Bulldogs score 27 in 2nd quarter to beat Poinciana, 41-12
St. Cloud scored three times in five minutes of game clock in the second quarter to romp to a big lead it'd keep Friday and defeat Poinciana, 41-12.
The Bulldogs are now 3-0 for the first time since 2019 heading into the annual rivalry game with Osceola, who moved to 2-1 Friday.
St. Cloud used a fourth-down stop and a pair of interceptions to help score 27 points in the second quarter to be able to play with a big lead.
Senior tight end Owen Sullivan, who caught three passes for 71 yards and a touchdown, said last year's 19-7 Poinciana win at Gannarelli field last year was on his and his teammates minds Friday.
"And all week," he said "That motivation was huge for us. Now we can focus on next week."
SCHS Coach Mike Short said he could see his players weren't taking Poinciana (1-2) lightly.
"They did not want to be the 5-5 team we were last year," the coach said. "It feels like this is where we're supposed to be."
After the teams traded fourth-down stops to begin the game, the Bulldogs embarked on a nine-play, three-minute scoring drive punctuated by Cameron Dalton's four-yard TD run on the first play of the second quarter. The Eagles tried a punt fake pass on their next drive, but Jowell Cruz read it and intercepted, bringing it back to the 5. Dalton scored on the next play. Defensive end Jude Cockcroft picked off a middle screen pass on the next drive, and returned it 32 yards for a touchdown that made it 20-0 five minutes into the quarter.
A 37-yard pass from Kamari Lewis to Rodney Malet set up Daveon Williams' four-yard TD run three minutes later to get on the board, but the Bulldogs answered a minute later with Jeremiah Lattier's 37-yard touchdown pass and over-the-shoulder catch by Michael Cuyler that made it 27-6.
Sullivan added a 34-yard TD catch from Lattier, who threw for 172 yards on the night, in the third quarter, and Williams scored his second TD from 1 yard out. Zeus Howard added an interception in the fourth quarter.
"Our defense looked fantastic," Short added. "Jude made that play on a bad foot. And the offense felt really multiple. I I feel encouraged going into next week."
Dalton finished with 93 yards on 16 carries and his two scores.
Osceola (2-1) defeated Winter Haven (2-1), 46-6 Friday.
