Mandarin defeated Ribault in high school football Friday.

Two interception returns for touchdowns helped defending state champion Mandarin beat Ribault 32-13 in a sloppy, turnover-filled contest Friday night.

An approximately one-hour lightning delay to start the game might have been an indicator of what was to come for a Trojans team that has already faced significant adversity to start their season.

The Mustangs overcame weather delays, a subpar game by senior quarterback and Georgia commit Carson Beck, turnovers and inconsistent offense to defeat a game Trojans squad. Both teams had difficulty moving the football with any consistency on offense, but both defenses played relatively well.

“I think defensively we really established early in the game that it’s gonna be tough to move the football,” said Mandarin head coach Bobby Ramsay. “Coach [Jermaine] Wilson, the defensive coordinator, and those coaches, they coach the heck out of them [the defense]. They do a great job and they’re starting to play with that edge we saw last year.”

The Mustangs forced five turnovers on the day, including pick-sixes to close the half and to end the scoring late in the fourth quarter, in a dominant defensive effort. The Trojan offense couldn’t get anything going, and even when they did gain yardage, penalties often brought the play back.

Ribault (0-2) opened the scoring with an interception return by senior Virginia Tech commit Keonta Jenkins. Mandarin bounced back with a 10-yard first-quarter touchdown run by junior running back Martranius Mack.

The Mustangs continued the first-half scoring with Beck completing a touchdown pass to senior tight end Alex Schwenke.

With Ribault driving and looking to cut the deficit before the break, sophomore Trojan quarterback Christopher Calhoun II threw an interception which was returned for 100 yards and a touchdown by junior defensive back Uriel Richardson to make the score 24-6 at the end of the first half.

The second half saw both defenses dig in to stop the offenses from moving the ball regularly and effectively. The Trojans scored a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter on a 27-yard pass from junior quarterback Santana Jackson to sophomore receiver Freddie Manning III, and Mandarin closed out the game with a late-game pick-six followed by a two-point conversion.

Ribault travels next to Trinity Christian, while Mandarin (2-0) takes on DeLand.