BELLE GLADE – They felt this one through their soul.
A trip to the Sunshine State Athletic Association (SSAA) 2A championship game was on the line Friday night (Nov. 7) for the Glades Day Gators, who wanted nothing more than avenge last season’s playoff loss at home to the Canterbury Cougars.
Suffice to say, the Gators got their payback and then some by way of a 33-19 home win over the Cougars.
And this time, the home team never trailed at any point of the game.
We will show you clips of how the SSAA 2A semifinal went from the first three quarters and then break down in detail how the fourth quarter went for Glades Day (4-8).
The fourth quarter was where most of the action happened.
After Glades Day turned the ball over on down at the Canterbury 11-yard line with 8:42 left, it seemed as if the momentum would stay with Canterbury the rest of the way.
The tide went Canterbury’s way for less than two minutes. The road team used a series of runs and passes to reach the end zone at the 6:57 mark of the fourth quarter.
Watch for yourself how the momentum shifted toward Canterbury and then right back to Glades Day in two plays.
After Glades Day stopped Canterbury’s mission to take any kind of lead, it was all about junior athlete Zeth Villarreal, who scored the game’s final 13 points by himself.
Watch Villarreal’s 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, which happened at the 6:41 mark of the fourth quarter.
With Glades Day subsequently extending its lead to 27-19, Canterbury had one last shot to tie the game up on its next offensive series.
It seemed as if Canterbury was going to find its way to the end zone again. But Glades Day had other plans as its opposition was getting close to scoring game.
Watch how Glades Day forced a turnover to effectively end any hopes of a comeback from Canterbury (6-6 final record) at the 3:26 mark of the final frame.
Thanks to Glades Day junior lineman Preston Sanford, the home team was in great position to put an exclamation point on its revenge mission.
In a few plays, Villarreal waltzed through the Canterbury defense and found his way to the end zone in a closeout moment.
Watch the action for yourself right below.
Canterbury had one last possession that did not go far. And then Glades Day needed a couple of plays in victory formation to make the final score official.
With the victory, Glades Day will advance to the SSAA 2A championship game against Rocky Bayou Christian (5-5). It will be a home game for the title game on Friday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m.
Glades Day has a chance to win a title game for the first time since winning its seventh and most recent FHSAA state title in 2010.
We will see in about a week if we can witness Glades Day hoisting a high school football championship trophy in Belle Glade.
PHOTO AND VIDEO CREDITS: Emmanuel Young / Muck City Sports
Muck City Media Enterprises 
Leave a comment