Merritt Island traveled to Melbourne on Aug. 28 for a Week 2 showdown after both teams secured blowout road wins in Week 1.
The Mustangs showcased its balanced and dynamic offense with explosive passing plays and powerful runs as they earned another road win 35-7 over the Bulldogs.
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“I think it was an overall team win. We came out firing on all cylinders. They have a really good football team over there,” Merritt Island head coach Tyler Murray said. “The (Tyrese) Jefferson kid is unbelievable. He’s all over the place, but we came out, we had a game plan, we executed on both sides of the ball. I’m happy that we got it done.”
For the second straight week, Merritt Island scored 5 rushing touchdowns. Senior quarterback Kevin Verpaele found the end zone three times and junior Zaylan Chapple scored twice.
The starting offensive line of seniors Andrew Metcalf, Diego Alford and Joey Sonnenberg and juniors Bryce Phillips and Antwann Smiley spearheaded the success on offense.
“The running game has been awesome. These guys have been working so hard in practice and it’s really showing off,” Verpaele said. “They just keep doing their job and everyone’s doing their job. When we’re all doing our job together, we are one and that’s going to be a successful football team.”
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After not scoring a touchdown in Week 1, Verpaele rushed for a career-high 3 touchdowns. He sported 4 career rushing touchdowns entering Aug. 28.
“It felt awesome. I haven’t been in the end zone for a while, so it felt great. My vision has grown tremendously,” Verpaele said. “I see that hole, I hit it whether it’s a pulling guard or whether I can maybe juke someone. I know when I should juke and I know when I should run and I know when I should slide.”
Verpaele opened the scoring with a 19-yard touchdown run with 3:58 remaining in the first quarter after a 39-yard completion to senior DeShaun Thomas put them in scoring position.
Just 41 seconds into the second half, Merritt Island extended its lead to 21-0 on a 12-yard touchdown run by Verpaele. On the first play of the second half, Chapple gained 56 yards while also drawing a face mask penalty.
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The lead expanded to 28-0 on a 45-yard touchdown run by Verpaele with 3:43 left in the third quarter.
“It’s something we do with (Verpaele). We don’t do a ton of it, but we do it. Against Carrollwood Day, we ran him a bunch last year,” Murray said. “We just took advantage of what they gave us. Made teams prepare for another thing.”
The running game has been the perfect complement to the passing game, taking some of the load off Verpaele. Chapple has led the running game with 4 touchdowns in his first two games with the Mustangs.
Chapple scored on a 13-yard backwards pass from Verpaele to make it 14-0 late in the second quarter. He pushed the game to a running clock with a 31-yard touchdown run with 10:40 remaining.
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“Zaylan Chapple is elite. When you have elite running backs, it opens up the passing game much better,” Verpaele said. “Shout out Zaylan, shout out the O-line. When the running game is good, the passing game is even better.”
Merritt Island’s defense was tasked to limit Melbourne sophomore running back Tyrese Jefferson after he rushed for 314 yards in Week 1. The Mustangs held Jefferson to just three runs of at least 20 yards.
“I think we may have kept him under 100 (yards). It’s going to be really close, so that’s a fantastic job,” Murray said. “We got a really good game plan going for them. We’re a 1-0 kind of guy. We’re trying to go 1-0 every week. We achieved our goal and we’re onto the next.”
Merritt Island improved to 2-0 and will end its season-opening road trip at Ponte Vedra on Sept. 4. The Sharks are 0-2 with a pair of one-possession defeats. They reached the Class 5A state semifinals last year.
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“We don’t get a break. I’m excited to get the opportunity. They’re a good team. They’re a playoff-ready team,” Murray said. “They went to a final four last year. I’m just excited for our guys to compete against another really good opponent.”
Melbourne hung in there for a half, but Merritt Island’s depth proved to be too much for a shorthanded Bulldogs team.
“The score tells you enough. We got our butts handed to us. That’s a great football team. There’s no moral victories in that. Doesn’t feel good. Losing stinks. You got to find a way to respond adversity,” Melbourne head coach Jeff Pannucci said. “That’s probably a state-contending football team. We wanted to see where we’re at. No excuses. They put it on us from the jump. We had opportunities, we couldn’t finish and they took advantage.”
Bulldogs junior Will Reinhold started at quarterback for the injured CJ Hall. Hall picked up a shoulder injury and was held out as a precaution.
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Reinhold ended the game completing 6-of-13 passes for 94 yards and 1 touchdown. The junior ended the shutout with a 43-yard touchdown pass to senior Howard Dewitt with 6:20 remaining in the fourth quarter.
“(Reinhold) did a great job. He stepped up. He did exactly what we asked him to do,” Pannucci said. “You can’t ask for anything more. That’s not a matter of even anybody’s performance. They just put it on us.”
Melbourne moved the ball deep into Merritt Island territory on its first two possessions, but the drives stalled out and the Bulldogs turned it over on downs both times. They turned it over on downs three times and fumbled the ball once.
“We moved the ball effectively and then we just kind of stalled out every single time. They took advantage of that. We needed to dictate the tempo of the game,” Pannucci said. “We did a good job at first, but by not finishing they have a lot of athletes, a lot of good players. That quarterback is special and he was special (tonight).”
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The Bulldogs dropped to 1-1 and they’ll remain home to face Winter Springs on Sept. 4.
“It’s Week 2. We got young kids on the team,” Pannucci said. “They got to learn how to respond to adversity. We just got to turn the page, pick ourselves up and keep going.”
Week 2 scores
FHSAA
Titusville def. Holy Trinity 44-9
Titusville set the tone from the jump on a 70-yard completion from senior quarterback Remy Vigne to senior Tank Harvey on the first play from scrimmage.
The Terriers took the lead and never trailed in a rout of the Tigers. Harvey ended the night with 3 touchdowns and senior Dewight Jenkins scored 2 touchdowns, including a fumble returned for a touchdown. Holy Trinity scored a touchdown on the final play of the game.
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Titusville improved to 2-0 and it’ll host Spruce Creek on Sept. 4. Holy Trinity heads into its bye week with a 1-1 record.
Eau Gallie def. Heritage 41-0
It was a get-right performance by Eau Gallie in a shutout road win at Heritage. Commodores senior Joseph Allen threw 2 touchdown passes to junior Troy Silberzahn. Senior Donovan Richardson also scored 2 touchdowns on a pair of runs.
Sophomore X’Zavier Corbin scored on a 65-yard run and junior Zay Hawkins scored his 2nd touchdown of the season on a 54-yard screen play.
Eau Gallie improved to 1-1 and it’ll play at Seminole on Sept. 4. Heritage dropped to 0-2 and will play its first road game on Sept. 4 at Viera.
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Bayside def. Palm Bay 42-25
The Bears defeated crosstown rival Palm Bay for the first time since 2020 behind a 4-touchdown performance by junior Zion Jones. On his four scores, Jones rushed for 140 yards with his longest touchdown run being 60 yards.
Bayside senior Evan Sherburne caught a 62-yard touchdown pass from senior Joey Costa and rushed for a 1-yard score.
Palm Bay sophomore Gio Spann scored 2 touchdowns in the red zone. Junior Mik Zades scored on a 1-yard run and junior Carson Nance recorded a 14-yard touchdown run.
Bayside improved to 2-1 and it’ll return to SSAA play on Sept. 4 at Hardee. Palm Bay fell to 1-1 and will head into a bye week before its next game on Sept. 11.
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Melbourne Central Catholic def. Benjamin 35-28
The Hustlers remain undefeated after a tight win against Benjamin in a matchup featuring Class 1A state playoff teams from a year ago.
Melbourne Central Catholic moved to 2-0 and it’ll play at Bishop Moore on Sept. 4.
Viera def. Sebastian River 35-8
It was a comfortable win for the Hawks behind 3 touchdown passes by sophomore Jaamal Crittington and 2 rushing touchdowns by senior Duke Butler.
Crittington hit senior Mason Strater for a 52-yard touchdown, senior Raundae Monroe for a 47-yard score and senior Slade Pulliam for a 27-yard tally. Butler scored on runs of 2 and 34 yards.
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Viera improved to 2-0 and will play its home opener on Sept. 4 versus Heritage.
New Smyrna Beach def. Astronaut 48-21
Astronaut fell behind 21-0 in the first quarter and couldn’t climb out of the deficit in a road defeat. The War Eagles moved to 1-1 heading into a bye week.
Cocoa vs. Fort Pierce Central Canceled
Cocoa’s home game against Fort Pierce Central was canceled due to weather. No reschedule information is yet available as of Aug. 28.
SSAA
Satellite def. Legacy Charter 56-0
For a second straight week, Satellite posted a 50-plus point shutout win as the Scorpions routed Legacy Charter on the road. In three wins, Satellite has outscored its opposition 125-7.
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The Scorpions improved to 3-0 and they’ll host Seabreeze on Sept. 3.
Space Coast def. Okeechobee 48-0
Space Coast recorded its second straight win behind 3 total touchdowns from junior quarterback Zion Sandy, rushing touchdowns from sophomores Chad Johnson and Ryland Travis and a blocked punt recovered for a touchdown by senior Dominic Berger.
Sandy rushed for a 50-yard score, threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to freshman Da’bar Fluellen and a 20-yard touchdown pass to senior Kadyn Thomas.
The Vipers improved to 2-1 and they’ll host Celebration on Sept. 4.
SSAA 8-man
Merritt Island Christian def. Bell Creek Academy 39-0
The Cougars keep their perfect record in tact after a shutout road win at Bell Creek Academy in Riverview.
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Merritt Island Christian used a 26-point second quarter to break the game open as it improves to 3-0. It plays Florida School for the Deaf & Blind on Sept. 3.
Calvary Chapel at Eastland Christian PPD
Inclement weather in Orlando forced the postponement of Calvary Chapel’s game at Eastland Christian to Aug. 31. The Eagles are looking to improve to 3-0 before hosting Riverview Academy on Sept. 4.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Week 2 Roundup: Merritt Island, Titusville capture big road wins
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