FLEMING ISLAND, Fla. – A field goal as time expired gave visiting Clay High School a dramatic 25-22 victory over county rival Fleming Island High on Friday in the teams' regular-season opener.
Junior Lane Delapp connected on a 31-yard field goal for the Blue Devils with four seconds to play in front of a capacity crowd.
"Outstanding game by both teams," Clay coach Josh Hoekstra said. "Both are well-coached. Impressed by how the kids battled back. We needed to make a play at the end, and we did."
Clay got on the scoreboard on its opening drive with a Colin Wilson touchdown dive from the 1-yard line that was set up by a long option run by J.T. Turner. A 2-point conversion gave the Blue Devils an 8-0 lead.
The teams traded scores from there with Clay maintaining at least a one-point lead until a fourth-quarter drive by the Golden Eagles.
Joel Mock punched in a 7-yard touchdown run and Dae'Quantae Showers followed with the 2-point conversion to tie the game at 22-22.
But Turner scrambled for 73 yards on a third-and-13 play on the following drive to help set Delapp up for the game-winning kick.
Showers scored two TDs for Fleming Island: one on a 5-yard sweep and another on a 26-yard run.
Bilal Ally also scored for Clay, diving into the end zone after a pass from Turner. Wilson scored a second TD on a 20-yard run in the third quarter.