**Story & Photos Courtesy of Ocala Star Banner at Ocala.com
Saints vs. Carrollwood Day Pictures HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Saints vs. Carrollwood Day Pictures HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Anthony Smith/Correspondent
St. John running back Calib Alexander finds a hole in the Carrollwood Day defense to score a touchdown in the first half Friday night at Brick City Park. Alexander ran for 278 yards in the victory.
Calib Alexander had a very specific goal in mind prior to Friday night's kickoff at Brick City Park.
“The first time I got a chance to get the ball,” the St. John running back said, “I felt like I had to make a statement.”
What a statement it was.
On his first touch of the night, Alexander took an inside handoff, broke two tackles and dashed 76 yards to the end zone.
It seemed like he never stopped running.
Alexander finished with 278 yards and four total touchdowns to lead St. John to a 44-16 win over Carrollwood Day that clinched a berth in next week's Sunshine State Athletic Conference championship game.
The North Division champion Saints (9-1) will visit South champion Vero Beach St. Edwards (10-0) on Thursday.
“The kids work hard and they deserve to be a champion,” St. John coach Dennis Meunier said shortly after getting an unexpected ice bath from his jubilant team. “We're really fortunate for the way everything has come together.”
The Saints rushed for a total of 387 yards thanks to Alexander and Winston Jalloh, who added 104 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.
“They were stacking the outside so we just started running up the middle,” Alexander said. “It was open the whole night.”
After a shaky first quarter of tackling that led to two long Patriots touchdowns in the first three minutes of the game, St. John's defense tightened up — especially in the trenches.
Zach Leikweg had a sack and a forced fumble, Jared Schappert added a sack, and Chris Frazier had a key QB hurry that led to the Saints' first defensive stop late in the first quarter.
St. John parlayed that into a two-possession lead on a five-yard Alexander touchdown run, and never looked back.
“I felt like physically we could play with anybody in our classification,” Meunier said. “We knew they were a good football team. Probably the biggest thing that worried me was they had great quickness. I thought our guys responded really well and really played all facets of the game well.”
Carrollwood (8-2) suffered its worst loss of the season against the Saints. Quarterback Deuce Gruden — the son of former Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden, who was watching from the sideline — had an effective first half, but left the game after a second-quarter injury. Gruden's dual-threat ability (60 passing yards, 53 rushing yards) was missed by the Patriots in the second half, when less-mobile backup QB Dillon Floyd struggled against a furious Saints pass rush.
St. John's defense allowed only three points after the first quarter, with Alexander providing a late highlight on a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
But it was on offense where Alexander, a 175-pound junior, shined brightest. He had 173 yards and three touchdowns in the first quarter alone and crossed the 200-yard mark early in the third.
“He's really developed as a runner and seems to have gotten better and better,” Meunier said. “He's physical and stayed strong throughout the contest. We felt pretty good when we got the ball in his hands.”
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