Tarpon Springs and Bishop Verot squared off in some playoff action on Friday, but Tarpon Springs had to settle for second. They lost to the Bishop Verot Vikings on the road by a 35-21 margin. While losing is never fun, the Spongers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 147th, while the Vikings are ranked 33rd).
Tarpon Springs' loss came despite strong showings from Joaquin Kavouklis and Makih Johnson. Kavouklis threw for 294 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 10.9 yards per attempt, while Johnson picked up 161 receiving yards and two touchdowns. The dominant performance also gave Kavouklis a new career-high in rushing yards (17). A healthy portion of Kavouklis' aerial production (105 yards to be exact) also went to Amit Barram, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.
Tarpon Springs didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Johnson and Keyshaun Birks. Another thorn in Bishop Verot's side was Christopher Cresser, who made 23 total tackles (3.0 for loss).
It was another big night for Deshon Jenkins Jr, who rushed for 168 yards and three touchdowns for Bishop Verot. That high mark didn't come from nowhere: Jenkins Jr posted at least 106 rushing yards in the fifth games prior. Carter Smith also helped out as he racked up 118 rushing yards.
This is the second loss in a row for Tarpon Springs and nudges their season record down to 6-5. As for Bishop Verot, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 8-3 record this season.
Tarpon Springs does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Bishop Verot, they and Lakewood are set to duel on Friday. Bishop Verot is coming into the match hot, having won their last four games.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
