunate from that regard, but the thing that I take away from it, all year, our kids don’t quit. They play hard. They play their butts off.”
Newberry will host Trinity Catholic (Ocala) for Senior Night next week, but uncertain whether or not they can still make the postseason after dropping below .500.
“Even if it’s not, just finishing the year on the right way and try to send these seniors out on a high note,” Ed Johnson said.
Williston, which has locked up a postseason bid, will close out the regular season at home against KIPP Bold City (Jacksonville).
It was a season-low in points for the Red Devils, who found a way to win the game.
“They’ve got a good football team, and it was a battle,” Pruitt said. “It’s always a battle when we play them.”
High School Football Scores
Thursday, Oct. 23
Buchholz 50, Bartram Trail (St. Johns) 16
Williston 15, Newberry 14
Friday, Oct. 24
Bishop Snyder (Jacksonville) at Bell, 7 p.m.
Bronson at Christ’s Church Academy (Jacksonville), 7 p.m.
First Coast Christian (Jacksonville) at Cornerstone Academy, 7 p.m.
Hawthorne at Melbourne Central Catholic, 7 p.m.
Keystone Heights at Palatka, 7 p.m.
North Florida Educational Institute (Jacksonville) at Oak Hall, 7 p.m.
P.K. Yonge at Trinity Catholic (Ocala), 7 p.m.
Saint Francis Catholic Academy at Countryside Christian, 7 p.m.
Vanguard (Ocala) at GHS, 7 p.m.
Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville) at Suwannee (Live Oak), 7:30 p.m.
Moore Haven at Trenton, 7:30 p.m.
Clay (Green Cove Springs) at Columbia (Lake City), 7:30 p.m.
Fort White at Hamilton County (Jasper), 7:30 p.m.
Hudson at Union County (Lake Butler), 7:30 p.m.
Lafayette (Mayo) at Branford, 7:30 p.m.
North Marion (Citra) at Eastside, 7:30 p.m.*
Santa Fe (Alachua) at Bradford (Starke), 7:30 p.m.
West Nassau (Callahan) at Dixie County (Cross City), 7:30 p.m.
OFF – Chiefland
*at Santa Fe High School (Alachua)
