OAKLEAF - Oakleaf High quarterback Jack McKissock threw two long touchdown passes and Anthony Smith dominated from his defensive end position as the Knights tuned up for a district showdown with Mandarin with a 28-14 Homecoming victory over Ed White on October 18.
On a night when their normally explosive offense was not clicking on all cylinders, two big plays from McKissock and two special teams plays allowed the Knights to score four times while their defense shut down King Boylston, White’s star quarterback.
“We just had to stay resilient and tough because White is always tough and physical and well-coached,” said Oakleaf head coach Christopher Foy. “They can play some football.”
Boylston and the Commanders started fast, marching 80 yards in 11 plays. Boylston, a sophomore who already has a scholarship offer from Florida Atlantic, capped the drive with a 14-yard scramble to give the Commanders an early 7-0 lead.
Oakleaf did not take long to respond. On the Knights’ first play from scrimmage, McKissock threw to Aiden Justillien on a short crossing pattern. The big tight end turned upfield, broke a tackle attempt by Commanders cornerback Davonte Mango, busted through the arm tackle of White safety Treyon Wallace, and rumbled 65 yards to the end zone. Andrew McDaid’s extra point tied the game at 7.
After an exchange of punts, White advanced to the Oakleaf six-yard line on another lengthy drive, this time moving 79 yards in 10 plays. But that is where Smith, called “Amp” by his coaches and teammates, made his first big play. Boylston faked a handoff to running back Joseph Williams running left and whirled around to either hand off or fake a handoff to slot receiver Ulysess Johnson running by, but Johnson’s hip knocked the ball loose. Smith, who had made penetration, and Boylston each dove for the ball, with Smith arriving just a hair before Boylston to recover it.
Thus, despite having run just four plays while the Commanders ran 20 in the first quarter, Oakleaf escaped with a tie game.
The stalemate continued on until the Knights’ special teams came through to thwart a risky decision by White head coach Lawrence Johnson. Facing fourth down and needing 14 yards for a first down from their own 16-yard line, the Commanders lined up in punt formation. Instead of kicking, punter David Hunter took off to his left while the left gunner ran to the middle of the field, taking Knights cornerback Jordan Price with him. Hunter neared the first down marker, but Price reversed course, and return man Carlos Wintherup closed quickly, combining to stop Hunter two yards short.
Taking over at the White 28-yard line, Oakleaf converted the short field. McKissock gained eight on a third and four with a scramble. That run, plus a face-masking penalty against the Commanders, brought the ball inside the ten. Three plays later, Christopher Foy, Jr., burst through the middle on a trap play, falling over the goal line to put Oakleaf ahead 13-7 with 0:18 left until halftime. McDaid added the PAT.
The game turned on another big play by the Oakleaf punt return team. After Smith and defensive tackle Taykell Wilson combined to sack Boylston and force a punt, Hunter sent a low-line drive toward Wintherup. The ball ricocheted off of the senior’s shoulder pads, but he was able to scoot forward and pick it up. Moving upfield, Wintherup broke to his left, got blocks from two teammates and gained 45 yards to the White 15-yard line.
Again, the Knights turned to Foy, Jr., to convert. The senior running back, who with his 49 yards rushing on the night eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the season, followed two lead blockers off of the right tackle and easily crossed the goal line from three yards out to give Oakleaf a 21-7 lead at the 4:21 mark of the third quarter.
“That punt return was huge,” said Foy. “That was the game.”
Meanwhile, an Oakleaf defense that had been carved up by Boylston for nine first downs and 161 total yards in the first half made life miserable for him in the second. The Knights coaching staff emphasized to their front four of ends Smith and Jermain Robinson and tackles Wilson and Amare Thomas to stay in their lanes and collapse the pocket together, rather than seeking individual paths to the quarterback that permitted lanes for Boylston to run through.
“Bottle him up,” said Foy. “Our defensive front is the strength of our defense.”
The strategy worked. After rushing for 31 yards on scrambles and completing eight of 11 passes for 98 yards in the first half, Boylston had only three yards rushing and completed just four passes in the second half. Smith had a monster game, notching two and a half sacks, two tackles for loss, and recovering Boylston’s fumble.
“He is a fast twitch guy and he has skill speed,” Foy said of Smith, who was a receiver at Westside High School before his family moved to the Oakleaf district for his junior year. “He has hit the weight room really hard. He gained like 25 pounds in the offseason and he’s done well.”
Robinson, Thomas, and Wilson each had two tackles for loss while Robinson also had a sack.
Another adjustment that Oakleaf made at halftime was to get Fareed “Buck” Coleman involved in the running game. After carrying the ball just once in the first half for four yards, the junior ran 10 times for 110 yards over the final two quarters. Shiftier than the bruising Foy, Jr., Coleman frequently changed direction to find cutback lanes along the line of scrimmage.
“They load the box when zero [Christopher Foy Jr.’s jersey number] is in, and they spread the box when he is not in,” said Foy, who emphasized Coleman’s speed. “If you do that with two [Coleman’s jersey number], it’s going to be a problem. He is so elusive.”
Early in the fourth quarter, McKissock led Michael Conner, II, perfectly on a fly pattern for a 57-yard score that finished a 98-yard drive to put the hosts up three scores. Conner led all pass catchers with 92 receiving yards, while McKissock was efficient in completing seven of 12 passes for 169 yards.
White gained 73 of their 100 yards of second-half offense on a drive late in the fourth quarter that culminated in a seven-yard scoring run by receiver Landon Francis.
Oakleaf hosts Mandarin on Friday in a contest that will determine the District 2-6A champion. The Knights and Mustangs will enter with identical 6-2 records, each 2-0 in the four-team district.
“Mandarin is extremely talented, and I think they have the best tackle football player in the state of Florida in [free safety] Drake Stubbs [a Miami commitment],” said Foy. “We have to play the best Oakleaf tackle football we’ve ever played. If we play together, I think we’ve got a really good chance.”
Boylston finished with 12 completions on 22 throws for 170 yards while Francis had five catches for 73 yards for White, now 5-3 overall. The Commanders have a district championship game of their own this week, hosting Riverside in a game that will determine the District 4-4A champion.