SEMINOLE — The defense starred for Pinellas Park on Thursday night, as the Patriots held on for a 10-8 victory against Osceola to move to 3-0 on the season.
“We play together, we play hard. Our secondaries run tight and we put pressure on them,” Pinellas Park coach Kenny Crawford said.
“The D-line, they always come strong. We feel really good about our defensive guys and they’re all very young.”
Six minutes into the game, quarterback Antonio Harris made a solid pass to Donte Maxson for a 15-yard touchdown and 7-0 lead. The Patriots held Osceola scoreless for three quarters.
But the Warriors weren’t without their own shining moments on defense.
After Pinellas Park took advantage of Osceola’s offensive struggles in the third, recovering the ball on the Warriors’ 30-yard line, Osceola defender Tavaris Williams kept the Patriots from scoring.
The Patriots’ line, charged by linebacker Kal-El Williams and defensive backs Angel Addison, Leondre Horne and Rashaan Watson, held Osceola (1-2) to only 153 passing yards. Running back Jamil Morris kept Osceola from being shut out after a strong drive in the fourth. Quadarius Patterson tallied the two-point conversion to cap scoring.
And to underscore the defense’s stellar night, Raheem Patterson sacked of Quadarius Patterson with four seconds to play.