FPD overcomes surprising offensive shift from St. Anne-Pacelli in physical 34-14 win

FPD prepared to see one set of defenses.

St. Anne-Pacelli pulled out a surprise. The Vikings were ready for one quarterback, only to see the backup.

No problem. Well, not much of one.

FPD gave up a score on the visitors’ first possession but answered with touchdowns on two straight drives and then notched a pick six to take control en route to a 34-14 win Friday night in Macon.

It was a gritty win for FPD.

“They do a good job,” FPD head coach Brett Collier said of the team that beat his 18-6 last year. “They’re good on the front.

“We like to run the ball, and they were determined to take that away.”

As was FPD, yet both teams had nice rushing nights.

The visiting Vikings had 140 yards on 27 carries to FPD’s 143 yards on 32 carries.

Pretty good numbers, but tough numbers.

The passing game — and the intercepting game — fell heavily in FPD’s favor.

Backup quarterback Dustin Sherman had a nice night, completing 12 of 31 with more than a half-dozen drops for 196 yards, but three interceptions —including a 67-yard return for a touchdown by Brady McHugh — sabotaged St. Anne-Pacelli’s chances for the road upset.

“I’ll tell you something scary,” Collier said. “That’s their backup. He had played tight end and a little wideout. He did a good job. I thought he was composed.”

Pacelli (1-2) covered 64 yards on three plays to score on their first trip. FPD (3-0) countered with a 9-play, 71-yard drive, converting its only third down with a 38-yard pass from Simmons to a scarily wide-open Griffin, who didn’t have an opposing Viking past the hashes as the snap.

The visitors failed on fourth and 2 at FPD’s 17, and the hosts converted, finishing the drive on a typical-for-the-night odd play.

Simmons scrambled and heaved it down the left side, where McHugh and Griffin both zeroed in on it, the play looking like a potentially disastrous collision. McHugh luckily outplayed Griffin for the ball and finished off the 36-yard score less than a minute into the second quarter for a 14-7 lead.

McHugh had no competition a few minutes later when he carried an interception back 67 yards for a bruising touchdown to give FPD a 21-7 lead with 8:53 left in the half.

McHugh was on the receiving end of another scramble-and-heave by Simmons, good for a 44-yard touchdown with 4:49 left in the half en route to a 28-7 lead.

FPD added field goals from Dominic Economopoulos from 31 and 24 yards in the second half.  

“It took us a minute to figure it out,” Collier said. “They have shown some different looks on film, and the one they showed tonight was different than the one they showed tonight.

“Once we got it, we felt comfortable where we were with the lead and we could grind it out. But they were coming after it.”

And coming after quarterback Major Simmons, the do-whatever-it-takes signal-caller. He showed his power and elusiveness all night, coming up with some big long passes while running around en route to a 186-yard night on 10-of-16 passing.

He battled for 27 yards on 10 carries, behind McHugh’s 50 for 27.

Rarely was he in the pocket and set, yet he was on target downfield.

Of his highlight plays, though, it was one on defense that many will remember. He chased tough-to-catch running back D.J. Colvin on a 17-yard gain in the final minutes of the third quarter, FPD up 31-7.

Simmons hit Colvin hard at the sidelines, in bounds and in the shoulder pad area. Colvin turned around and jogged after Simmons, shoving him hard from behind.

It got a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty, but it’s not exactly the kind of physicality most coaches want to see from their playmaking starting quarterback.

Except Collier, who smiled at the thought.

“I love it,” he said. “I love it. We want that to be the mentality of our team, and we want to have a tough team, which we do.”

You can call Simmons a quarterback, and you won’t be wrong, but you might be politely corrected.

“Well, I’m not necessarily ‘quarterback’,” Simmons said. “I try to say I’m a football player.”

Who is unlikely to listen to coaches’ instructions to slow down at all.

“He’s just a player, you know,” Collier said. “He just loves the game of football.”

Simmons liked that it wasn’t necessarily a pretty game.

“I did like how physical we got and how we rallied behind each other,” he said. “I think that’s just our style.”

Not much finesse.

“I’m not a big fan of that.”