Defense helps Port St. Joe football upset rival Blountstown (photos)

PORT ST. JOE, Fla. – Tucked away behind a small water tower in a sleepy little town on the “Forgotten Coast” of Florida sits Shark Field, home to the Port St. Joe Tiger Sharks. 

This was the site of Friday’s football rivalry match-up between the Tiger Sharks and the favored Blountstown Tigers. 

The Tigers came into the match-up with a heavy lead in the rivalry, having won 16 of the 21 meetings, but the host Tiger Sharks, behind an outstanding defensive performance, pulled off a 24-6 upset.

Blounstown wanted to lean heavily on its rushing attack led by Elam Johnson and Amarian Hover, while Port St. Joe was hoping to slow that attack down and use their high powered passing game to get out ahead and force the Tigers to throw the ball more than they wished. 

Port St. Joe held up its end of the bargain on defense, shutting down the twin powers on the Blountstown side of the ball. Hover rushed for just 60 yards and Johnson gained just 67 yards, well below their season averages.  Defensive lineman Jay Stuckey, on the Port St. Joe side of the ball, led the way with six tackles, four of which were for a loss.

The Tiger Shark defense made a strong statement right off the bat when it turned back Blountstown, following an interception return by the Tigers Talveon Crumitie to the Port St. Joe 5-yard line. That defensive stand set the tone for what would be total domination for the Port St. Joe defense. The only score for the Tigers came when PSJ quarterback Devin Cuttino lost the ball on an option pitch that was recovered by De’Antre Reed and returned for a touchdown in the second quarter.

The Blountstown defense also had a strong night, stifling the Sharks passing attack to the tune of just 10 points in the first half and only 70 yards passing in the game. While Cuttino was frustrated and unable to get the ball downfield as he is used to doing, he did rush for a 15-yard touchdown in the second quarter and threw a 40-yard TD strike to Jabara Pearson in the third quarter to put the Tiger Sharks up 17-6.

The Tiger offense rallied and put together an impressive drive, moving the ball to the Port St. Joe 20 yard line, but once again the Tiger Shark defense responded.  On a 3rd-and-6 play, PSJ’s Travis Jenkins intercepted a pass which he returned 80 yards to the Tiger 8-yard line. Labuan Zaccaro punched the ball in on the next play, running the dagger thru the heart of the Tigers and giving Port St. Joe the 24-6 lead they would carry to the finish line.

Coach Tanner Jones for Port St. Joe was extremely happy with the win.

“Our defense played amazing!  Flying to the ball and shutting down that run," said Jones.  "Stuckey and DJ Oliver led the way and I am really proud of how hard they played on both sides of the ball."

Coach Jones expects to see this Blountstown team in the playoffs and thinks a win is a big step in the season to help get his team there. He’s also excited to see what will happen when the team is fully healthy and firing on all cylinders.

Here is a photo gallery from photographer Matt Christopher: