Nova downs Fort Lauderdale to extend win streak to five

DAVIE — Nova scored early and often as it built a 21-0 lead in the game’s first five minutes and then held off a late charge by visiting Fort Lauderdale to pull out a 40-27 victory and remain undefeated at 5-0 on Friday night.

Senior running back Shaun Peterson ran for 234 yards and two touchdowns to help key the victory. Nova, which finished 2-7 last season, has an opportunity to finish with a winning record for the first time since 1994 when former NFL running back Autry Denson was a senior.

“This was a very big win for us,” Peterson said. “We kind of fell down in the second quarter, but we got our focus back and pulled it out. This shows us that we are not the same Nova team of years past. This is a new team. It shows that we have some fight in us and some dog in us.”

Peterson, a South Florida commit, scored the first of his two touchdowns to finish off a six-play, 37-yard drive following a fumble recovery by Bryce Robinson for a 7-0 lead.

The Titans scored on Fort Lauderdale’s next offensive play from scrimmage when Lavelton Williams was hauled down for a 10-yard loss in the end zone for a safety. They then extended that lead on the ensuing free kick, as Roger Lewis returned the kick for a 15-0 lead.

After a Fort Lauderdale punt, Peterson went 50 yards for the score and a 21-0 lead. Xavier Clark converted a 27-yard field goal with 6:27 remaining before the L’s mounted a comeback starting with a 98-yard kickoff return by Wesley Eliodor

Fort Lauderdale (2-3) added two more scores before halftime to cut the lead to 24-20. Eric Hernandez scored on a 10-yard run, and Gerrard Nebitt found Eliodor who took it the distance for a 66-yard scoring run.

Nova’s Devontae Harris scored on a 3-yard run with 4:13 remaining in the game, but Meshawn Neely returned the ensuing kickoff 69 yards to close the L’s within 32-27. Antonio Clark iced the game for Nova with a 72-yard scoring run with 2:15 left.

Nova coach Kevin Huntley believes in his team and said there is still work to do. The Titans finished 5-5 in 2015, but lost in the Class 7A regional quarterfinal playoffs 35-34 to Mater Academy Charter.

“[Getting an ugly win] is big for the program because we have been on the other side of those, on the losing side of those,” Huntley said, “so now we are putting ourselves in a position when we don’t play well — we grind our way through and get a good quality win.”

PARK VISTA 29, BOCA RATON 7: Quarterback John Smith threw for two touchdowns and also had a touchdown reception and kickoff return for a score as the Cobras defeated the Bobcats in a District 10-8A contest in Lake Worth.

Park Vista (4-2) had a 13-7 lead at halftime, before pulling away in the third quarter.

Tyler Thomas fired a slant pass over the middle of the field to Smith, who broke multiple tackles and raced for a 62-yard touchdown.

After a safety, Smith returned the ensuing kickoff 60 yards for a score to extend the lead to 29-7 with 40 seconds left in the third quarter.

Smith tossed two touchdowns Perry in the first half.

The teams played through muddy field conditions and both squads capitalized on botched snaps, which set-up a short field for scoring drives in the first half.

Boca Raton (3-3) bounced a snap as they were unable to get a punt attempt off on their opening possession.

Two plays later, Smith fired a touchdown pass to Perry as the jumped out to a 7-0 lead.

Boca Raton quarterback Michael Pratt was replaced by Ajion Benefield in the second quarter on the team’s third possession.

The Bobcats failed to convert a fourth-and-1 at their own 36-yard line as the snap was bounced toward Benefield for a 2-yard loss.

On the first play of the ensuing drive, Smith fired a deep pass and Perry adjusted toward the ball and went into the end zone for a 34-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 13-0.

Dante Lang recovered a fumble for the Bobcats after a botched snap at the Cobras’ 25-yard line.

Running back Predner Elmon powered his way for a 12-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 13-7 with 3 minutes left in the first half. to Atorian 10-yard Cobras