Live updates: Palmetto’s Caleb Matelau times snap on key safety in win over Lakewood Ranch
Caleb Matelau heard the cadence all game.
But it wasn’t until the fourth quarter that the Palmetto junior linebacker needed to nail the snap count down.
Pulling a page out of NFL legend Troy Polamalu’s playbook, Matelau timed Lakewood Ranch’s snap, shot through the gap and tackled Teagan Randall a few yards behind the goal line for a pivotal safety.
Palmetto (4-2 overall, 1-0 Class 4S-District 13) flipped the momentum with that play and subsequent scoring drive en route to a 30-14 victory at Lakewood Ranch.
“My coach told me to strike, so that means I gotta go,” Matelau said. “We gotta blitz, so I went and made the play, seized the moment. ... The whole game all I heard was, ‘Ready, Set, Go.’ ”
Prior to Matelau’s momentum-shifting safety, Lakewood Ranch held the momentum with a goal-line stand. The Mustangs (2-5 overall, 0-2 district) shut down four straight Palmetto rushing attempts inside the 10-yard line to force a turnover on downs.
“You get such a high play and then a big play happens for Palmetto right there, and you gave everything you had down there on the goal line to go right back out,” Mustangs head coach Scott Paravicini said. “It just didn’t go our way.”
Before Lakewood Ranch’s defense held firm on the goal line to start the fourth quarter, the two teams were tied 14-14. The Mustangs scored on Simon Freed’s 32-yard run and CJ McRae’s 66-yard run. Both touchdowns came in the third quarter.
For Palmetto, running back Davaughn Thomas scored a rushing and receiving touchdown as the game entered its crucial stage.
“We just knew if Caleb could get free, he can go and make a play,” Palmetto head coach Rashad West.
Following the safety, Palmetto’s Jamari Parker capped a seven-play, 58-yard drive with an 8-yard touchdown run. Quarterback Clayton Dees connected with Rok Lodge for a 32-yard reception leading into Parker’s touchdown.
Thomas tacked on an 18-yard touchdown run on a fourth-and-3 to extend the Tigers’ lead to 30-14 with 4 minutes, 42 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
“We don’t get down on offense. We know we just have to be better,” West said. “We’re our own worst enemy at times. They got that safety and they kind of gave us some energy on offense to go score.”
Here’s a look at the rest of the Week 8 games with scores below:
- Parrish Community 35, Braden River 28
- Englewood Lemon Bay 42, Bayshore 6
- Port Charlotte 57, Southeast 7
- Bradenton Christian 44, Spring Hill Bishop McLaughlin Catholic 0
- IMG Academy National 55, Pensacola Pine Forest 14
Swipe below for scores involving Bradenton-area programs:
This story was originally published October 13, 2023 at 5:00 PM.
