COCOA — Cocoa has one of the most potent passing games in the state, but it’s the running game that has the Tigers back in the regional championship game.
Cocoa junior running back Latrison Lane scored three touchdowns on the ground as the Tigers dominated Berkeley Prep 37-12 in a Region 2-2A semifinal on Friday night.
“I want to thank my O-lineman for executing and letting me do what I do,” Lane said. “They dominated up front. It felt great letting (the coaching staff) trust me.”
Lane scored on a 1-yard run in the second quarter, a four-yard run in the third quarter, and an eight-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Malachi Coney and Jayvan Boggs also scored for Cocoa (8-3). The Tigers led 17-0 at halftime and extended their advantage to 30-0 in the third quarter.
“The kid’s played great,” Cocoa coach Ryan Schneinder said. “Berkeley Prep’s been playing great football. We respect their coaching staff; we respect their program. This was a stressful week for us, but the kids stayed together. It was a really satisfying victory.”
Cocoa star edge rusher Javion Hilson had 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles and junior defensive back CJ Hester intercepted two passes.
Berkeley Prep senior Dallas Golden, a Notre Dame commit, threw a touchdown pass and also caught a touchdown pass. The Buccaneers, which won the Class 2M state title in 2023, finish their season with a 6-5 record.
Cocoa, the top seed in the region, will attempt to win its 17th consecutive regional title on Nov. 29 against No. 3 seed Newberry.
Here are three takeaways from Friday’s game.
It was clear early that Cocoa’s game plan was to establish the run, and it worked. Lane and Corley consistently were able to find holes and pick up first downs. It wasn’t big chunk plays, but it was consistent gains of four or five yards. The coaching staff also called quarterback Brady Hart’s number on some designed runs. It was a different kind of game plan for Cocoa, but it was effective and makes them all the more difficult to prepare for going forward.
At halftime, Cocoa had scored more touchdowns (two) than Berkeley Prep had first downs (one). That’s how well the Tigers defense played. Despite having a pair of FBS commits in the backfield, Berkeley Prep’s run game was largely ineffective. Teams continue to try and run away from Hilson, but the addition of senior lineman Sandman Thompson is making a big difference up front. If Cocoa can keep making teams one-dimensional on offense, they it has a very good chance of winning its third consecutive title.
If there is an area for concern for Cocoa after such an impressive performance, it was Berkeley Prep’s ability to complete long passes. Some of that was a byproduct of Cocoa’s defense selling out to stop the run, but Berkeley was able to use that against them early with a long-play action pass in the first quarter. The Buccaneers first touchdown was set up by a long completion along the sideline, followed by Golden’s 22-yard touchdown pass to Rico Garcia. It’s an area Cocoa will look to clean up as it prepares for Newberry.
