Palmetto routs Lakewood Ranch behind Jason Spicer’s efficient outing

The final touchdown that pushed Palmetto High School out of reach from Lakewood Ranch on Friday at Harllee Stadium was the sort of play the Tigers couldn’t have made with Jason Spicer Jr. under center at the start of the season.

The tight ends went in motion from left to right and the snap went back to the junior. Spicer took a five-step drop and steadied his feet as his offensive line funneled Lakewood Ranch’s pass-rushers around him. He needed patience to let Isaiah Washington come from the right side of the offensive line across the field and toward the pylon on the left side of the end zone.

Spicer stepped back into the pocket and fired a dart at Washington’s left shoulder, out of reach for the Mustangs defender. Washington walked into the end zone for the final points of Palmetto’s 23-0 win.

“He sits in the pocket, he waits, he hits it,” Tigers head coach Dave Marino said. “It was dead on. That was as accurate as you can throw it.”

Spicer’s success early during the season hinged on his athleticism. The converted wide receiver was a dual-threat quarterback whose legs were sometimes the only threat. He needed to become more patient and Palmetto (5-1, 2-0 Class 7A-District 11) was going to be patient with him.

With more than half of the regular season complete, Spicer finally feels like a more traditional quarterback. He had his best performance of the season against Lakewood Ranch, completing 7 of 8 passes for 81 yards and a touchdown, while also running for the Tigers’ other two touchdowns in less than three quarters. It was a far cry from the beginning of the season when Spicer was still managing to put up numbers, but mostly on broken or abandoned plays.

“Honestly, I wasn’t even making my reads,” Spicer said. “I would just get it and go. The line pretty much protects me, and I have no choice but to stay in the pocket.”

Spicer’s 81 yards were his most since throwing for 113 yards during the season-opener against Fort Myers, and 69 of those came when Spicer scrambled and dumped the ball off to Sidney Pompey for a long touchdown. It worked in fits and starts, but without consistency.

As the Tigers’ defense continued to dominate — and it held the Mustangs (0-5, 0-2) without a first down Friday — Spicer could take time to develop into a pocket passer. The more time he spent playing behind an offensive line with three potential Division I players, the more he became willing to wait between the tackles.

For two quarters in Palmetto, the Tigers offensive line cleared a path for a methodical offensive performance. Palmetto went 80 yards on 13 plays to open the game with a 7-0 lead and then went another 40 yards on six plays during the final drive before halftime to stretch the lead to 17-0. Spicer plunged in for a pair of touchdowns and completed all five of his first-half pass attempts. The Tigers entered the break with 112 yards on the ground.

“The offensive line gave me time to throw the ball,” Spicer said, “so pretty much standing in the pocket, making my reads.”

And behind the offensive line, Marino saw a quarterback locked in with his accuracy. Spicer seldom tries to connect for a deep ball, so he focuses on his precision in the 10-15-yard range, and he completed but two of his passes in that range Friday.

He’s not destined to every be a traditional gunslinger, lining up under center and firing long passes down the sideline, and his practices are catered to the ideal skill set he and his coaches envision. Every day after practice, the junior spends extra time with offensive coordinator Ty Stoldt. The coach sets up a target in front of his face and the quarterback will fire pass after pass until they hit 100 or more. The dart drill a staple of practice for the Tiger quarterbacks and it’s put Spicer into a zone entering Palmetto’s bye week.

“He is really just pinpoint accurate right now and just credit to him. He works hard at it, and I couldn’t be more proud for him and proud of him,” Marino said. “And he’ll continue to grow. He’ll continue to develop as a passer and we’re going to just continue, as an offense, to get better.”

This story was originally published October 1, 2016 at 12:29 AM with the headline "Palmetto routs Lakewood Ranch behind Jason Spicer’s efficient outing."