On Friday, Sep 19th, the Raider football team faced off with Key West at Sean Taylor ‘01 Memorial Field. The team came into the game with a 2-1 record, and Key West had a 2-2 record before the game. For the Raiders, this was their first official home game of the season.
“It was very exciting to be back on our field,” junior Quarterback Brendan Beery said. “I feel like I play better in front of my friends.” Beery said.
The offense was led by the aforementioned Beery, throwing for two touchdowns, one going to senior wide receiver Dennis Obsaint during the first quarter and the other going to senior athlete Champ Smith during the third quarter. Beery showed poise in the pocket throughout the game and was able to set up his team in scoring position every time he was on the field.
“Having a quarterback like him [Brendan] really helps,” junior lineman Terrence Jones said, “He’s a leader on and off the field, and he can take over when he needs to.”
Early throughout the game, the Raiders struggled to stop Key West’s run game; however, they were able to shut down their passing game, leading Key West to run the ball the majority of the game. Their defensive struggles were due to an injury to junior defensive back Deandre Leonard that took him out for the rest of the game.
“Seeing DJ get hurt made us realize some of us had to step up during the 2nd half,” junior defensive back Sebatian Calixte said.
The defense was led by seniors defensive backs Leandrez Leonard and Champ Smith. Combined, the two average around 19 tackles per game according to MaxPreps. Smith was able to get an interception late in the 2nd quarter, giving the defense some life after the first defensive play of the game was a near full-field touchdown.
In the 2nd half, Key West reverted to onside kicks, which led the Raiders to turn the ball over multiple times. This led to the defense having to stay on the field for the majority of the time, and the offense being stuck on the sidelines waiting to get back on the field.
By the time the offense got back on the field, the score had gotten out of hand, with Key West leading 32-15 at the end of the game.
