Daniel Terry Throws 4 Touchdown Passes as Gaither Rolls Past East Lake

Daniel Terry entered Monday night's district opener without an interception this season. Four more touchdown passes later, the Gaither quarterback's streak remained intact.

Terry threw four touchdown passes without a turnover as Gaither defeated East Lake 35-9 in its Florida Class 5A, District 8 opener.

The junior spread his four touchdown passes among three receivers. Freshman Royce Leal-Gonzalez caught two in the first half before sophomore Elija Evans and senior Hamilton Green found the end zone after halftime.

Terry spread his four touchdown passes among three receivers, with freshman Royce Leal-Gonzalez catching two in the first half before sophomore Elija Evans and senior Hamilton Green found the end zone after halftime.

Terry has now thrown 10 touchdown passes without an interception through four games. He entered Monday completing 35 of 54 passes for 508 yards and six touchdowns while adding 214 rushing yards and three scores.

TOUCHDOWN: Gaither junior QB Daniel Terry buys time and leaves a great ball up for freshman WR Royce Leal-Gonzalez 🔥

Gets a foot down & takes the hit. XP GOOD. 7-0 Gaither. 7:06 remaining 1Q @LealRoyce42101 pic.twitter.com/bg12ksmae4
— Jaret Rojas (@RojasTalksTampa) September 14, 2026

Terry opened the scoring by extending a first-quarter play before giving Leal-Gonzalez an opportunity along the back of the end zone. The freshman secured the pass through contact and got a foot down for the touchdown, giving Gaither a 7-0 lead with 7:06 remaining in the first quarter.

It was Leal-Gonzalez's first touchdown reception of the season. He added another with 1:24 remaining in the second quarter to extend Gaither's lead to 14-3.

Gaither's Defense Slows East Lake

East Lake had an opportunity to make it a one-score game before halftime when senior running back Brian Ford turned a reception into a big gain that moved the Eagles inside Gaither's 10-yard line.

The Cowboys stopped Ford on second down before senior linebacker Brad Cobb sacked quarterback Jace Delk on third down, forcing East Lake to settle for an Easton Barninger field goal.

Containing Ford was a significant part of Gaither's defensive effort. The senior entered Monday with 420 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on just 36 carries, an average of 11.7 yards per attempt.

The Cowboys largely prevented Ford and East Lake's rushing attack from generating the explosive plays that had helped the Eagles score 104 points over their previous two games.

East Lake senior quarterback Jace Delk prepares for a snap against Gaither during Monday night's 35-9 loss. | Jaret Rojas

Gaither Pulls Away

Gaither's offense took control after halftime.Terry connected with Evans on a slant that the sophomore turned into a touchdown for a 21-3 lead. Terry later found Green on a short completion that the senior took into the end zone for his fourth touchdown pass of the night.

East Lake reached the end zone in the third quarter when Delk connected with Omarion Mack downfield. The ensuing two-point attempt failed, leaving Gaither ahead 28-9.

Sophomore running back Jehovah Toussaint added the Cowboys' final touchdown with a short run near the goal line to complete the 35-9 victory.

TOUCHDOWN: East Lake QB Jace Delk finds WR Omarion Mack down field for their first TD of the night

2PT NO GOOD. 28-9 Gaither. 8:53 remaining 3Q. @Jace_delkqb13 pic.twitter.com/45suI54Q8x
— Jaret Rojas (@RojasTalksTampa) September 15, 2026

The victory moved Gaither to 1-0 in District 8, where Largo is also 1-0. East Lake fell to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in district play.

Gaither travels to Tampa Bay Tech on Friday before returning to district play at Largo on Sept. 25. East Lake hosts Tarpon Springs on Friday before facing Mitchell in its next district game.

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