The No. 14 Lake Gibson defense dominated and Kevaris Thomas led an efficient Braves offense to a 21-0 win over No. 18 Kathleen, giving new head coach Doug DeMyer a win in his head coaching debut.
In what was expected to be a defensive battle, Lake Gibson's pass rush stole the show, sacking Kathleen quarterbacks seven times. Senior linebackers A.J. Deshazor and Noah Johnson earned Co-Player of the Game honors, as they led a Braves defense that limited the Red Devils to just 53 rushing yards.
Offensively, Thomas showed off his arm strength on several impressive throws, and finished the night 10-for-17 for 174 yards and 2 TD. M.J. Link had a 27-yd TD reception in the third quarter and accounted for 88 receiving yards, while Cristian Smith's lone reception went for a 29-yd TD to open the scoring in the first quarter. 1,000-yd rusher from last year Travell Jones had a solid start to his junior campaign, rushing for 77 yards and a TD.
The Red Devils primarily relied on junior QB Antonio Whitehead, who went 9-for-18 for 89 yards and rushed for 32 yards on 16 carries. Sophomore Dominique Walker also saw time at quarterback, completing 2-of-4 passes for 36 yards in the second quarter.
Kathleen (0-1) was shut out for the first time since 2008, and will look to rebound at Haines City in Week 2. The Braves (1-0) have now defeated their cross-city rival five of the last seven years, and hope to continue their momentum next week against Polk County power Winter Haven.
Here are the scores from across Florida for Week 1:
Apopka 62, Ocoee 7
Armwood 36, Plant City 16
Atlantic Community 42, Wellington 21
Avon Park 39, Frostproof 0
Baker 30, Holmes County 14
Baker County 23, St. Augustine 21
Bartram Trail 34, Bishop Kenny 14
Bell 22, Bronson 12
Belleview 45, The Villages 7
Benjamin 43, Glades Day 41
Berean Christian 27, Orangewood Christian 12
Bishop McLaughlin 41, International Community 0
Bishop Moore 42, Edgewater 6
Blake 22, Robinson 8
Bloomingdale 23, Newsome 7
Blountstown 26, Walton 13
Bolles School 62, Lake Mary 24
Bozeman School 42, Rocky Bayou Christian 14
Braden River 36, Bayshore 0
Bradford 49, Cedar Creek Christian 0
Brandon 23, Strawberry Crest 6
Branford 40, Aucilla Christian 7
Brookwood School, Ga. 42, Maclay 18
Buchholz 51, Eastside 0
Calvary Christian-Clearwater 49, Trinity Prep 30
Cambridge Christian 45, Village Academy 6
Cardinal Gibbons 49, Plantation 0
Cardinal Mooney 46, Bishop Verot 15
Carrollwood Day 64, Avant Garde-Osceola 0
Celebration 28, Gulliver Prep 23
Champagnat Catholic 28, Westminster Christian 6
Christopher Columbus Catholic 21, Miami Jackson 13
Clearwater Academy 42, Cornerstone Charter 0
Clewiston 28, LaBelle 0
Cocoa Beach 24, Trinity Christian-Deltona 14
Community School of Naples 35, St. Stephen's Episcopal 21
Coral Glades 56, Inlet Grove 0
Coral Shores 38, Marathon 6
Coral Springs 37, Everglades 7
Countryside 38, Dixie Hollins 18
Crestview 70, Northview 0
Dillard 37, Stranahan 12
Douglas 29, West Broward 0
Dr. Phillips 28, Wekiva 7
Dunnellon 60, Crystal River 12
Dwyer 40, Boynton Beach 0
East Bay 34, Tampa Freedom 13
East Gadsden 21, Chiles 13
East River 20, Orlando University 6
Eau Gallie 28, Satellite 22
Episcopal 43, Wolfson 7
Eustis 27, Lake Minneola 21
Faith Christian 30, St. John Lutheran 20
Fernandina Beach 14, Keystone Heights 12
First Coast 64, Arlington Country Day 0
Fleming Island 24, Clay 14
Fletcher 20, Fort White 7
Flomaton, Ala. 42, Jay 7
Florida 13, Arnold 0
Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian 31, Pompano Beach 0
Gaither 42, George Steinbrenner 10
Glades Central 16, Royal Palm Beach 0
Gulf 62, Sunlake 0
Gulf Breeze 38, Choctawhatchee 29
Hallandale 22, Deerfield Beach 21, OT
Hardee 12, Fort Meade 9
Harmony 12, Poinciana 0
Hernando 27, Fivay 6
Hewitt-Trussville, Ala. 78, Manatee 56
Hillsborough 17, Durant 7
Immokalee 38, Golden Gate 7
Indian Rocks 47, Santa Fe Catholic 6
John Carroll Catholic 35, Port St. Lucie 0
John Paul II Catholic 24, St. Francis 14
Jones 52, Oak Ridge 6
Keys Gate 19, Coconut Creek 14
King's Academy 29, St. Andrew's 6
Kissimmee Osceola 21, Bartow 7
Lafayette 42, Franklin County 0
Lake Brantley 45, Boone 21
Lake Gibson 21, Kathleen 0
Lake Highland 36, Lake Weir 19
Lake Howell 20, Pine Ridge 7
Lake Nona 27, Winter Park 26
Lake Region 23, Haines City 10
Lakeland Christian 59, Mulberry 7
Lakeland 49, Ed White 0
Largo 40, Seminole 2
Lecanto 20, Umatilla 0
Leon 31, Suwannee 0
Liberty 46, Tenoroc 19
Lowndes, Ga. 69, Bayside 0
Lyman 36, Citrus 0
Madison County 27, Rickards 18
Mainland 35, DeLand 0
Mandarin 28, Atlantic Coast 7
Mantanzas 14, Flagler Palm Coast 8
Marianna 40, Chipley 18
Melbourne 13, St. Lucie Centennial 8
Melbourne Central Catholic 52, Father Lopez Catholic 12
Menendez 39, Middleburg 15
Miami Beach 7, Reagan/Doral 0
Miami Central 59, East Ridge 14
Miami Krop 54, Mourning 7
Miami Southridge 7, Miami Edison 0
Miami Washington 27, St. Thomas Aquinas 23
Middleton 19, Leto 7
Miramar 14, Mater Academy 0
Mitchell 12, River Ridge 7
Monsignor Pace 34, Hialeah-Miami Lakes 0
Moore Haven 32, St. Edward's 7
Mount Dora 42, South Lake 6
Nature Coast Tech 33, Southeast 14
Navarre 41, Pensacola Catholic 13
New Smyrna Beach 20, Astronaut 6
Newberry 22, Santa Fe 6
Niceville 30, Lincoln 20
North Broward 56, Pembroke Pines 18
North Florida Christian 30, Deerfield-Windsor, Ga. 23
North Florida Educational Instutitute 38, Lake Mary Prep 0
North Marion 13, Blanche Ely 0
North Miami 35, Miami 6
Oakleaf 27, Westside 6
Ocala Forest 19, West Port 6
Ocala Vanguard 62, Palatka 21
Okeechobee 49, Martin County 39
Olympic Heights 20, Jupiter 0
Orange Park 34, Creekside 14
Orlando Christian 40, Central Florida Christian 12
Oviedo 20, Timber Creek 19
Oviedo Master's Academy 28, Ocala Christian Academy 27
Oxbridge Academy 7, Flanagan 6
Pace 35, Ft. Walton Beach 7
Pahokee 20, Seminole Ridge 14
Palm Beach Gardens 27, John I. Leonard 15
Palm Beach Lakes 24, Lake Worth 20
Palmer Trinity 19, Somerset-Canyons 0
Palmetto 20, Fort Myers 14
Park Vista Community 30, Palm Beach Central 7
Paxon 28, Englewood 18
Pensacola Washington 25, Milton 13
Pine Forest 33, Pensacola 12
Pinellas Park 44, Seminole Osceola 7
Piper 58, Oakland Park Northeast 6
Ponte Vedra 27, Nease 13
Port St. Joe 64, Wewahitchka 0
Raines 32, R.E. Lee 28
Ridge Community 27, Lake Wales 21
Ridgewood 56, Weeki Wachee 34
Riverview 6, Chamberlain 0
Sandalwood 35, Miami Killian 6
Sanford Seminole 42, Olympia 12
Sarasota 34, Cape Coral 7
Sarasota Riverview 51, Booker 20
Sebastian River 14, Titusville 0
Seffner Christian 57, St. Petersburg Catholic 34
Seven Rivers Christian 42, Eagle's View 0
Sickles 26, Alonso 0
Sneads 42, North Bay Haven 6
South Broward 10, Cypress Bay 7
South Dade 19, Coral Reef Senior 0
South Fork 28, Jensen Beach 7
South Sumter 34, Leesburg 25
South Walton 40, Liberty County 0
Southwest Florida Christian 35, Bradenton Christian 17
Southwest Miami 70, Miami Coral Park 0
Space Coast 48, Tavares 6
Spanish River 26, Cardinal Newman 12
Spoto 16, Lennard 14
Springstead 42, Brooksville Central 21
Spruce Creek 32, Seabreeze 7
St. Cloud 41, Cypress Creek 0
St. Joseph Academy 48, Munroe Day 0
St. Petersburg Northeast 34, Dunedin 13
Suncoast 28, Forest Hill 17
Tampa Bay Tech 25, Jefferson 20
Tate 42, Biloxi, Miss. 22
Taylor County 38, Dixie County 26
Terry Parker 38, Stanton College Prep 0
Triumph Christian 14, Mount Dora Bible 7
Union County 33, Hamilton County 8
University (Orange City) 42, Deltona 17
University Christian 37, Providence 14
University School-NSU 39, Nova 3
Venice 46, Camden County, Ga. 17
Vernon 52, FAMU 6
Vero Beach 42, Santaluces 0
Victory Christian 28, Pasco 19
Viera 35, Rockledge 0
Warner Christian 35, Merritt Island Christian 7
Wesley Chapel 13, Land O'Lakes 3
West Gadsden 43, Jefferson County 26
West Nassau County 37, Baldwin 35
West Orange 36, Foundation Academy 3
Western 46, Goleman 7
Wharton 39, King 0
Williston 26, P.K. Yonge 0
Windermere Prep 55, Boca Raton Christian 7
Winter Haven 35, Auburndale 0
Winter Springs 34, Orlando Freedom 27, 2OT
Wiregrass Ranch 43, Zephyrhills 8
Yulee 42, Ridgeview 25
Zephyrhills Christian 14, Out-of-Door Academy 8
POSTPONEMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS
Boca Ciega vs. Lakewood, ppd. to Oct 3.
Cypress Lake vs. North Port, ppd. to Aug 27.
Dunbar vs. Ida S. Baker, ppd. to Aug 27.
Estero vs. Mariner, ppd. to Aug 27.
Fort Lauderdale vs. Charlotte, ccd.
Island Coast vs. South Fort Myers, ppd. to Aug 27.
North Fort Myers vs. Riverdale, susp.
Northside Christian vs. First Baptist, ppd. to Aug 27.
Palmetto Ridge vs. Lehigh, ppd.
Port Charlotte vs. Lemon Bay, ppd. to Aug 27.
Sebring vs. DeSoto County, ccd.
Shorecrest Prep vs. Marco Island, ccd.
St. Petersburg vs. Gibbs, ccd.