Palmetto advances to its first state semifinal since 2011. Here’s how they did it
Xavier Williams didn’t do anything out of the ordinary before Friday’s Class 6A-Region 3 championship.
He did his typical pregame prayer and prepared the same as on other game days.
But on this Friday deep into November, Williams was anything but typical. The senior quarterback was uniquely special for the Palmetto Tigers.
Williams tossed seven — yes, SEVEN — first-half touchdowns as Palmetto walloped Punta Gorda Charlotte, 62-15, at Harllee Stadium.
The victory sends the Tigers to their first state semifinal appearance since 2011. They’ll face Miami Central, who defeated Fort Lauderdale Dillard, 35-0, in Friday’s Region 4 championship.
Next Friday’s 6A state semifinal will be held at Palmetto High, with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m.
“These kids have felt that pain of loss in the playoffs,” Palmetto head coach Dave Marino said. “There’s just too many of them on this team. So they’re just more determined and they’re just so hungry to get us over that hump.”
After two consecutive sub-par offensive performances, Marino preached focus to his team in their preparation for the Tarpons.
He reiterated that concept early in Friday’s game.
Williams and Co. obliged with seven first-half possessions that resulted in touchdowns.
The Tigers (12-1) scored on drives of two, one, three and three plays to begin the game. Williams found Kobe Mays and Curtis Thomas on separate 51-yard touchdown passes to arm Palmetto with a 14-7 lead midway through the first quarter.
Sagel Hickson and Mays caught the next two touchdown passes from Williams as the Tigers threw the ball seven times out of their first nine plays.
“I’ve never seen a high school football team so laser-focused and determined and hungry,” Marino said. “They’re on a mission. If we took anybody lightly, we were not taking these guys lightly. They were coming out determined.”
Williams, who sat the second half to avoid any injury risk like most of Palmetto’s starters, finished the game 13 of 19 for 318 yards and seven touchdown passes.
The seven touchdown passes was the second time Williams has done it in a Palmetto uniform. He did it as a junior varsity player two years ago.
However, the mark Friday was the biggest of his career.
“It meant everything,” Williams said. “It was a dream come true. As a team, we prayed for it. Individually, yes I prayed for it myself. And it’s nothing more than a blessing. It’s crazy.”
Williams spread the ball out to four targets during his sublime half of action. Mays had five catches for 157 yards and three touchdowns. Thomas had five catches for 117 yards and two touchdowns. Hickson had one catch for 30 yards, while LaJohntay Wester had two catches for 14 yards.
“When you have guys like that, you just have to get them the ball,” Williams said. “And when you’re behind an O-line like what we have, it’s like, ‘Man, you’ve just got to put it in motion.’”
Palmetto senior athlete Eddravian Butler missed Friday’s game due to a violation of team rules, but he is expected back for next week’s state semifinal.
In 2011, Palmetto played Miami Norland at Harllee Stadium in the 5A semifinals and raced out to a 20-0 lead before losing by eight points. That Norland team featured three future NFL players, including running back Duke Johnson.
Against Central, the Tigers are facing a team with five state titles since 2010, including four straight from 2012-15.
“I know when we played Miami Norland, we were breaking fire code,” Marino said. “There were a lot of people here and I expect nothing more than an electric atmosphere that night as well.”
