Apalachee fails to capitalize on key moments in 28-10 loss against Jackson County

“It’s never good when you lose,” head coach Tony Lotti said following the loss. “Our two programs are run by class people, and we’re always pretty close to evenly matched. We got them last year, they got us this year.”

“Jackson County’s head coach did a great job, and the kids came out and made the plays they needed to make in order to win.” 

It was a close matchup early, as Jackson County held a slim 14-10 lead going into halftime. Both teams went back and forth, looking to gain control of the gritty contest. Both teams heavily relied on the run game to catalyze their respective offenses. 

From Jackson County’s perspective, the physically-imposing junior running back MJ Spurlin  was the center of its rushing attack. The Panthers often went to his size on the ground to continue drives on third and fourth down. Rather than use him in a traditional sense, he was placed behind center in the wildcat formation, taking direct snaps for many of his carries. As such, he ran for 151 yards and three touchdowns on the evening. 

“Kudos to that kid. To play as much football as he played, carried the ball as much as he carried it, he’s got a good motor,” Lotti said of Spurlin. “Sometimes as a coach, you wonder, ‘How long will he hold up?’ Obviously, I was hoping he would run out of gas, but he didn’t.” 

For Apalachee, Friday night was the emergence of junior running back Prince Tate. In the first quarter and also the start of the second, his impact was absent as he only had 20 yards on six carries. Then, he broke loose for an explosive 50-yard touchdown – his first in several games. 

Overall in the game, Tate had a season-high 94 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries on the ground, while adding 30 more yards receiving in the passing attack. 

While Tate was able to lead the Wildcats to only their second double-digit outing of the season, the offense still struggled to maintain consistent drives. Apalachee had six three-and-outs in the contest and punted two more times in addition to those – a trend that has been present throughout the season. 

“I think high school football is one of the greatest things out there, and I feel like it teaches life lessons,” Lotti said. “Unfortunately, we’re having to learn very hard lessons.”

“For the first time in 12 years, we got into the playoffs last year. We haven’t quite figured out how to maintain that. So, it’s one of those things that everybody got to stay committed to, not quit and not point fingers.” 

Another recurring theme on the Apalachee sideline is frustration – understandably so, coming off the program’s seventh consecutive loss, dating back to last season. However, Lotti’s message to the team remains the same. 

“My No. 1 focus is always the character. This game will not build character – it reveals it,” Lotti said. “I’m called to try to teach these kids how to be better men.”

Apalachee now prepares to embark on a three-game road stretch in the coming weeks. Lanier is first on that list as the Wildcats get ready to take on the Generals Friday, Sept. 30.