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Marcus Benjamin @_BenjaminReport
Powder Springs, GA – The Football Hotbed Sophomore National Game was the second of three games held at McEachern High School on Martin Luther King Day. Leonardo Zuazo’s (Champagnat Catholic, Hialeah, FL) field goal with 17 seconds left in the game helped propel the Black Team over the White Team 13-12. Isaiah Finnie (McArthur, FL) came up big on defense for the Black squad recording three sacks and a tackle for loss.
The White Team got on the board first when Jaden Williams (Miami Northwestern, FL) found Agiye Hall (Armwood, FL) for a four-yard touchdown. A missed extra point would give the white jersey’s a 6-0 lead. It was the only score of the first half on a cold windy day in Georgia. Hall looked impressive in this game not only catching the ball but also blocking downfield.
Zuazo would get The Black squad on the board with a field goal with 43 seconds left in the third quarter. Corde St. Louis (Cardinal Gibbons, FL) would give the game a jolt of excitement when he first mishandled a short punt from 32 yards but was able to gather the ball and dash down the sideline for a punt return for a touchdown. This score would help the Black Team build a 10-6 lead.
The White Team would strike back with great field position set up by a nice return by Travis McNichols (Miami Carol City, FL) to get them deep into Black Team territory. Kye Robichaux (Pacelli, GA) would finish the drive with two strong runs. The first was a 23-yard run to the one-yard line and Robichaux would finish off the drive by scoring from one yard out. Another failed extra point would make a 12-10 game with six minutes left in the game.
The Black Team would drive deep into White territory with a huge catch down the sideline by PJ O’Brien (Deerfield Beach, FL). The catch was made on a 3rd and 13 with 1:47 left. The play would eventually set up the game-winning field goal. O’Brien would earn an offer from Georgia over the weekend while on a visit with Football Hotbed.
Also impressing offensively was Antonio Outler (Dwyer, FL) and Taarik Brett (Mt. Zion, GA) who both broke free on runs. Ryan Keeler (Nazareth Academy, IL), Jalen Madden (Peachtree Ridge, GA), Corder Ward (Miller Grove, GA), Ah’Mari McCray (North Miami, FL) and Hunter Gfell (Cocoa, FL) were impressive on defense registering sacks and tackles for loss. Nigel Shannon (Atlantic, FL) was also disruptive on defense and also had an interception in the game.
