It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but the Cocoa Tigers had no problem doing just that on Friday. They were the clear victor by a 34-14 margin over the Raiders. The win was familiar territory for Cocoa who now have ten in a row.
Cocoa's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Malachi Coney led the charge by rushing for 85 yards and two touchdowns on only nine carries. The team also got some help courtesy of Jayvan Boggs, who picked up 113 receiving yards and a touchdown.
The team's defense also helped out by holding South Sumter to a paltry 218 yards. A big part of that defensive dominance came down to Cocoa's ability to keep the quarterback under pressure: the team laid the passer out five times before it was all said and done. Loren Ward was especially locked on to South Sumter's QB and sacked him twice.
South Sumter's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Tyrese Keiler, who rushed for 45 yards and a touchdown, and also picked up 50 receiving yards.
Cocoa's victory was their 14th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 12-1. They've been dominating during the matchups in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 36.93 points. As for South Sumter, their loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 11-2.
Cocoa will stay at home for another week and welcome Booker at 7:30 p.m. on December 1st. The pair have allowed few points on average, (Booker: 18.1, Cocoa: 9.7) so any points scored will be well earned. South Sumter does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
