JACKSONVILLE - Oakleaf High defensive back Jordin Price intercepted two passes and returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown as Oakleaf’s defense and special teams, including a kickoff returned for a score from Michael Conner, carried the Knights to a 23-14 win at Riverside in an unusual season opener on Friday, Aug. 22.

Of the 37 points scored, only six were scored by an offensive player. Oakleaf scored three times in 30 seconds early in the third quarter to turn a 7-all tie into a commanding 23-7 lead. First, Price fielded a low and short punt at the Knights' 22-yard line. The senior ran left, beat the contain men to the sideline, cut off a block by Syncere Murphy back to the right, and raced to the endzone with 9:13 remaining in the third quarter. Sam Pena’s PAT gave the Knights a 14-7 lead.
Special teams set up the Knights’ following two points. The Generals’ Sydney Smith had trouble fielding the kickoff following Price’s touchdown, and the ball bounced over his head. By the time Smith recovered, the Oakleaf coverage swarmed him at the 3-yard line. On the next play, linebacker Jermaine Robinson leveled Riverside quarterback Jaiden Delaune in the end zone for a safety. Delaune was apparently going to pass after he faked a handoff. Robinson came crashing in so fast that Delaune had no time to throw.
“We watch a lot of film,” Robinson said. “I saw the guard was leaning, so I knew he was fixing to pull, so I just shot the A-gap and made the play.”
Following the safety, Connor caught the Riverside free kick at the Oakleaf 35-yard line. The junior ran forward, cut left twice, before he found a seam, and he used blockers to weave his way to the end zone. Pena’s extra point extended the Oakleaf advantage to 23-7 with 8:43 remaining in the third.

Oakleaf coach Chris Foy said the Knights devote 20 to 30 minutes to special teams during each practice, and the two touchdown returns were only part of a decided advantage they had on special teams. Punter Giovanni Garcon averaged 40.8 yards on five punts, while Riverside counterpart Troy Davis averaged only 27.7 yards on six. Knights long-snapper Joel Bazinet is committed to Tulsa. Oakleaf gained an extra possession after Conner’s touchdown. When the Generals failed to cover Pena’s ensuing kickoff, which was purposefully short and to the right, Oakleaf’s T.J. Early pounced on it at the Riverside 28.

“Special teams is a culture for us. It’s important to us,” said Foy, who mentioned he can ensure the Knights’ most explosive players get the ball on special teams. “Special teams are designed for the team to score in a non-traditional way in one play. You can take a 12-play drive and get a field goal. You kick it off to me and I’ll get a touchdown.”
Led by Price, Robinson and defensive end Evan Brown, the Knights' defense held the Riverside offense, perennially a district and Class 4A state title contender, off the scoreboard. The Generals scored their two touchdowns on interception returns. Robinson, a linebacker who occasionally lined up at the end spot, and Brown were virtually unblockable. Brown had three tackles for loss, while Robinson had two. Each notched a sack as the Knights held Riverside to just 121 total yards, including 50 rushing yards on 26 attempts.
Price made sure the Generals did not make any big plays through the air, either. The cornerback made Riverside pay when they tested him, intercepting a deep pass in the second quarter at the Oakleaf 30-yard line, and intercepting another down the left sideline that sealed the game for Oakleaf with 3:38 remaining. He returned the first pick for a touchdown, and the second for 60 yards, but each return was nullified by one of Oakleaf’s 10 penalties.
“Jordin has faced every top receiver in our area for four years,” said Foy. “With the number of things he does for us, I believe Jordin Price is the best tackle football player in North Florida.”
The special teams offset an uneven performance by the Oakleaf offense. Junior tailback C.J. Moses ran for 115 yards on 18 carries, but primarily due to penalties and an ineffective passing game, the Knights put together only one scoring drive. Oakleaf responded after a 49-yard interception return for a touchdown by the Generals’ Derrick Brown midway in the first quarter with a 75-yard march. Moses rumbled for 23 off the right tackle to set up a first-and-goal at the 8-yard line. Two plays later, Kamauri Townsend punched into the endzone from a yard out across the goal line from a yard out. Pena booted the extra point to tie the game at 7-7 with 45 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
Early recovered a muffed punt at the Riverside 15-yard line with two minutes to go before halftime, for another big special teams play for the Knights. But Oakleaf squandered the opportunity when Generals' safety Caleb Thomas made a diving interception in the end zone. The teams were knotted at 7-7 at halftime.

Riverside crept closer late in the third quarter when senior safety Carl Hendricks jumped to catch a throw from Oakleaf quarterback Jack McKissock intended for Trace Burney. Hendricks took the interception up the left sideline, evaded Conner at the 15, and jogged into the end zone to complete a 94-yard score. Davis’s PAT brought the Generals to within 23-14.
McKissock finished with three completions on 10 attempts for 40 yards and three interceptions. Foy is not concerned about his senior quarterback.
"McKissock is a prolific passer. He faced a little adversity tonight,” Foy said. “He is still our guy, because we know what he can produce.”
Oakleaf wide receiver Trace Burney had all three receptions for the Knights, who will host Clay County rival Orange Park in a non-district game on Friday, Aug. 29. Orange Park downed Ridgeview, 35-7, in Week 1.
Riverside, now 0-1, travels to Fleming Island (1-0) for the second leg of a season-opening three-game stretch against Clay County opponents. The Generals will then host Orange Park on Sept. 5.