PACE, FLA- In spite of stellar performances from Quarterback Nick Simmons and Running Back Ben Tyner, Pace High School (3-2, 0-1 4S District One) was unable to stop Gulf Breeze High School’s (4-2, 2-0 4S District One) electric offense, and suffered their second loss of the season, 28-35. With the win, the Dolphins are firmly in first place in the 4S District One Conference, while the Patriots drop to third place with the loss.
As previously mentioned, Gulf Breeze’s offense proved to be far superior to Pace’s Defense. Led by Junior Quarterback Battle Alberson and Senior Running Back Troy Coughlin, the Dolphins accumulated 618 yards of total offense. Alberson continued his solid play into Pace Patriot Stadium, completing 23-33 (69.7%) pass attempts for 411 yards and two touchdowns, equating to a 119.6 Quarterback Rating (QBR), while also running for another touchdown. Meanwhile, Coughlin composed another impressive statline, notching 30 rush attempts for 211 rushing yards and two touchdowns, averaging 6.9 Yards Per Carry.
When Alberson was looking to throw against the Patriot Defense, Alberson relied heavily on Senior Receiver Kohen Kember and Junior Receiver Bryson Rouillier. After catching three passes for 94 yards and a touchdown in Gulf Breeze’s 38-8 Week 4 win against Pensacola, Kember managed to haul in six passes for 125 yards, both career-highs. Likewise, Rouillier played well against the Patriot secondary, recording six catches for 156 yards and two touchdowns. Alberson also completed passes to Coughlin (1/9/0), Junior Receiver Brock Clayton (5/53/0), and Sophomore Tight End Jake Hooten (5/68/0).
In spite of the seven-point loss, Pace’s offensive showed plenty of resiliency and was able to hang with Gulf Breeze’s offense for the majority of the game. As expected, the rushing game continued to be the focal point of Pace’s offense, as the Patriots had 34 rush attempts for 213 rush yards and two touchdowns. Pace’s Leading Rusher against Gulf Breeze was Tyner, who gashed the Dolphins’ defense by running for 109 yards and one touchdown on 13 carries. Furthermore, Simmons continued to utilize his rushing ability, recording 17 rush attempts for 52 yards. In addition, Simmons looked very fluent and concise as a passer, completing 5-8 pass attempts for 84 yards and two touchdowns, resulting in a 137.5 QBR.
Due to the lack of pass attempts, Simmons only completed passes to three different receivers, but each receiver had sizeable impacts on the game. First, Junior Receiver Xakery Wiedner managed to turn three catches into 65 yards and a touchdown, highlighted by a 57-yard pass from Simmons in the third quarter that gave the Patriots a 28-21 lead. Additionally, Senior Running Back and Long Snapper Jayson Alford managed to secure a seven-yard touchdown pass from Simmons early in the first quarter, and also created plenty of clear running lanes for Tyner and Simmons to navigate through. Finally, Sophomore Receiver Nash Pires also made numerous blocks on the outside, opening up space for Wiedner to dissect the Gulf Breeze Secondary.
It’s worth noting that Pace’s Offensive Line did struggle against Gulf Breeze’s Front Seven. As a team, the Dolphins had 61 total tackles, including 7.5 Tackles for Loss (TFL) and Three Sacks. Due to the increased pressure, Simmons and the Patriot Offense made a few errors, which included a forced fumble, recovered by Senior Linebacker Lumpy Deweese. For context, Pace did disrupt Alberson throughout the game, as Junior Linebacker Jackson Ward recorded his second sack of the season, while Wiedner did intercept Alberson midway in the second quarter.
In such a close game, most of the focus and credit went to the offenses, but Pace Senior Kicker Riece Griffith was excellent on for the Patriots. After converting on all four extra-point attempts during Friday’s game, Griffith remains perfect on his kicking duties, making all 21 of his field goal (2-2, long of 33 yards) and extra point attempts (19-19). Similar to Griffith, Gulf Breeze Senior Kicker Cade Lombardo managed to convert on all five of his extra-point attempts. However, Lombardo did miss his lone field goal attempt, and is just 4-9 on field goal attempts for the season.
4S District 1 Football Standings
| School Name | *W-L | *Pct. | *PF | *PA | W-L | Pct. | PF | PA | Strk |
| Gulf Breeze | 2-0 | 1.000 | 70 | 49 | 4-2 | 0.667 | 173 | 128 | 3 W |
| Navarre | 1-0 | 1.000 | 38 | 20 | 4-1 | 0.800 | 169 | 79 | 3 W |
| Pace | 0-1 | 0.000 | 28 | 35 | 3-2 | 0.600 | 160 | 126 | 2 L |
| Milton | 0-1 | 0.000 | 21 | 35 | 1-4 | 0.200 | 113 | 175 | 2 L |
| Tate | 0-1 | 0.000 | 20 | 38 | 1-3 | 0.250 | 80 | 132 | 2 L |