FORT PIERCE — With the area’s hottest team walking into its stadium, the John Carroll Catholic High School football team was up to the physical challenge.
Treasure Coast entered Friday night on a tear, winning its previous five games and beating up plenty of opponents along the way. But it was the Rams, powered by a hard-nosed running game and a stout defense, that walked out of the stadium on top.
John Carroll seized control in the third quarter before holding on late for a 21-14 victory over the Titans on Friday night at McGuire Stadium.
“(The Titans) are just such a physical and gritty team. Coach Irv (Titans head coach Irvin Jones) does an amazing job all the time that he’s been there. We knew it was going to be a four-quarter battle,” Rams head coach Mickey Groody said.
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Tied 7-7 at the start of the second half, the night quickly tilted in the home team's favor.
John Carroll forced a three-and-out before ramming, pun intended, down the field with its ground game to surge ahead. Groody, the team’s offensive play-caller, said he called the same play repeatedly on the Rams' first possession of the third quarter: give the ball to Felix Jackson.
The senior running back had five touches during a seven-play, 75-yard drive, which he capped with a 10-yard touchdown run to put the Rams ahead 14-7 with 7:39 remaining in the quarter. Jackson finished the night with 22 carries for 134 yards.
The Rams added to their lead with a defensive highlight. After Treasure Coast bobbled a handoff, junior linebacker Josh Dean scooped up the loose ball and returned it 65 yards for a touchdown which proved to be the difference at night's end.
“I dropped back in my coverage, but it was see ball, go get ball,” Dean said of his touchdown. “I was first focused on recovering the football, and I was gone from there, off to the races.”
Groody added: “We weren’t panicked at halftime. We just went out and did a good job. We didn’t really make any adjustments. We just went out and capitalized on some things.”
John Carroll’s defense did not relinquished any points - Treasure Coast's first points came on an interception return - until junior Aidan Pierre scored on a 6-yard touchdown run with 25.9 seconds remaining, pulling the visitors within a single score. But the Titans' ensuing onside kick bounced out of bounds, allowing the Rams to run out the clock.
For both teams, Friday night served as a precursor to their biggest games of the season next week, as both Treasure Coast and John Carroll will play for district championships.
The Titans (5-3) will face Vero Beach for the District 8-6A championship at 7 p.m. Friday at South County Regional Stadium. The Rams (6-2) will head south for the District 10-1A title game against Benjamin. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday in Palm Beach Gardens.
“We got our eyes on the prize,” John Carroll senior offensive lineman Sean Tatum said.
This story will be updated.
Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers. He can be reached at 772-985-9692, on X at @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: John Carroll snaps Treasure Coast's win streak with 21-14 home win
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