Review Merritt Island's Class 5A state final season of 2021
It was the most memorable season for Merritt Island since the 1990s, as the Mustangs have earned a spot in the Class 5A final.
More: Take a look back at the Cocoa High Tigers through the 2021 football season
Follow along as we take a game-by-game look back at the 2021 season.
Preseason photos:: Merritt Island at Cocoa in Kickoff Classic
Aug. 27
at Merritt Island 19, Melbourne 6
The Mustangs had the points they needed to get the win when Elijah Edwards scored from a yard out before halftime. That answered an early Melbourne touchdown.
After halftime, Brady Denaburg kicked three field goals to provide the final Merritt Island total. Dallas Donahue had a quick start to the year, catching 10 passes for 101 yards, and the five turnovers gathered by the defense included two Julius Bennett interceptions.
Week 1: Cocoa, Rock, EG, Satellite among big winners
Melbourne went on to reach the Region 2-7A final.
Sept. 3
at Merritt Island 28, Sebastian River 0
Video: Defense dominates in Merritt Island football win
The Mustangs showed some offensive fireworks and played shutout defense in this win over the Class 7A Sharks.
Denaburg passed for 339 yards and three touchdowns, and Edwards rushed for 101 yards on 24 carries, one going for a touchdown. Donahue caught nine more passes, matched by Bridger Koby, who gained 158 yards. Those two, plus C.J. Bragg, had scores.
Week 2: Cocoa in a nail-biter; Satellite and MI big home wins
Aaron Session made 10 tackles and had one sack, while the defense added two more interceptions.
Story continues below the photo gallery
Sept. 10
Merritt Island 34, at Astronaut 0
The Mustangs went on the road for the first time and produced a second shutout in a row, this week in Titusville.
Denaburg passed for 409 yards and three touchdowns, and one of his two field goals was for 46 yards. Koby caught two of those, and Donahue, who finished with 12 catches for 152 yards, caught the other.
Week 3: Lightning and unbeatens are big winners
Donahue's touchdown was set up when Session blocked a War Eagles punt.
Merritt Island looked toward a matchup with another early season unbeaten, Palm Bay.
Sept. 17
at Merritt Island 44, Palm Bay 12
Video: Merritt Island big over Palm Bay in Week 3
The Mustangs wasted no time asserting themselves in this decisive home win, and an intense District 8-5A race started to become apparent.
Merritt Island had a 24-0 lead by halftime.
The defense got interceptions by Maddox Moss, Sean Mayo and Jacob Woods, who ran 24 yards to the end zone with his. Moss had a game-high 15 tackles.
Week 4: Rockledge, MI, Satellite top District 8-5A football
Offensively, Donahue caught nine passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns, one of which covered 65 yards. Koby's one touchdown went 68.
Story continues below photo gallery
Sept. 24
at Cairo 24, Merritt Island 3
The one blemish on the Mustangs record came in Georgia.
Moss' 16 tackles led the defense, while the Syrupmakers intercepted four Denaburg passes.
The lone points for Merritt Island came on a second-quarter Denaburg field goal of 32 yards.
Week 5: Cocoa, Bayside, Viera, Rockledge in thrillers
Oct. 1
Merritt Island 42, at Titusville 7
Video: Coach Hurlie Brown discusses his team's performance
Merritt Island put the out-of-state loss in the past with the win back in 8-5A play.
Denaburg threw three touchdown passes on just eight attempts, and the Mustangs jumped on the home team quickly. They led by 35 at halftime.
Dominic Shields rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns, while Edwards also ran for a score. Denaburg also kicked a 45-yard field goal.
The defense held Titusville to 118 yards of total offense.
Week 6: Rockledge, Satellite set up 8-5A showdown
The only score for the Terriers came on a late 99-yard kickoff return.
Oct. 15
at Merritt Island 38, Bayside 0
The Mustangs shut out their opponent for the third time during the 2021 season, but it took the offense more than a quarter to get on the scoreboard with a 43-yard Denaburg field goal.
They kept it on the ground to the tune of 204 rushing yards, 136 of those by Shields, on 24 attempts. He, Edwards and Denaburg all ran for scores.
Week 8: Cocoa, Rockledge, MI sailing into late season
The win moved the Mustangs to 3-0 in District 8-5A, one week before they were to travel to play perennial district power Rockledge at McLarty Stadium.
Story continues below the video
Oct. 22
Merritt Island 26, at Rockledge 6
More video: Coach Hurlie Brown talks about the Mustangs' big win
The Mustangs outplayed even their own expectations, and as a result they let the rest of Brevard County and the state know they would be one of the teams to watch in Class 5A.
Merritt Island's defense forced two turnovers and sacked the Raiders quarterback seven times. Session and Devin Smith came up with three apiece. The Mustangs stopped Rockledge inside the 20 with seconds to go before halftime, preserving a 13-0 lead.
Among Denaburg's four field goals were kicks from 40, 42 and 49 yards.
Week 9: Mustangs lead 8-5A, Cocoa, Viera, Melbourne win
The Raiders drew within a touchdown in the third quarter on a 65-yard touchdown through the air, but Merritt Island responded with a Denaburg scoring toss to Donahue early in the fourth. The quarterback also completed a touchdown pass to Shields in the game.
Story continues below the photo gallery
Oct. 29
Merritt Island 20, at Satellite 7
The game was scoreless at halftime, but the Mustangs went on to win on the road, clinching the District 8-5A championship and a guarantee of an FHSAA home playoff game.
Merritt Island got going after intermission with a scoring drive that included two successful fourth-down conversions, and Denaburg capped it off with a 21-yard field goal.
Edwards later scored on a 20-yard run, and Shields scored from the 1 midway through the fourth quarter. The Mustangs defense produced four sacks.
Week 10: Merritt Island, Melbourne win district football championships
The two teams were headed for another meeting in the postseason.
Nov. 5
at Merritt Island 19, Viera 18
It was fitting that the regular season ended with the Mustangs defense stopping the Hawks in the closing minutes, preserving an unbeaten home season and extending the team's winning streak to five games.
Viera reached midfield in a last attempt for the upset, but Merritt Island ended the threat with a sack. The defense also forced a safety and stopped a couple of 2-point conversion attempts.
Week 11: Astronaut, Heritage, Melbourne get rivalry wins; 3 postponed
On a night when weather made for wet conditions, Denaburg threw touchdown passes of 47 yards to Koby and 40 to Donahue.
Nov. 12
at Merritt Island 50, Leesburg 0
Video: Merritt Island cruises past Leesburg in 5A football
The Mustangs defense pitched yet another shutout, this time in a Region 2-5A quarterfinal victory.
The game was never in doubt, but Denaburg brought some excitement to the evening when he connected on a 57-yard field goal. It tied the longest of his career.
Koby reached 10 touchdowns for the season, scoring three, including one on a rush attempt.
Regional quarterfinals: Melbourne, Merritt Island, Rockledge, Satellite roll
With the win, Merritt Island headed for back-to-back rematches against 8-5A foes.
Nov. 19
at Merritt Island 21, Rockledge 6
Once again, the Mustangs defense slowed down the Raiders just enough, while a couple of interruptions of driving rain hampered both offenses. Logan Cody led the way with 13 tackles, a sack and an interception.
Video: Postgame interviews
Bragg scored two touchdowns in the game. The first came on a 1-yard run, and he caught a 21-yard pass from Denaburg in the second quarter to make it 14-0.
The Raiders got some momentum going with a third-period touchdown, but the Mustangs stiffened the rest of the way.
Shields closed out the scoring with a 7-yard run with a minute to play after the defense recovered a fumble in Rockledge territory.
Regional semifinals: 4 of 6 Brevard teams win in high school football
Merritt Island improved to 11-1 and headed for a regional final matchup with the Scorps.
Nov. 26
at Merritt Island 21, Satellite 0
The defense produced another shutout, against one of Brevard's most productive offenses.
Bennett made his third interception of the playoffs and the team's fifth in the postseason.
Read even more about this game
Denaburg threw touchdown passes of 18 and 43 yards to Donahue and one to Koby for 7 yards.
Dec. 3
at Merritt Island 12, Sebring 10
Denaburg kicked a 43-yard field goal with 42 seconds to play. The state semifinal win sent them to the 5A championship against Miami Central, to be played in Ft. Lauderdale on Dec. 17.
Sessions made 13 tackles and sacked the Sebring quarterback twice. Bennett intercepted two more passes, his fourth and fifth of the playoffs.
Read even more about this game
The Blue Streaks led until the final seconds of the first half, when Denaburg found Donahue for a touchdown pass. Sebring regained the lead in the third quarter, and a Mustangs safety got the home team within a point to set up the game winner.
Contact McCallum at bmccallum@floridatoday.com. Follow @321preps on Twitter and Instagram. Be sure to subscribe to FLORIDA TODAY.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Season in review for 2021 Merritt Island Mustangs high school football
