Raines Vikings Win Class 4A State Championship, Defeat Cocoa Tigers 13-10 In Orlando
By Space Coast Daily // December 8, 2017
AUDIO REPLAY: Friday Night Locker Room’s Orville Susong and Steve Wilson, and Space Coast Daily’s Alan Zlotorzynzki bring you the Cocoa Tigers vs. Raines Vikings in the FHSAA Class 4A State Finals.
ORLANDO, FLORIDA – The Cocoa Tigers were defeated by the Raines Vikings Thursday night 13-10 in the Class 4A State Championship.
On a cool and breezy night, penalties and miscues were the stories of the night for the Tigers. Cocoa, the 2016 state champs in Class 4A and the preemptive pick to win Thursday night by many experts in Florida, could never get their offense rolling on the night.
With 30 penalties totaling nearly 300 yards, both teams failed to establish any momentum on offense.
Raines QB Ivory Durham made key plays down the stretch to help lead the Vikings to their first State Championship since 1997.
The game came down to the wire when Cocoa decided to go for it on fourth down and three yards, rather than trying a game-tying 50-yard field with under a minute to play in the game. It would not be Cocoa’s night as the Tigers were stuffed at the line on for no gain with 42-seconds to go and sealing a Raines State Championship.
