Dunedin falls 22-12 in opener to Jacksonville

DUNEDIN- Winning a game on the field in 2018 didn’t happen for the Dunedin Pirates and heading into the 2019 Florida Football Alliance season, they look to change that narrative. 

Coming into town last Saturday was the upstart Jacksonville Cardinals, whom are a first-year team in the FFA. The Pirates started off fast, but eventually cooled down, as Dunedin fell behind just before halftime en route to a 22-12 loss to Jacksonville at Dunedin Memorial Stadium. 

Dunedin (0-1) took the early 6-0 lead when cornerback Robert Hedgeman intercepted a Joe Lang pass and returned it back for a touchdown. The Pirates good fortunes continued into the second quarter when running back Caria Polite found paydirt from two yards out to give Dunedin a 12-0 lead. 

From there, Dunedin’s good start turned into a worst case scenario. The Cardinals (1-0) scored on a long pass and intercepted an Eric Vitale pass and returned it for a touchdown to take a 14-12 lead heading into intermission. 

The Pirates were not able to recover, as the Cardinals added another touchdown in the third quarter and Dunedin couldn’t get anything going offensively due to self-inflicted penalties. Dunedin goes on the ground this week to face the South Florida Wolverines in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at the Orange Bowl Field at Carter Park.