PSJ beats Marianna in one of few full games in area

PORT ST. JOE - Port St. Joe's success in the playoffs likely will be determined by which team shows up next week in Mayo to play Lafayette High.

Will it be the squad that dominated Marianna (8-2) during the first half on Friday night or the team that scuffled a bit in the second half while carving out a 35-14 victory?

The Tiger Sharks (8-2) commanded the opening 24 minutes with offensive balance and defense that bottled up a Marianna offense centered on an injured Bradley Battles (a game-high 87 rushing yards) between the tackles. Protecting a 28-0 lead in third quarter proved more difficult, however, as the Bulldogs forced several big plays to cut the lead in half.

A key penalty and turnover combined with heavy rain that arrived with three minutes to play, allowed Port St. Joe to survive.

The Tiger Sharks rushed for 141 yards on just 10 carries and added 136 yards passing in the first half, holding Marianna to 112 yards, none of it passing and 70 of it coming on 15 carries by Battles.

The Tiger Sharks had three scoring drives of at least 83 yards, big plays punctuating each one.

After holding Marianna on downs on the opening possession, Port St. Joe went 83 yards in seven plays, a 35-yard run from Calvin Pryor (58 yards rushing, 46 receiving and a 2-point conversion run) the key play.

The Tiger Sharks stopped Marianna near midfield and a punt pinned them at their own 5.

Three plays later, quarterback Tyrone Dawson tossed a deep fade down the left sideline to Willie Quinn, who snagged the ball while being interfered with before streaking down the sideline for a 72-yard score.

Early in the second quarter, Dawson guided Port St. Joe 94 yards in six plays. Pryor's acrobatic one-handed grab of a pass in the flat which he turned into a 46-yard gain was the difference maker.

Dawson (66 rushing yards, 161 passing) ran 18 yards on a quarterback draw play that worked all night and hit Quinn with a fade to the right flag for a 2-point conversion and it was 20-0 at the half.

"I probably tried to mix it up more than usual, passed more than usual, because we are going to need to practice that kind of thing for the playoffs," said Port St. Joe coach Vern Barth. "That first half was as complete a half as we've played all year. I just wish we had gotten more points out of it."

A short kickoff to start the second half set the Tiger Sharks up for a lightning 58-yard march, Dawson hitting Rakeem Quinn on a middle seam route for 40 yards for the touchdown. Pryor ran around right end for the extra point.

The Bulldogs woke up with four minutes left in the third quarter when Poochie Batson picked off a Dawson pass that traveled through Pryor's hands, setting up a 41-yard drive completed by a 2-yard R.J. Bowers run.

Marianna recovered an onside kick at the Tiger Shark 40 and four plays later Battles went over from the 1.

Just as momentum seemed headed their way, the Bulldogs gave it back, a personal foul penalty the critical play on the ensuing drive that Port St. Joe turned in to a 4-yard touchdown run from Pryor, and an interception ending an excursion into Tiger Shark territory minutes later and just before the deluge.