Key Highlights
- Joaquín García, Inlet GroveDr.
- Joaquín García wins clash of stylesTwo drastically different offenses — both in formation and style — took the field for Thursday night's FIT championship between Dr.
- Joaquín García and Tate. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Bulldogs have thrived on the pass attack with Caleb Butler under center, while an injury to starting quarterback Miles Delarosa in September has resulted in tailback-turned-quarterback Tanner Clark running Tate's wildcat-heavy offense. Thursday saw those offenses clash in intriguing fashion, though neither team really got much going in the first have, as the story of the game became flipping field position and trial and error when each team had the ball. Still, it was a balanced García team that looked cleaner in the title game. While García's Joseph McDonald watched a surefire pick-six go in and out of his hands on the third offensive play of the game, it was an indicator of Tate's frailties in the passing game. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhen a Tate defender tried to jump Butler's pass not long after, the veteran quarterback was able to hit Jayden Morton for a 28-yard gain. And so it went. Butler seemed to heat up as the game went on, finding his groove on his deep ball against the windy night.
- And in the end, the Bulldogs simply put together far more chunk plays than Tate could manage. Bulldogs defense holds Tate to negative passing yards in first halfTate's inexperienced quarterback did not find things easy going in the first half against Garcia, with the halftime whistle shining an ugly spotlight on 1-for-5 passing with negative yards passing. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"I like the way we played defensively," Walker said of his team during a halftime interview with the NFHS Network.
- "We answered the bell."The negative passing total remained until a long pass in the fourth quarter by Clark. Clarke and Ethan Pittman combined on the ground for some steady gains, but where the Bulldogs' defense bent, it did not break during Thursday night's game. Tate attempted a 41-yard field goal, which fell unsuccessful.
