Ponte Vedra QB hasn’t lost a step following Achilles surgery

Sharks senior Jacobi Myers throws for 2 fourth-quarter TDs to beat rival Nease

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Jacobi Myers was a little slow getting out of bed the morning after Ponte Vedra High opened the football season with a 24-7 nonconference victory against rival Nease. Muscles ached. There were bumps and bruises.

Unlike the pain suffered a year ago on the eighth play, Myers will again be at full speed Friday night when the Sharks host winless Palatka.

“At one point I was a little nervous,” the 6-foot-2 senior quarterback said. “But I was confident.”

Myers tore his right Achilles tendon on the eighth play of the season a year ago — also against Nease. A pick-six interception at rain-soaked Panthers Stadium became the catalyst that sparked an emotional, and physical, comeback.

“The interception was a wakeup call,” Myers said after completing 13-of-23 passes for 199 yards and two touchdown throws to senior Michael Olkiewicz. “It made me realize I have to play. After that, everything was all right.”

After watching all but eight play from the sidelines in 1999, Myers helped Ponte Vedra take quick control of the Battle of the Bridge rivalry, leading the Sharks to a 10-0 lead at halftime on a 25-yard Davis Ashcroft field goal and a Campbell Parker’s 1-yard run that capped an 85-yard drive.

The Panthers cut it to 10-7 in the third on Keveon Hodge’s 35-yard interception return, but Myers took control with TD passes of 23 and 68 yards in the fourth.

Because of shutdowns created by the COVID-19 pandemic, both teams only had two weeks of football drills to prepare for the game. Less than five minutes before kickoff, a thunderstorm created another 45-minute delay.

“I think a win is a win,” said Sharks head coach Jeff DeSandro. “There are always things we can work on and clean up. That’s what we’re doing this week in practice.”

Myers didn’t show any apprehension about being back on the field. He had two surgeries to repair the tear, but he hasn’t been limited in practices, DeSandro said.

“After I got cleared, I went straight back to work,” Myers said. “I had to get out and play. The injury threw me off, but my teammates brought me back. Right now, the important thing is to be back out there.”

Myers said a lot of his stiffness and soreness was of his own doing. “I was the one giving the hits,” he said.

DeSandro said Myers didn’t seem to lose any of his prowess during recovery and rehabilitation.

“He hadn’t played in a game in a long time, but the keys to the car are fully his right now,” the coach said.

Parker finished with a game-high 77 rushing yards, and Olkiewicz, a gangly 6-2, 175-pound senior, had seven catches for 136 yards.

Nease, which now has lost 10 consecutive games against its neighboring rivals, will travel to Sandalwood Friday, Sept. 18. Kickoff is a 6 p.m.

PVHS’ home game will start at 7 p.m.