Pace HS Commits Season-High Three Turnovers, Fall to Navarre HS 21-23 in 4S District One Conference Clash

PACE, FLA- In spite of a fantastic defensive performance, Pace High School (5-3, 1-2 4S District One) suffered their third loss of the season to Navarre High School (7-1, 3-0 4S District One) 21-23. With the win, the Raiders remain in first place in the 4S District One Conference, ahead of Gulf Breeze High School (4-3, 2-0 4S District One). Meanwhile, Pace stays in third place in the 4S District One Conference, followed by Milton High School (2-6, 1-2 4S District One) and Tate High School (1-7, 0-4 4S District One Conference), respectively.

Through their first seven games of the season, Navarre was averaging 38.7 PPG, while only giving up 15.8 PPG to their opponents. Against Pace, however, Navarre struggled to move the ball against the Patriot Defense, recording 356 total yards as a team. Furthermore, Junior Quarterback Hunter Pfiester struggled against Pace, completing 12-20 pass attempts for 91 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and one fumble. To clarify, Pfiester’s interception was converted into a 51-yard touchdown return by Sophomore Cornerback Nathaniel Lyons Jr to give the Patriots a 7-0 lead over the Raiders early in the first quarter.

Fortunately for Pfiester, Navarre’s running game was on point against Pace, totaling 285 rushing yards and one touchdown on 50 rushing attempts. Sophomore Running Back Connor Mathews had his best performance of the season on Friday, recording 22 rush attempts for 198 rushing yards and an average of 9.0 YPC, all-season highs. Likewise, Sophomore Running Back Anthony Gassaway pitched in 18 carries for 72 rushing yards and one touchdown on the ground. When Pfiester was throwing the football, he relied heavily on Junior Receiver Terence Marshall (6/44/0) and Senior Receiver Jadon Reese (3/21/2)

From a defensive standpoint, Pace played well against Navarre, recording 64 total tackles and five tackles for loss (TFL), including two TFLs by Senior Defensive Lineman Brandon Beckham. In addition, Junior Linebacker Jackson Ward had a fantastic game against Navarre, notching a season-high 21 total tackles, one TFL, one QB hurry, and a fumble recovery. Likewise, Beckam and Sophomore Linebacker Karmello Smith each recorded four solo tackles, while Sophomore Defensive Lineman Tylon Lee finished with three solo tackles. In addition to Lyons, Junior Defensive Backs Wiedner and Deryn Jones each had two passes defended.

Following his astounding five-touchdown game versus Tate last week, Simmons endured one of his worst passing performances of the season, completing just 4-10 pass attempts for 50 yards, zero touchdowns, and his first interception of the season. As a result of this, Sophomore Receiver Nash Pires (2/33/0) and Junior Receiver Xakery Wiedner (2/17/0) were both held in check against the Raider’s secondary, although Pires did score on an eleven-yard touchdown run.

The main reason for Simmon’s passing-game struggles can be attributed to Navarre’s consistent pass rush, which finished with six QB hurries as team. Along with a team-high two QB hurries, Senior Defensive Tackle Mack Smith also notched Navarre’s lone tackle for loss (TFL). Junior Defensive Back Connor Black led the Raiders with eleven total tackles, while Sophomore Linebacker Andre Spence notched eight tackles.

In spite of his passing game struggles, Simmons remained effective as a runner, recording 94 rushing yards and one touchdown on 17 rushing attempts. Furthermore, Sophomore Running Back Ben Tyner (9/34/0), Wiedner (3/34/0), and Junior Brayden Gates (1/5/0) all pitched in on the ground game, letting Pace reach 180 rushing yards, two touchdowns, and 5.6 YPC on 32 carries as a team. Through eight games this season, Pace has recorded an impressive 1,630 rushing yards, 23 touchdowns, and 5.8 YPC on 281 rushing attempts.

After converting on all five of his extra-point attempts and his lone 42-yard field-goal attempt against Tate, Senior Kicker Riece Griffith converted all three of his extra-point attempts versus Navarre, but did miss his 49-yard field-goal attempt. In reference to this, Griffith is now 35-36 on extra-point attempts and 4-5 on field-goal attempts this season, solidifying himself as the top kicker in the 4S District One Conference. It’s worth noting that Tyner managed the Kick Return duties well, returning four kickoffs for 102 yards, including a season-high 40-yard kick return.