BELLE GLADE – Quality over quantity exists in full force at Glades Day.
A 22-man Gators roster made the most of what was available in their spring football game on Thursday night (May 15) against the Marathon Dolphins. They played their hearts out in front of the Glades Day faithful and turned an early 7-7 tie into a 35-21 victory.
Zeth Villarreal was on a scoring mission as he accounted for 27 of Glades Day’s 28 points in the first half. The 2027 athlete ran for two touchdowns and caught two more from 2029 athlete Algernod Crawford.
“The first touchdown was by me in the first quarter, and it was a handoff from Plies (Crawford),” Villarreal said. “The second touchdown was by me and it was a seam thrown to me by Plies. The third one was by me. It was a handoff from Plies. And the fourth was by me right before halftime. It was a fade thrown by Plies.”
In addition to that, Villarreal went 4-for-4 on his extra point attempts for a 100 percent conversion rate. Three of Villarreal’s extra points were made in the first half and the last one was made in the second half.
Speaking of the second half itself, Glades Day began it with a 28-7 lead over Marathon and extended it further to 35-7 with a quarterback keeper play made by Crawford and the extra point made by Villarreal.
“He saw the hole open up and ran it in,” Villarreal said of Crawford’s rushing score.
Crawford on his touchdown run in the second half:
“The linebacker bit down on the bubble and I thought I gave it to the running back,” Crawford said. “But I didn’t, so I did what I do best – make a play.”
Side note: The other extra point was converted by 2029 standout Bentley Peaden in the first half.
Another note: Glades Day’s 35-7 lead was cut down to 35-21 later in the second half to account for the final score.
This turned out to be a successful spring football circuit for Glades Day, which reached the Sunshine State Athletic Conference (SSAA) 3A semifinal round in 2024 and has aspirations for more success in 2025.
Prior to Glades Day’s spring game against Marathon, head coach and athletic director Zach Threkeld went quite in-depth on what transpired last season, how the spring football circuit was looking, and what to expect after the spring ends.
You can watch Threkeld’s full interview below.
To close this out, we have another clip for you to watch. This comes from Villarreal, Payne Wallace (2026 linebacker), and Johnny Ramos (2026 offensive lineman/defensive lineman).
We are looking forward to a great summer and a great fall season ahead for the Glades Day Gators.
PHOTO/VIDEO CREDITS: Muckboyedits
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