GREEN COVE SPRINGS - Orange Park High football punter Brock Afllege, summoning his best Pat McAfee impression, turned a three-down start for the Raiders after the first kickoff into a 45-yard botched punt snap pickup and sprint down the sideline first down at the Clay High 20 yard line to set up the first score for the Raiders in a 33-7 district 3-5A win over Clay on Friday at Clay High School.
Orange Park used a strong run game behind running backs Damar Jackson and Dylan Ruiz to counter the strong pursuit game of Clay's defense led by defensive linemen Omar Goosby and Aaron Stacy and linebacker Javaris Roberts with the game moving quickly with very little passing action.
"We had all kinds of issues this season with injuries and this was the first game that we had almost all of our injured players able to play," said Raider coach Marcus Wimberly, who finishes at 3-7. "We told them the whole point of the game we to win the game and use this as a building block for next year. They came out here in a tough environment and played really well."
Tops on the Raider return list was junior quarterback Gabe Taylor who scored twice on scramble runs; the first score after Afllege's miracle punt run, to lead the Raiders with wideout Ryder Fulmer making some key catch and runs.
Afllege went big on the ensuing kickoff to put Clay at their own five-yard line to start on offense.
With penalty flags on both sides stalling the Clay start, Clay quarterback Landon Martin just missed a post pattern to a wide-open Antonio Thomas near midfield with the Blue Devils forced to punt.
The Raiders, getting suffocated by Stacy, Goosby, and Roberts on consecutive sacks and quarterback hurries, stayed up 7-0 to the second quarter before Taylor missed Afllege in the end zone on a fourth down pass to start the second quarter.
Clay running back Lavaris Roberts, the Blue Devils lead rusher, started to sneak in and around the Raider defensive front to keep the Blue Devils on the move from the six to midfield where a lengthy discussion ensued about a possible fumble.
"We got to look at film and prepare for next year," said Clay coach Kyle Kennard, who also finishes at 3-7. "We didn't execute like I know we can."
Clay retained possession to the Raider 29 to a third and 14 where Martin missed to wide receiver Cameron Lee who got a personal foul flag for a Blue Devil first down with 6:08 to halftime.
Roberts got help from his offensive line on a plunge to Raider 21 to force a fourth and two before Nehemiah Bailey blasted twice to the nine.
Roberts would carry Raider linebacker Jayden Taylor into the end zone to score the game 7-7.
On the ensuing kickoff from Clay kicker Ethan Bellamare, Raider returner Quinton Moore scooped up the squiggle kick at the Raider 13 and rolled 53 yards to the Clay 26-yard line to put the Raiders in scoring position.
Taylor again scrambled into the end zone with 1:43 to halftime with Orange Park up 13-7.
In the third, both defenses stiffened with another scramble for a loose ball in the Clay backfield off a sack attempt by Orange Park defensive tackle Jayden Blanton forcing a Bellamare punt.
An end zone interception by Orange Park defender Alexavier Fennell thwarted a Clay move into the Raider Red Zone and a fourth down stop gave Orange Park a second possession on downs in the third.
With 6:39 in the third, Jackson took a screen pass from midfield crossed the field, and landed at the Clay 25 before Taylor bootlegged a pass to Afllege to the Clay seven before missing Fulmer in the end zone.
On a third bootleg, Taylor found wide-out Devon Rail in the end zone to put the game at 19-7; 20-7 with Afllege's PAT kick.
An interception by Orange Park's Julian Still stalled another Clay scoring drive with the Raiders getting to the Clay Red Zone where Javaris Roberts's sack and flags put the Raiders at third and four at the 12. Taylor missed Jackson in the end zone to put Afllege in for a field goal, 23-7.
Another sack by Blanton got a Clay punt to the 38-yard line with 46 seconds left in the third.
In the fourth, Taylor hit Fulmer for the final score for the Raiders.
On the last drive of the night, Martin scrambled to the Raider 15 where a facemask put the ball to the five, but Roberts was stopped at the goal line to end the game.