BAKER – Almost 30 minutes after the final horn sounded at Doug Griffith Memorial Stadium a few players and fans were still soaking in the glow of Friday’s big game.
Baker football players held the hands of their girlfriends and proud parents tried to hang onto the moment a little longer.
The rain that blanked the area Wednesday turned the field known as “The Swamp,” into a bit of a swamp. And everybody knows how much Gators love swamps.
There was plenty for the Gators to love about the Region 1-1A final with Vernon as Baker rolled to a 48-20 win.
Baker Coach Matt Brunson continued a familiar theme following the big win.
“I think our team has gotten better all year, which I’ve been saying,” he said. “I thought we had one of our best efforts of the year defensively last week (shutting out Graceville), but tonight I thought our offensive line stepped up and played great.
“Vernon has a very big, physical defensive front and we were outmanned size wise, but you can’t measure the heart of these kids.”
The Gators host defending state champion Port St. Joe in the state semifinal Friday. It marks Baker’s first appearance in a semifinal football game since 1999.
Friday belonged to the Baker offense that scored a season-high 48 points against a stingy Vernon defense.
Jalen Ciurleo helped spark the offense with touchdown runs of 40 and 58 yards on his way to a 134-yard night on just 12 carries.
The night belonged to the Gator defense, that one week after shutting out Graceville, came back and blanked a tough Yellow Jacket running attack.
The game belonged to many Gator players none more so on Friday than junior wide receiver/defensive back Logan Rickmon. Rickmon caught two passes for 75 yards and one touchdown on offense. On defense he came up with Baker’s only turnover of the night intercepting a Vernon quarterback Kody Hagan pass.
The night belonged to the Baker special teams and Dillon Nixon. It was Nixon’s 86-yard kickoff return for a touchdown following a Vernon’s second touchdown of the game.
And the night belonged to all the Gator Nation that has waited so long for Baker to reclaim its spot among the elite small school programs in the state.
Baker notched the first points of the game with 4:10 left in the first quarter when Austin Davis scored seven yards out. One play earlier quarterback Jon Beck connected with Rickon on a 45-yard pass on a fourth and four at the Baker 48-yard line.
The Yellow Jackets (9-3) responded to the Gator score with one of their own. Vernon covered 59 yards on seven plays on a drive that was capped by a 16-yard pass from Hagan to Tylon Tolbert with 35 seconds left in the quarter.
Ryan Malloy was the workhorse on the drive for Vernon with four runs for 49 yards.
By the time Malloy scored Vernon’s second touchdown, a 60-yard run, with 4:22 left in the second quarter, Baker had scored twice.
Ciurleo scored on a 40-yard run with 10:40 left in the half. And Montae Barto scored from a yard out with 4:57 left in the half. Barto’s touchdown put the finishing touches on a 10-play drive to the end zone by Baker.
Baker’s next four touchdowns following the Malloy score for Vernon were of the big play variety.
Nixon scored his long kickoff return with 4:08 left in the first half.
In the third quarter Beck hit Rickmon with a 31-yard touchdown pass Ciurleo scored on a 58-yard run.
The final Gator touchdown of the night came on a 46-yard run by Davis on a fake punt. The touchdown started the running clock and put the Gators in front 48-13.
Hagan scored the final touchdown of the game with as time expired in the fourth quarter.
Baker finished the night with 382 yards in total offense and more than 450 all purpose yards.
Beck was 5-of-7 passing for 115 yards and a touchdown.
“It was just a big joy to play in a playoff game,” Rickmon said. “It’s absolutely amazing. There are no words to describe it.
“I’m looking forward to next week.”
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Baker rolls into state semifinals