After a fast 3-0 start to the season, the Pace Patriots dropped their second heart-breaker in a row, falling 35-28 to the visiting Gulf Breeze Dolphins Friday night.

Despite the setback, Pace Head Coach Kent Smith still has faith in his Patriots, who were coming off a bye week after losing 29-21 to Crestview two weeks ago.

On Friday night, the Pace Patriots continued their winning streak, improving to 3-0 with a 42-14 win over the West Florida Jaguars after a rain delay of almost two hours.

The Patriots started out strong with Nick Simmons slipping through the holes in West Florida’s defense for a 7-0 lead. 

A strong running game and a salty defense helped the Pace Patriots overcome an early deficit in a 38-18 win over the St. Martin Yellow Jackets on Friday in Pace.

The visitors from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, kept the Patriots’ defense off balance on their opening possession. The Yellow Jackets marched 80 yards on 10 plays to take 6-0 lead with 6:29 left in the opening quarter.