While the Jay High School football team fell to rival Baker School, the Pace High School Patriots defeated the Fort Walton Beach High School Vikings in their Kickoff classic matchups on Friday night.
Kent Smith, the Royals head football coach, was impressed with how his team performed at home against the Baker Gators.
“First and foremost, we had a good effort and they played hard and the intensity was there,” Smith said.
Despite losing 13-6, Smith said he was impressed with how many of the first year players handled the pressure of playing in their first high school football game. Smith was also happy to see his football team run the football. Running back Braden Cross scored for the Royals on a six-yard run.
Friday night’s match up also gave the Royals a preview of what they can expect in their regular season matchup at Baker School on October 2. This Friday, the Royals will be on the road for their first regular season game at Flomaton High School, scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
Coming off a 19-7 victory over Choctawhatchee High School on Friday, the team will open their regular season against Fort Walton Beach High School at home. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.
“We are excited about playing the first game here,” said Mickey Lindsey, PHS head football coach.
Lindsey was also impressed with how hard his team played and how the Patriots defense performed. Now the Patriots are looking to build upon their win as the regular season gets underway.
“We just need to keep improving…we got a lot of football ahead of us,” Lindsey said.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Pace wins, Jay loses in Kickoff classic matchups