No. 2 St. Frances Survives DeLand's Upset Bid in Wild Florida Season Opener

DeLand invited national powerhouse St. Frances Academy to Florida for a season-opening test Friday night, and the Bulldogs gave the nation's No. 2-ranked football team far more than it bargained for.

DeLand's triple-option offense baffled St. Frances for much of the night, producing long, methodical drives and keeping the heavily favored Panthers from taking control until late in the fourth quarter.

St. Frances eventually found enough answers. Quarterback Justin Merriman threw a pair of second-half touchdown passes, Sa'Nire Brooks delivered two explosive touchdown runs and the Panthers scored the game's final 14 points to escape with a 49-35 victory.

DeLand's Triple Option Gives St. Frances Trouble

DeLand (1-1) established the tone immediately, marching 80 yards on a nearly six-minute opening possession. Taihj Moore finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run to give the Bulldogs a 6-0 lead.

St. Frances responded with a 19-yard touchdown run by Merriman, a sophomore who is the son of former NFL star Shawne Merriman, to move in front 7-6 with 2:25 remaining in the first quarter.

But DeLand went right back to work.

The Bulldogs put together another long drive, capped by a 2-yard touchdown run by senior Gardner Nordman. Moore followed with a two-point conversion run, putting DeLand on top 14-7 with less than eight minutes remaining in the first half.

The Panthers finally began finding some offensive rhythm when Merriman connected with Sincere Williams on a deep pass to set up first-and-goal. Sophomore Kentae Davis finished the drive with a short touchdown run, but DeLand blocked the extra-point attempt to preserve a 14-13 lead.

St. Frances then generated its first major momentum swing of the night.

After the Panthers' defense forced a three-and-out, Vegas Brown returned the ensuing punt 79 yards for a touchdown, giving St. Frances a 21-14 advantage.

DeLand quickly answered after Brown fumbled following a short reception, giving the Bulldogs possession just inside St. Frances territory. DeLand capitalized as Nordman got around the right side for a 5-yard touchdown run. The extra point tied the game 21-21 at halftime.

Panthers Explode to Start the Second Half

After being outgained 211-101 in the first half, St. Frances needed only five minutes of the third quarter to dramatically change the complexion of the game.

The Panthers drove 65 yards on the opening possession of the second half, with Merriman connecting with Davis for a 31-yard touchdown. The extra point gave St. Frances a 28-21 lead.

After the Panthers' defense forced another punt, Brooks broke loose for a 49-yard touchdown run. Suddenly, St. Frances had scored twice in the opening five minutes of the half, piling up 145 yards of offense and building a 35-21 advantage with 7:40 remaining in the third quarter.

For the first time all night, the heavily favored Panthers appeared to have control.

DeLand Rallies to Tie No. 2 St. Frances

The Bulldogs weren't finished.

DeLand's misdirection continued to create problems for the St. Frances defense, and a couple of costly Panthers penalties helped extend the Bulldogs' next scoring drive. Cameron Gensler finished it with a short touchdown run before Moore added the two-point conversion, cutting the St. Frances lead to 35-29.

DeLand followed with another methodical drive as its triple option continued chewing up yards and clock.

This time, Kaveon Jackson finished the possession with a 7-yard touchdown run. The Bulldogs missed the extra point, but the touchdown pulled DeLand even with the nation's No. 2 team, 35-35, with 10:53 remaining.

St. Frances suddenly found itself in a fourth-quarter fight.

Sa'Nire Brooks Helps Panthers Finally Pull Away

The Panthers turned to Brooks on their next possession, and the senior running back delivered.

Brooks gained 14 yards on his first carry before bursting through the right side for a 45-yard touchdown on the next play. The score put St. Frances back in front, 42-35.

DeLand then faced fourth-and-3 with approximately seven minutes remaining and attempted a fake punt. St. Frances stopped the run and took over at the Bulldogs' 48-yard line.

Four plays later, Merryman connected with Brown for a 22-yard touchdown, giving St. Frances some long-awaited breathing room at 49-35.

The Panthers' defense made one final stop, and St. Frances ran out the remaining clock to complete a much more difficult season-opening victory than virtually anyone expected.

DeLand didn't produce the upset, but the Bulldogs' triple-option offense pushed one of the nation's highest-ranked teams deep into the fourth quarter before St. Frances finally took control.

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