VIDEO: Space Coast All Stars Defeat Treasure Coast All Stars 15-10 In Thrilling Fashion
By Alan Zlotorzynski // January 24, 2016
Played At Cocoa High School
ABOVE VIDEO: Highlights and interviews from Space Coast vs. Treasure Coast from Cocoa High School following a 15-10 victory for the Space Coast. (Zach Clark, Space Coast Daily Video)
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Space Coast All-Stars claimed a 15-10 last minute victory over their Treasure Coast rivals Friday night in the third annual Florida East Coast Football All Star game.
Led by head coach Jake Owens of the Space Coast Vipers, the victory gives Space Coast a 2-1 lead in the series that began in 2014 with a Space Coast 27-12 win.
Several of the games’ bigger plays, including this year’s game winner with under a minute to play, came from Heritage Panther standouts.
Heritage defensive end Tre Reid was named the Friday Night Locker Room’s defensive MVP.
Reid made 14 tackles, five for a loss with two sacks. The Heritage standout was relentless from start to finish and was credited for the first points of Friday night’s contest.
After a scoreless first half, Reid blew past the Treasure Coast offensive line, tackling the Treasure Coast running back in the end zone for a safety that gave a 2-0 lead for Space Coast in the third quarter.
ABOVE VIDEO: Interview with Greg Simmons (Nebraska Commit) following the Space Coast All Stars vs Treasure Coast All Stars game. (Zach Clark, Space CoastDaily Video)
Heritage Panthers RB Josh Gaines, the school’s all-time leading rusher, finished with a game-high 103 yards on 10 carries.
Gaines set up his team’s first touchdown of the night when he broke a 20 yard run to the Treasure Coast eight-yard line. Two plays later, Space Coast Vipers running back Cornelius Fulton scampered into the end zone giving the Space Coast All Stars a 9-0 lead.
After an injury timeout with 4:09 to play, the visitors from Treasure Coast came roaring back.
Treasure Coast, Fort Pierce Central quarterback Jake Celidonio, hit two big passes including a 30-yard touchdown strike to Westwood wide receiver Dantavious Williams to cut the Space Coast lead to two.
One play after the ensuing kickoff, Space Coast quarterback Daeshawn Mills was intercepted by Central defensive back Antoine Wallace. Three plays later, Martin County kicker Skyler Reese hit a 30-yard field goal to give Treasure Coast a 10-9 lead with 97 seconds to play in the contest.
Mills would bounce back from the interception.
With 58 seconds to play, no timeouts and the ball on the 50-yard line, Space Coast faced a fourth and two. Heritage Panthers offensive coordinator Tim Baker called an option play that was executed to perfection by his former QB Jaishon Mills.
Two plays later, Mills finished with a touchdown run with 38 seconds to play sealing the victory for his team.
Other standouts from Brevard County schools that played well included, Melbourne Bulldogs defensive linemen Tanner Roweel and Caleb Washington.
The Palm Bay Pirates had four representatives. Florida All-State Class 5A third team defensive player Jared Morris joined his teammates DB Ozzie Samuel, DL Shamar Davis and TJ Carroll to be disruptive forces on defense all night long.
Space Cost running back Cornelius Fulton provided critical rushing yards and one touchdown.
“Both teams fought incredibly hard and it was a fun night,” said Treasure Coast head coach Tim Caffey of the Jensen Beach Falcons.
With National Signing Day less than two weeks away, plenty of colleges were on hand to watch the game. Nearly every head football coach from Brevard County high schools was in attendance watching their athletes play, as 40 players represented 17 Space Coast schools.
“This is an opportunity for the kids to put the pads on one last time, it’s for them, it’s about them,” Jake Owens said.
“It’s great to win but the week in full is what it’s all about. The kids get an opportunity to have one last week of practice and play one last game.”
Both squads featured players from 12 playoff teams with a combined 14 players being honored in some capacity on the AP All-Florida Football team for the 2015 season.
