The Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind completed its second undefeated regular season in school history with Saturday’s 44-18 win over the Alabama School for the Deaf in eight-man football.
FSDB (7-0) trailed three times, but took the lead for good when Matthew Guilliou ran for a 75-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Walter Douglas ran in for a two-point conversion to give the Dragons a 22-18 lead.
Luis Merced ran for touchdowns of 22, 4 and 10 yards to help the Dragons pull away. Merced finished with 120 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. Douglas needed only 13 carries to run for 159 yards and a touchdown.
In addition to running for 109 yards and a touchdown, Guillou led the Dragons defense with 12 tackles and two tackles for loss. Justin Cabrera recorded 10 tackles and a tackle for loss against the Silent Warriors (4-5).
″(Saturday’s) game was very hard fought and many players are now sporting tons of bumps and bruises,” Dragons football coach Eric LeFors wrote in an email. “Alabama was able to match up well with us physically and kept the outcome in doubt until we managed the game’s last four touchdowns.”
“Our defense was stellar once again in the second half after giving up two long runs for a touchdown in the second quarter. Our boys really played with heart and stuck to their assignments even when the going was getting tough. As the old adage says, defense does win games!”
The Dragons completed their first undefeated regular season since 1976. This is FSDB’s first season of eight-man football.
FSDB will host Harvest Community School in the first round of the Sunshine State Athletic Conference Premier 8-Man championship on Thursday evening at Usina Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 pm.
About FSDB
The Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind is a tuition-free state public school and outreach center available to eligible Pre-K and K-12 students who are deaf/hard of hearing, blind/visually impaired, or deafblind. At FSDB, students learn how to do more, be more, and achieve more, fulfilling our vision of preparing them for a lifetime of success. FSDB gratefully accepts private donations to support vital programs that directly benefit students and are not paid by state general revenue funds. For a campus tour or to inquire about eligibility for enrollment, contact FSDB Parent Services at 904-827-2212 voice or 904-201-4527 videophone. For more information, visit www.fsdbk12.org