Chipley no match for PSJ

PORT ST. JOE - Some traditions remain unaffected by seasonal or coaching changes.

Big plays and defense, and Port St. Joe High School football would be a fine example.

The Tiger Sharks took advantage of big plays from its trio of returning backs to build a huge early lead and glided past Chipley 31-14 in a Kickoff Classic Friday night.

Sophomore Calvin Pryor turned a rolling punt into a spectacular touchdown return and set up another score with an interception on the next play.

Senior fullback Greg Farmer rushed for 86 yards in seven carries and junior Darrell Smith returned another punt for a touchdown as Port St. Joe athletically overwhelmed the Tigers.

The Tiger Sharks, who open the season at Tallahassee Florida High next Friday, had 113 first-half yards to Chipley's 24 even though the Tigers enjoyed an advantage in time of possession.

Port St. Joe's defense held Chipley to minus-11 yards rushing for the half and just 19 yards on the ground through the first three quarters, after which the Tiger Sharks substituted liberally.

At that point, Pryor, Farmer and Smith had staked Port St. Joe to more than enough points.

After being held to three-and-out on its first possession, Chipley punted; a rolling kick that Pryor initially backed away from.

Suddenly he leaned forward and scooped up the ball with his left hand at midfield. He bolted down the left sideline where he picked up a crushing block from Smith and went in for the touchdown.

On the next play from scrimmage, a pass from Chipley's Scott Raffield went through his receiver's hands and into Pryor's, Pryor returning it from the Tiger 47 to the 7.

Smith went over the right side and after LeGrand McLemore, perfect on the night, nailed the extra point it was 14-0.

Chipley running back Jaquez Givens was tackled in the end zone midway through the second quarter to put Port St. Joe up 16-0, and Smith returned the free kick 74 yards for a touchdown, getting around Chipley's perimeter and outracing everybody to the end zone.

Chipley had its opportunities, but wasted each one. Penalties nipped two budding drives and a wide open Colby Hartzog dropped a pass from Raffield while sprinting behind the defense.

Neither team did much early in the third quarter until Port St. Joe marched 87 yards in nine plays. Farmer set the tone on a 37-yard scamper on the second play of the drive and Smith swept around right end for 27 more yards to set up a 4-yard run by Pryor.

McLemore's extra point ended the scoring for the Tiger Sharks.

Chipley scored twice in the final quarter against Port St. Joe's second team, once on the ground, once in the air.

"I really liked the effort on special teams," said Port St. Joe's first-year head coach Vern Barth,. "I didn't like some of the execution on our blocking. We are going to have really break this film down and get better going into next week."