There were a lot of positives to take from the Ponte Vedra Sharks opening game, despite the team suffering a narrow 20-17 loss to the Bartram Trail Bears tonight.
The Sharks led 10-7 at halftime and looked poised for a memorable start to the 2023 season.
However, the Bears (1-0) found their offensive rhythm in the second half and were able to put some drives together against the Sharks’ stingy defense.
The Bears scored 13 points on a pair of field goals and a touchdown, including a 45-yard field goal where the Sharks (0-1) thought they had them stopped following a fumbled snap by their punter that setup the Bears around midfield.
The Sharks offense struggled to find a rhythm at times during the game, that is until a pair of seniors, Ben Burk and Ryan Smith hooked up for a 52-yard bomb for a touchdown with 3:48 remaining in the game.
Smith showed off his speed as he flew past the secondary and got behind everyone and Burk displayed his arm strength to hit Smith in stride for the score.
Not only did that touchdown pass cut the Bears’ lead to three, 20-17, but it also reignited the large crowd on hand and the student section that suddenly went from cheering on the offense to chants of “D-fence,” as they knew they needed one more stop late in the game.
The crowd got their wish as the Sharks’ defense came through and bowed up at one of the biggest times in the contest and forced the Bears to punt with less than one minute to go.
The Sharks got the ball back and started their drive from their own 35-yard line with 27 seconds left.
However, the Sharks’ comeback bid fell just short despite the resilience they showed late in the fourth quarter.
Although the Sharks had their share of positive things happen during the contest, the next step is putting them all together to accomplish the end result they want in the weeks moving forward this season.
