All week long I was trying to convince myself that I no longer wanted to watch high school football, and I had planned to stay at home and work on my boat to use for this weekend. I came home early from work, and fired up the lawnmower at about 3:30 pm. As I walked behind the lawn mower, the smell of the fresh-cut grass drifted into my nose. By the time I finished cutting the front yard, I was covered with sweat, which reminded me of all the years I spent in our locker room at Sebastian River High School. The combination of smells made my decision for me: I was going to the Vero Beach vs Palm Bay game.....Kickoff 7:00 PM at the Citrus Bowl.
I knew a few of my former coaching collagues would be there, so I was looking forward to seeing them. I actually had to PAY admission at the gate...which is a first for me. My heart was beating out of my chest as I walked into what used to be ENEMY TERRITORY, but I rounded the corner and immediately saw #93 Patrick Bethel (Randy Bethel's boy, and former player) warming up. I knew I was going to be OK after that.
I sat in the stands with Chris Jefferson, Coach Wilson, Randy Bethel, Joe Nathaniel, Keith Matthews, Kendrick Washington, Kendrick Willis (all former coaches) along with Robin Bethel and Lon Wilson. We watched the game, and talked and laughed. I had a GREAT time with my good friends. I am so glad I decided to go. I also had a good conversation with Ray McNulty (a newspaper columnist for TCPalm - The Press Journal) before the game. He is really a nice guy.....very supportive.
Now the Game:
I had watched #VBFootball practice earlier in the week, and I felt pretty good about tonight's game. However, the Palm Bay Pirates are no joke, and they are generally a powerhouse 7A School in the county north of us. I Knew they would be a great test for Vero Beach. I predicted a final score of: 21-17 VB.
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| Team Captains |
moved the ball down the field quickly. #1 (Will Dawkins) was beating his man to sleep, and it did not take long for the QB #10 (Dalton Stokes) to find his prime target in the endzone. From this point forward, the game was never really in doubt.
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Receiver Will Dawkins 
Vero Beach's Defensive unit is going to be awesome this year. This unit is very stong and very fast this year, and they are going to give a lot of teams a lot of trouble. I am VERY proud to see a couple of our former kids playing so well. #31 Calvin Moment got some nice playing time on special teams, and he played a little bit at Linebacker for Coach Kristoforski (Coach K.) Coach Bethel's son (Patrick- 6'3" 240 Lbs- 10th grade) started and played the entire game at Defensive End and had a really good game. I was very proud to see Patrick playing so well. I remember when Patrick was born, so it is like seeing my own son play ball again. This kid was raised on the football field with all of us. Remember the name. You will see Patrick playing on Saturdays in the near future.
PATRICK BETHEL
All things considered, I would say that Vero Beach beat PALM BAY pretty soundly. However, I would still rank them #2 behind Fort Pierce Central (FPC) at this point. Until SOMEBODY beats FPC, they will remain #1 in my opinion. Of course, all this could change next week. This is the beauty of Florida High School Football.....you just never know!
Next Week's 'Game Of The Week' will be: Vero Beach vs Sebastian River...... Whew....going to be a rough week for someone.
Later,
GZ
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