Cocoa Tops Gadsen County: 38-27 in 2A FHSAA Final

Miami- Defending state champion Cocoa made it three-straight with a 38-27 win Gadsen County (near Tallahassee) Thursday afternoon in FIU’s Pitbull Stadium.  The 2A FHSAA final match up featured Cocoa’s air attack against Gadsen County’s power run attack.  

Texas A&M commit and Cocoa Tiger quarterback Brady Hart led the way through the air to the tune of 259 yards passing and 1 TD on 22 of 31 passing.  His leading wideout was Florida State commit, Jayvan Boggs. He caught 6 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown.  The ground game was really the back breaker for Gadsen County, ironically, as the Cocoa Tigers racked up 100 yards on the ground as both Hart and Latrison Lane both rushed for 64 yards a piece.  Hart took sacks that took away 28 team rushing yards but was clutch picking up first downs on scrambles downfield to keep key drives alive.

Cocoa began the scoring with a dart from Hart to Boggs, scoring off a Gadsen County turnover. But the Jaguars from Gadsen County would march right back down the field and tie the game on a Kemarrion Battles rushing touchdown.  Battles scored twice, racking up 96 yards on the ground for the Jaguars from the Tallahassee metro area.  

The game would go back and forth for the duration until Cocoa broke it wide open on a play in the fourth quarter.  On fouth down, leading by only four, with under two minutes to play, the Coca Tigers tried to draw the Jags off-sides.  It didn’t work. After a time out, they went for it and got not only the two yards needed for a first down, but they also completely iced the game as Lane scored from 42 yards out. It’s the school’s seventh championship, third consecutive and for head coach Ryan Schneider, it cements a legacy.