Triplett leads Knights to third straight win

Derrick Davis, The Brunswick News, Ga.
·2 min read

Oct. 23—The third straight monster game from star running back Jordan Triplett propelled Frederica Academy to a 44-6 victory over St. Andrew's on Friday in Savannah.

Triplett entered the matchup having racked up nearly 400 rushing yards and nine touchdowns over the past two contests, and he closed in on the 300-yard mark against the Saints to go along with six more scores.

"We ran the ball well," said Knights head coach Brandon Derrick. "I thought Thomas (Veal) threw the ball, when we needed to in spots, really well.

"We looked a little slow after last week's physical football game, but I thought our kids came out and played hard."

Frederica (4-4, 2-0 Region 2-3A) opened its region slate last week with a hard-fought victory over rival Bulloch Academy, and it maintained its focus to win its third consecutive contest following a four-game skid.

St. Andrew's (3-3, 0-2) was fresh off a bye, but two weeks ago it was handed a 50-19 defeat at the hands of Pinewood Christian. With a potential region championship deciding clash against the same Patriots on the horizon for the Knights, they did their part to remain undefeated in the division.

"It's a trap game, that's what that is," Derrick said. "You play those teams that aren't rival games, and you play a really good team the week before — you give a ton of effort — then you have to come back the next week. We were a little sluggish, but I thought our kids did a good job to go up here and take care of business."

Frederica led 9-0 through one quarter, and it pushed the advantage to 23-0 by halftime. The Knights led 37-6 heading into the fourth quarter before scoring one last touchdown on the night.

Over the past three games, Frederica is averaging 43.6 points per contest — the uptick in offensive production coincides with starting signal caller Veal's return from injury.

"I think Thomas coming back gives us a little bit of a chance to stretch the field with Bryce (Reilly) out there, and Blake (Holloway), all of our receivers, Kwon (Vaughn), all those guys," Derrick said. "We've been able to stretch the field a little bit and take some pressure off the box. Jordan can run it up inside, but we can also throw it out there when we need to and get 5-10 yards and move the chains.

"I think the ability to be able to throw the ball downfield really helps us."