After delivering the biggest win in school history against Fort Myers, the Ida Baker Bulldogs took the field Friday night looking to take down another quality opponent in Plantation American Heritage.

Late in the first half the host Bulldogs held a 7-6 lead and the momentum. Then disaster struck.

Two costly mistakes in the final five minutes of the half allowed American Heritage to take a 14-point lead, and the Patriots (4-1) defeated the Bulldogs 28-13.

Trailing 6-0, the Bulldogs (3-2) put together an eight-play, 77-yard drive that bridged the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second. Senior Mike Anderson capped the drive with a 27-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Sean Francis, giving the Bulldogs the lead.

The Bulldogs got the ball back deep in their own territory near the five-minute mark of the second quarter. Francis completed one first down pass, an 11-yard toss to Jonathan Garcia, but two plays later Edgar Rojas intercepted a pass at midfield and returned it to the Baker 4.

Brent Singleton scored on a two-yard run, making it 14-7.

On the Bulldogs’ next possession, they were faced with a fourth-and-19 at their own 15, an obvious punting situation, but the ball was snapped errantly to one of the running backs. The Patriots took over at the 4 and cashed in to take a 21-7 lead.

“Our snapper thought he heard the hot call,” Bulldogs coach Brian Conn said. “It was a miscommunication, and they capitalized.”

The Bulldogs needed another second half rally. They came back from a 14-point deficit to defeat Fort Myers 35-28 the previous week.

The American Heritage defense made sure that didn’t happen. They keyed on the Bulldogs’ running game in the third quarter and swarmed to the ball.

The Bulldogs managed only five yards of offense in the third quarter.

The Patriots, who reached the Class 2A regional finals last season, were led by Singleton, who has verbally committed to South Carolina.

In addition to leading the defensive charge, Singleton scored two touchdowns and had a key 60-yard run in the fourth quarter to essentially put the game away.

“That was a great team we played,” Conn said. “They have a very physical defense. They packed the box and didn’t give us much room.”

Francis, the Bulldogs’ sophomore quarterback, started off strong. He completed 4-of-5 passes for 58 yards before the late first-half interception.

He did add another touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, a 70-yard bomb to Josh Schwartz.

The Bulldogs continue their difficult stretch of games next Friday when they host a key District 5A-12 clash against Cape Coral.



American Heritage 6 15 0 7 — 28

Ida Baker 0 7 0 6 — 13

First quarter

AH — Julio Chou 8 pass from Ryan Williams (kick blocked)

Second quarter

B — Mike Anderson 27 pass from Sean Francis (Curtis Dean kick)

AH — Brent Singleton 2 run (Williams run)

AH — Justin Goldberg 3 run (David Lopez kick)

Fourth quarter

AH — Singleton 5 run (Lopez kick)

B — Josh Schwartz 70 pass from Francis (kick failed)