Strawberry Crest will have to wait at least one more week to break its regular-season losing streak.
The Chargers fought for that win in their Aug. 25 home opener against Spoto, but the Spartans proved to be too much to handle and came out on the winning end of a 32-13 final score.
Crest got out to a 7-0 lead with 4:18 left in the first quarter, thanks to an impressive bobbling catch by Jamar Hart along Spoto's sideline. Though Spoto's Derrick Curtis gave the Spartans good field position by returning the kickoff to Crest's 49-yard line, the Chargers were able to stuff the drive. Cedric Roberts finished a Spoto drive on a one-yard punch into the end zone with 39 seconds left in the quarter, but the Spartans botched the snap on the extra-point attempt and could not convert.
The 7-6 lead for Crest held until the 7:16 mark in the second quarter, when Roberts once again found the end zone on a short run. Another bad snap on the extra-point attempt set the score at 12-7 in Spoto's favor, and the score held through halftime as Crest missed a field goal attempt after a drive that ran the clock down to 15 seconds.
Spoto took over in the second half, scoring on a long touchdown pass in the third quarter to take an 18-6 lead and putting 14 more points on the board in the fourth quarter as Crest tried to find anything that could turn its luck around. The Chargers were able to finish a drive once more, thanks to Justin Lamb's fumble recovery at Spoto's 24-yard line. Backup quarterback Caleb Goodson found Rio Oliver open for a 13-yard touchdown pass with 19 seconds left in the game. The two-point attempt failed, setting the final score at 32-13, and the Chargers went home without the winning feeling from the preseason.
In other area action, Durant scored a 14-10 upset win at Jesuit and Plant City took a 21-14 loss to Jefferson at home.
