Week 9 Preview: Eau Gallie-Titusville among six district games

Week 9 of the high school football season is upon us with only three weeks remaining in the FHSAA regular season and two weeks in the SSAA regular season.

After Heritage kicks off the week at Port St. Lucie on Oct. 15, Brevard County houses three District 8-3A games on Oct. 16 in Eau Gallie-Titusville, Rockledge-Astronaut and Merritt Island-Palm Bay. Cocoa heads to Space Coast in their first meeting since 2022.

Melbourne and Viera continue District 5-5A play while Melbourne Central Catholic faces another potential state playoff opponent in Pahokee.

Here's a preview of the Week 9 slate. All games kick off at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

Oct. 15

Heritage (4-4) at Port St. Lucie (1-6), 6 p.m.

The Panthers conclude district play at Port St. Lucie seeking a 4-1 district record. They lost 27-3 to Jensen Beach on Oct. 9 in a matchup of the two best teams in District 13-4A.

Heritage senior Cordae Copeland anchored the defense with nine tackles. Senior Anthony Hicks posted five tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack. Senior Matt Moise sacked the Falcons quarterback once.

Port St. Lucie fell to Fort Pierce Westwood 47-6 on Oct. 9. The Jaguars’ lone win came on Oct. 2 versus SSAA Okeechobee 27-20. Opponents have scored Port St. Lucie 262-47 this season.

Oct. 16

FHSAA

Eau Gallie (4-3) at Titusville (6-2)

Eau Gallie and Titusville square off with both teams sitting at 2-1 in District 8-3A. The winner will keep pace with Merritt Island and move into sole possession of the second place in the district. Eau Gallie has won the previous three meetings over the past two years.

The Commodores lost a heartbreaker 36-35 in overtime to Merritt Island on Oct. 9 in a game they led 29-21 with under 2 minutes remaining in regulation. Senior Joseph Allen threw for 248 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a 10-yard score.

Eau Gallie senior Donovan Richardson rushed for 88 yards and one touchdown. Junior Yusef Francis caught two touchdowns totaling 62 yards.

Commodore seniors Kayden Jaquez and Zay Floyd combined for 22 tackles. Junior Gabriel Player scored on a 25-yard pick six and senior Samuel Trinkaus recorded one sack.

Titusville defeated Rockledge 41-13 on Oct. 9 after allowing 179 total yards. Terriers senior Nate Mosley posted a team-high six tackles. As a team, the Terriers recorded 12 tackles for loss and three sacks from senior Matthew Graham, junior Brayden Priest and sophomore Jameer Havel.

Titusville featured a senior trio who intercepted a pass in Tank Harvey, Thomas Nash and Khamari Fletcher.

Rockledge (1-6) at Astronaut (4-3)

Rockledge and Astronaut eye their second district win in their first meeting in 11 years.

Astronaut shut out Palm Bay 35-0 on Oct. 9 for its first district win of the season. It was Astronaut's biggest shutout win since it beat Melbourne Central Catholic 42-0 on Oct. 25, 2021.

The War Eagles scored all five touchdowns on the ground. Senior Jaquan Hagans and sophomore Jayden Brown rushed for two scores and freshman Gus Vanni scored a two-yard touchdown.

Rockledge lost 41-13 to Titusville as it totaled less than 200 yards of offense. Junior Carter Kemmerling threw for 68 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Senior Dontavius Harvey recorded a 68-yard run for the biggest Rockledge play.

Raiders junior Vondexter Tyler recorded 13 tackles and sophomore Reggie Clark finished with 11 tackles. Harvey and sophomore Terrance Welch recorded 2 sacks. Clark intercepted one pass. Welch and senior Kahron Harris forced one fumble.

Merritt Island (7-0) at Palm Bay (2-5)

The Mustangs look to keep their unbeaten record intact and extend their winning streak over Palm Bay to five games.

Merritt Island edged out Eau Gallie 36-35 in overtime behind three rushing touchdowns from senior Kevin Verpaele and two rushing touchdowns from junior Zaylan Chapple. Mustang seniors Alain Adams and Kamar Fielder combined for the tackle on Allen on the game-deciding two-point conversion in the extra period.

Palm Bay seeks its first district win after a 35-0 defeat. The Pirates have been shut out in their last two district games against Rockledge and Astronaut.

Cocoa (2-4) at Space Coast (6-2, SSAA)

For the first time since 2022, the Tigers will face the Vipers. Both teams bounced back from Week 7 defeats with shutout wins.

Cocoa beat Centennial 48-0 on Oct. 9 as the Tigers recorded 527 total yards of offense. Sophomore Kadin Claflin-Coy threw for 324 yards on 19-of-22 passing with three touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed for 39 yards and two touchdowns.

Tigers junior Javeon Scott rushed for 81 yards and caught three passes for 50 yards with two total touchdowns. Junior Anthony Whaley finished with five receptions for 145 yards and one touchdown. Junior Ryley Munn received four passes for 66 yards and one touchdown.

Cocoa’s defense recorded 5.5 sacks and junior Shakur Pierce tallied one interception. Junior Gregory Graham led the team with 2.5 sacks to go with five tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss. Senior Kyree Brooks and sophomore Brandon Deardorff ended the game with five tackles and three tackles for loss.

Space Coast defeated Cocoa Beach 35-0 on Oct. 9. Vipers backup quarterback Austin Anderson threw for 145 yards and two touchdowns. The sophomore’s favorite target was senior Kadyn Thomas, who finished the game with three catches for 103 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore Chad Johnson rushed for 104 yards and one touchdown.

Vipers freshman Charlie Williams carried the ball nine times for 91 yards and two touchdowns. Williams led the team with 15 tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks. Junior Javier Shivers tallied 10 tackles, one sack and one forced fumble. Thomas and senior Damarion Kidd picked off one pass and senior Ej Clouser recovered a fumble.

Melbourne (5-2) at East River (0-7)

On Oct. 9, Melbourne broke a 28-28 tie against Lake Howell on a Howard Dewitt two-yard touchdown run and a 79-yard punt return for touchdown by Tyrese Jefferson to secure a 42-35 win and move into second place in District 5-5A.

Dewitt and Jefferson spearheaded the Bulldogs' rushing attack as the team finished with 308 yards. Dewitt scored twice and gained 152 yards on five attempts. Jefferson posted 17 carries for 109 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Will Reinhold threw two completions to senior Jeremiah Thomas for 104 yards and one touchdown.

Melbourne sophomore Aaron Pierre tallied 16 tackles, three tackles for loss and one forced fumble. Senior Kymarion Johnson recorded 13 tackles, one sack, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Sophomore Jace Richardson recovered a fumble.

East River nearly got its first win of the season on Oct. 9 with a 3-0 overtime defeat against Lyman in district play. The Falcons have been outscored 266-65 this season.

They’ve thrown for 737 yards with two quarterbacks and rushed for 332 yards. East River has thrown 17 interceptions and fumbled the ball three times. Senior Jiovanni Smith led the defense with 46 tackles and three fumble recoveries. Junior Glenn Jones recorded 12.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.

Viera (3-4) at Lake Howell (4-3)

The Hawks are looking to halt a three-game losing streak at Lake Howell. On Oct. 9, they suffered a 44-6 loss to District 5-5A leader Oviedo.

Viera senior Mason Strater caught a nine-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Jaamal Crittington for the only points of the game. On the ground, senior Duke Butler gained 134 yards on a dozen carries. Sophomore Dereke Schmadeke posted a season-high 11 tackles and three tackles for loss.  

Melbourne snapped Lake Howell’s three-game winning streak in Week 8. The Silverhawks are led by junior quarterback Brycen Marbrey who’s thrown for 1,734 yards, 25 touchdowns and five interceptions. As a team, they’ve rushed for 1,106 yards. Junior Marcus Morris is the leading receiver with 21 catches for 502 yards and eight touchdowns.

Lake Howell senior Troy Williams Jr. is the top tackler with 48 to go with 2.5 sacks. He’s one of three Silverhawks with 10 tackles for loss this season. Junior Jermel Jones Jr. recorded 3.5 sacks this season.

Melbourne Central Catholic (5-1) at Pahokee (4-3)

After a bye week, Melbourne Central Catholic faces its fifth Class 1A opponent of the season in Pahokee.

Hustlers sophomore Trenton Washington thrown for 1,356 yards, 13 touchdowns and four interceptions this season. Senior Grady Bonenberger leads the team with 572 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Senior Noah Gabriel rushed for a team-high 325 yards and six touchdowns.

MCC defense is anchored by junior Will Warren and senior Ty Goetsch. Warren recorded 76 tackles, six tackles for loss and two interceptions. Goetsch posted 63 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and five sacks. Freshman Derrick Chandler and senior Isaiah Crockett are tied with three interceptions.

Pahokee is coming off a 22-7 defeat at Vero Beach on Oct. 9. The Blue Devils entered the game having lost three of their last four games.

Blue Devils eighth grader Braylon Peterson threw for 1,062 yards, 10 touchdowns and two interceptions. Peterson’s top target is junior Corian Davis who has 15 receptions for 347 yards and six touchdowns. As a team, Pahokee rushed for 636 yards and six touchdowns.

Pahokee sophomore Craig Lawrence leads the defense with 48 tackles and six tackles for loss. Senior Demarion Harris recorded five sacks and five Blue Devils have intercepted a pass.

Centennial (1-6) at Holy Trinity (5-2)

In its first home game since Sept. 11, Holy Trinity defeated The Master’s Academy (Oviedo) 50-0 on Oct. 9 for its third shutout win of the season.

Tigers freshman Michael Jackson rushed the ball for 154 yards. Eighth grade quarterback Brody Argo threw for 105 yards and three touchdowns. Defensively, sophomore Jayden Mills led the team with seven tackles. The Tigers finished the game with 18 tackles for loss behind four from senior Oliver Esmailzadeh and junior Hayden Argo. Seniors Omari Savage and Ben Silsbee produced one interception.

Centennial’s 48-0 loss at Cocoa was the Eagles' sixth-consecutive defeat and their fourth straight via shutout.

SSAA

Legacy Charter (0-8) at Cocoa Beach (5-3)

Cocoa Beach looks to snap a three-game losing streak after a 35-0 defeat at Space Coast on Oct. 9. The Minutemen have been shut out in back-to-back games without starting quarterback Jay Craft.

All 169 yards against Space Coast came on the ground. Senior Ryan Rogers rushed the ball 22 times for 97 yards. Junior TJ Bamford produced 41 yards on two carries. Minutemen junior Jordon Rooks led the team with six tackles.

Legacy Charter suffered a 48-0 defeat to Master’s Academy (Vero Beach) on Oct. 9. The Eagles have yet to score a point this season and they’ve allowed 54.1 points per game.

Okeechobee (3-5) at Bayside (3-5)

The Bears look to return to the win column after a 35-0 loss to Satellite on Oct. 9. They recorded 113 total yards of offense in the loss.

Bayside senior Joey Costa threw for 52 yards and one interception. Junior Zion Jones rushed for a team-high 45 yards. Senior Evan Sherburne caught two passes for 30 yards.

Okeechobee snapped a five-game losing streak on Oct. 9 with a 26-8 win over DeSoto County.

The Brahmans sport an evenly distributed offense of 933 rushing yards and 893 passing yards. Sophomore Chris Sneed threw for 661 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. Freshman Elijah Gordon rushed for 402 yards and four touchdowns.

Okeechobee junior Logan Kemp posted a team-high 53 tackles. Sophomore Kaniyus Thompson recorded 2.5 of the team’s 13 sacks. The Brahmans have intercepted four passes and recovered five fumbles.

SSAA, 8-man

Merritt Island Christian (8-0) at Four Corners (0-1)

The Cougars head to Davenport after winning a battle of unbeatens 22-12 over Calvary Chapel on Oct. 9.

Merritt Island Christian senior Maddux Martinson combined for 200 total yards and threw three touchdowns and one interception. Martinson threw two touchdowns to senior John Hey for 64 yards and a 31-yard touchdown completion to senior Micah Branch.

Four Corners is playing its second game of the season and its first home game. The Coyotes lost at First Academy (Leesburg) 58-22 on Sept. 25.

Saint Francis Catholic Academy (5-2) at Calvary Chapel (6-1)

The Eagles look to bounce back from their first defeat of the season at Merritt Island Christian. Calvary Chapel scored touchdowns on a scoop-and-score from junior Jacob Nere and a 20-yard touchdown pass from freshman Chayse Lickert to senior Carter Follrod.

Saint Francis is 5-2 with a pair of forfeit defeats. The Wolves shut out Florida School for the Deaf & Blind 62-0 on Oct. 8.

Wolves senior Jake Long leads the team with 764 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. Sophomore Carson Long trails Jake with 565 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. Jake also threw for 465 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception.

Carson leads the defense with 59 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and four interceptions. Junior Andrew Janelle posted four sacks, three fumble recoveries and one interception.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Week 9 Preview: Eau Gallie-Titusville among six district games