FLEMING ISLAND - Fleming Island High middle linebacker Alex Maier made up for a sluggish offense by scoring two touchdowns, spearheading a suffocating defensive effort as Fleming Island shut out visiting Cantonment Tate 21-0 in a Region 1-7A play-in game on Fri., Nov. 13. The Golden Eagles, now 7-2, will travel to the state capital to battle Tallahassee Lawton Chiles in a Region 1-7A quarterfinal on Friday, November 20.

Maier made the play of the game with the Golden Eagles clinging to a 7-0 lead early in the fourth quarter. The Aggies had taken possession at their own 20 yard line after a Colt Hyams punt had bounced into the end zone. On the next play, tackle Ricky Joseph sacked Tate quarterback Caleb Shelby, forcing a fumble. Maier and a Tate offensive lineman converged on the ball, and Maier batted it into the end zone. Maier reached the pigskin first and dove on it for a touchdown that gave Fleming Island a 13-0 lead.

“The quarterback was rolling out of the pocket, so I was coming downhill to stop him from running and I tapped the ball into the end zone,” said Maier, a senior.

Two possessions later, Maier struck again. Reading Shelby’s eyes from his zone in the middle of the defense, the Furman commit stepped in front of a throw intended for Jonah Smith, caught Shelby’s pass and took off toward the left side. Cutting inside a block by teammate Abraham Wright, Maier beat Shelby to the pylon for the game-clinching touchdown with 5:00 remaining.

“Those two plays were very important,” said Fleming Island head coach Damenyum Springs. “Without Alex, we do not win this game.”

Maier’s heroics were needed because the Golden Eagles offense sputtered. Fleming Island failed to score in the first two quarters against the Aggies, who entered the game with only one win in six games. While running back Tim Thomas gained 73 yards on nine first half carries, the passing game could not overcome penalties that put the hosts in long distance situations. Quarterbacks T.K. Kocak and Grant Travis completed just three of 10 passes on the night.

Springs noted after the game that the Eagles came out flat, and was not pleased with the first half effort. He tried to instill a sense of urgency in his team at the intermission.

“I told them to get ready to pack up their lockers,” said Springs. “Then I left the room.”

The short but pointed message worked, as the Golden Eagles took the second half kickoff and crisply drove 69 yards in eight running plays. Thomas and sophomore Sam Singleton alternated carries, finding larger holes to run through than they had in the first half. Kocak followed Thomas up the middle from two yards out to finish the drive, which took exactly 3:00 and improved Springs’ mood.

“Our running backs were running hard the whole time,” he said. “That drive had a lot to do with wearing them [the Tate defense] down. Plus, our linemen stayed on their blocks longer.”

Thomas finished with 138 yards on 16 rushes, while Singleton contributed 89 yards on 11 attempts.

Defensively, Fleming Island dominated. The Golden Eagles allowed only five first downs, limiting the Aggies to 21 yards on 26 rushes. Darryl Nesmith and Jourdan Haynes each had two of the hosts’ seven tackles for loss, and four different Golden Eagles registered a sack.

The Golden Eagles turned back the Aggies’ two best scoring chances. In the first quarter, Fleming Island cornerback Dedric Walker recovered a fumble forced by linebacker Hunter Williams at the Golden Eagles’ 24 yard line. Halfway through the third quarter, Tate receiver Zamir Dyer got behind the Fleming Island secondary for an 80 yard catch and run. The Aggies reached the 13 yard line after a penalty for too many men on the field against Fleming Island. On fourth down from there, Haynes chased Shelby out of the pocket, and no receiver could get near his desperate pass to the back of the end zone.

Tackle Tyler Cross also recovered an Aggies fumble for Fleming Island, which won the turnover battle 4-1.

The Aggies end their season 1-6.