Carter Sole threw three touchdown passes and Alexander Winkles ran for 126 yards as Ponte Vedra beat Fleming Island 31-19 on Friday, Sept. 18, in Clay County.

Sharks win second straight game

The road win gave the Sharks (2-3) their second straight victory after an 0-3 start to the season. Fleming Island, coached by Tom Macpherson, dropped to 2-3.

Sole, a junior quarterback, completed 18 of 34 passes for 240 yards against the Golden Eagles, according to the Florida Times-Union. Winkles, a senior, also scored a rushing touchdown.

The Sharks' defense made plays of its own. Luke Johnson forced and recovered a fumble, and four Ponte Vedra defenders recorded sacks.

Team rebounds after 0-3 start

The win extended a turnaround that began Sept. 11, when Ponte Vedra beat the Beachside Barracudas 24-7 for its first victory of the year. Winkles rushed for 115 yards and Sole threw two touchdown passes, including an 8-yard strike to Trey Smith, according to the Ponte Vedra Recorder.

Senior Joey Muscas returned to the defensive lineup that night, and Carter Ottesen broke up a fourth-down pass in the third quarter.

Ponte Vedra lost its Aug. 21 opener to University Christian 29-31 and dropped its next two games. Even so, the Class 5A Sharks picked up two votes in the News4JAX Super 10 coaches poll entering Week 5.

Sole's steady play carries Sharks

Sole has been a constant through the season's swings. In the opener against University Christian, he threw for 220 yards and three touchdowns on a 66% completion rate, according to Ponte Vedra High School's student newspaper, the Tiburon. Senior edge rusher Caden Kartzmark recorded a sack in that game.

"It felt great because I was able to have that sack in front of all my friends and my school," Kartzmark said in a Sept. 4 interview with the Tiburon.

Ponte Vedra travels to Bartram Trail (4-1) on Friday, Sept. 25, for a Week 6 matchup, according to News4JAX.