McGriff rushes for two TDs, lifts Eagles
Boca Raton — DeQuan McGriff ran for 139 yards and two touchdowns as host Pope John Paul downed Pine Crest 26- 16 in a Southeastern Football Conference game on Thursday night.
McGriff, a 5- 10, 180- pound running back, scored on runs of 37 and 3 yards as the Eagles ( 3- 2) improved to 3- 1in the conference. Pine Crest ( 2- 3) slipped to 2- 2 in the conference with the loss.
Pope John Paul coach Matt Dillon was pleased with the victory and called the first four games of his schedule “murder’s row.”
“We had to play the defending champion, Benjamin, and last year’s runnerup, Pine Crest, along with this year’s powerhouse, John Carroll ( 3- 0) in successive weeks,” Dillon said.
“We play eight games and seven are conference games, so they all matter. Our two losses last year were to Pine Crest, so we wanted a little revenge.”
Pope John Paul took the opening kickoff and marched 85 yards in 11 plays to grab a 7- 0 lead. R. J. Rizk found Bryce Segui streaking down the right sideline for a 62- yard TD. Segui finished with six catches for 122 yards.
Pine Crest answered on its first possession as it went 53 yards in 16 plays. Zach Smith hit Oliver King on a fourth and goal from the 28 to knot the score at 7- 7. The pair hit pay dirt again with 2: 48 remaining in the game on a 10- yard score.
Pope John Paul wasted little time in grabbing a 13- 7 lead as Javonta Swinton returned the ensuing kickoff 63 yards and one play later DeQuan McGriff sprinted around right end for the go- ahead score. The host Eagles padded their lead on their first possession of the second half on a 6- yard scoring run by Angelo Ligouri to go up19- 7.
Pine Crest’s Oren Milstein hit a 34- yard field goal to draw to within 19- 10 in the third quarter before McGriff added his second TD run with 9: 19 left in the game on a 3- yard run.
Hallandale cruises
Hallandale sophomore quarterback Tyler Huntley only completed five passes Thursday night against Coconut Creek but he made the most of them, passing for four touchdowns and 209 yards to lead the Chargers past the Cougars 46- 13.
Richie Cooper and Neru Nshaka each caught two touchdowns from Huntley, their only receptions on the night.
Cooper scored on the first play of the game when Huntley found him on a seam route for a 49- yard touchdown and later caught a 50- yard TD pass for his second score in the third quarter. N shaka caught touchdowns of 44 and 62 yards.
Despite only managing seven first downs, Hallandale ( 5- 0, 2- 0) was able to score 46 points thanks to its defense. The Chargers defense was its backbone all night, forcing three turnovers and scoring twice.
Senior Joshua Robinson recovered a fumble in the second quarter and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown to put the Chargers up 13- 7. Then on the last play of the first half and Coconut Creek ( 2- 3, 0- 2) driving in Chargers territory, junior John Battle intercepted a Jahkari Harrison pass at the 10- yard line and returned in 90 yards for a touchdown to give Hallandale a 25- 7 lead at half time and complete control of the game.