Atlantic sophomore quarterback Pedro Martinez had three touchdown passes and the Eagles defense created four turnovers as they rolled past Dr. Joaquin Garcia 44-7 on Friday night.
Atlantic (3-0) won their third straight road game this season. The Eagles defeated Palm Beach Gardens 49-19 in the season opener and had a 26-20 victory in overtime at Jonesboro (Georgia).
“It’s a good start and it’s definitely been positive,” Atlantic coach Jamelle Murray said. “We’re young and developing. We just need to keep building and make progress each week. The guys played with good energy tonight.”
Martinez, a first-year starter, delivered a strong performance in the first half as the Eagles jumped out to a 20-0 advantage at the end of the first quarter and led 26-0 at halftime.
“I think he has done well,” Murray said. “He holds himself to a high standard. He played behind Lincoln [Graf] last year. Lincoln set the bar pretty high as a quarterback in this program. He is doing a good job managing it. He is a young kid, and he is leading us to wins.”
Martinez has accounted for 10 touchdowns through the first three games.
“We’re just worrying about doing things right and executing,” Martinez said. “I feel like we have a lot of potential. We are not fully there yet and have work to do. Every receiver can make plays at any time. I just need to get the ball to my playmakers.”
Atlantic seniors James Jones, Mark Hanniford and Gavin Mesidort each scored in the victory.
“We had to come out here and go fast,” Jones said. “The goal was to put up a bunch of points. Our energy is getting better, and everybody is coming together.”
Garcia (2-1) had previously outscored their opponents 85-0 through the first two games of the season. Atlantic also tacked on four interceptions. Sophomore Terry Gammage had an interception in the second quarter, senior Damian Jones and senior Tyrelle Owens each recorded interceptions in the third, and Owens also added a pick-six in the fourth.
“We are doing good, and we have all the players that can make plays,” Owens said. “I know we can be way better.”
Atlantic jumped out to an early 8-0 lead on the opening drive as junior running back Omari St. Fort rushed for a score and the Eagles converted a two-point conversion.
The Bulldogs marched downfield on their opening possession behind senior quarterback Caleb Butler. Atlantic’s defense made a stop on fourth-and-1 at the Eagles 23-yard line.
Martinez fired a 30-yard scoring pass to Jones in the right corner of the end zone to push the lead to 14-0 with 4:21 left in the first.
Mesidort raced down the left sideline for a 27-yard catch-and-run for a score to extend the lead to 20-0 with 1:48 remaining in the first.
On fourth-and-2, Martinez had an 8-yard touchdown run called back on a holding penalty. The Eagles failed to convert after an incomplete pass on the next play.
Garcia’s defense registered two turnovers in the second quarter. Senior Vincent Lewis made a diving grab for an interception in the end zone, and they also recovered a fumble at their own 35.
The Bulldogs missed a 39-yard field goal attempt late in the second. The Eagles capitalized on the ensuing drive as Martinez tossed a 7-yard touchdown pass to Hanniford with two seconds left in the first half.
Junior Dereion Darby had a 3-yard touchdown run to make it 32-0 with 7:34 left in the third quarter.
Garcia freshman quarterback Mason Gonzalez threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to senior Jayden Morton with 11:05 left in the fourth.
Owens had an interception return for a touchdown to make it 38-7 with 6:50 remaining. Freshman Tyrelle Gammage added a 47-yard touchdown run late in the fourth.
