ST. PETERSBURG — After two weeks of winning close, low-scoring games at home, Pinellas Park went on the road and broke out in a big way.
The Patriots scored touchdowns on seven of their eight possessions while its defense dominated in a 49-0 victory against Dixie Hollins.
The only drive on which the Patriots didn’t score was their last, when they ran out the clock.
Pinellas Park (4-1) led 12-0 after the first quarter on touchdown runs by Kal-El Williams and Oscee Calhoun.
While the Rebels had trouble moving the ball, the Patriots ate up big chunks of yards on the ground.
In the second quarter, they scored on runs of 20, 14, and 73 yards.
By the end of the first half, they had a 35-0 lead.
The Patriots opened the third quarter with another touchdown. At the Rebels 32, running back Marcellus Ware ran to his left, broke and spun out of tackles, kept his balance then cut across the field to his right and into the end zone.
Calhoun, who barreled over defenders all night, gained 179 yards on eight carries while Ware carried just four times but amassed 140 yards and three touchdowns.
As a team, the Patriots gained 463 yards on the ground.
“Marcellus lit it up, and Oscee had his best game of the season,” said Patriots coach Kenny Crawford, whose team beat Osceola 10-7 and Seminole 10-0.
Meanwhile, Pinellas Park limited Dixie Hollins (1-3) to 46 yards of offense and two first downs.
The Rebels entered having scored 115 points in three games (38.3 per game).
Their two losses were 45-34 to Dunedin and 61-48 to Northeast.
In their last game, they beat Seminole 33-27.
In shutting down the Rebels, Pinellas Park held star receiver Davontae Harrington to 7 yards on two catches.
The defense frequently pressured quarterback Tyrie Adams, who completed 3 of 8 passes for 13 yards.
“It’s a big rivalry game,” Crawford said.
“And our defense felt very challenged.”