Boca Ciega Has Bye Week to Lick Wounds from Loss to Countryside

Just before the regular season began, Boca Ciega football coach Antez Brinson said he wanted a test for his team.

That is why Brinson scheduled a powerhouse opponent in the first week, Countryside. The Cougars the past two seasons have strung together undefeated regular seasons and advanced to the region finals each season.

The Pirates sure got a test. And it seems the result is the Pirates need a stronger run defense in the fourth quarter.

After pulling within 21-17 after Denzal Dillard ran in from three yards out for Boca Ciega, the Pirates defense collapsed. Countryside answered by scoring two rushing touchdowns of 36 yards by Randy Yates and four yards by Diomi Roberts for a 35-17 win.

"We wanted to see what we had early," Brinson said prior to the Countryside game. "Playoff implications, it won't hurt us but we will see where we are at. I want to see how we respond as a team, how will we respond when we are faced with adversity against a quality opponent. There will be ups and there will be downs. Are you going to wallow in your lows or are you going to pick each other up?"

On face value, the Pirates hung with the Cougars very well, until the final minutes. That could be because Boca Ciega has so many players playing both sides of the ball whereas Countryside has many players only playing on side of the ball. Fatigue may have been an issue for Boca Ciega.

The good news for Boca Ciega is the Pirates can bounce back. Countryside had a two-touchdown lead to start the second quarter, thanks in part to Miami-bound Cougars quarterback Gray Crow hooking up with Marrieo Taylor for a 69-yard touchdown pass. 

Crow later added a 55-yard touchdown pass to Yates to open the second half.

Ironically, the Pirates limited Crow to just 9 completions in 19 attempts, a terrible average but Crow made those completions count.

The Pirates will have a week off, a bye week, to lick their wounds before they host Northeast Sept. 16.