Palmetto climbs out of early hole to beat Lake Gibson behind dominant second half
A high-powered offense and a strong sense of unity. Those are the key ingredients as Palmetto High has emerged with a winning record halfway through the 2018 season.
Those attributes also helped the Tigers fight off an early 17-point deficit and throttle Lake Gibson, 51-32 in a non-district football game Friday night at Harllee Stadium.
“They never stop believing,” head coach Dave Marino said of his 3-2 Tigers. “We have an experienced offense. Let’s make that clear. We can score points. We know we can score points.”
Early on it looked like the Braves would ride their bus back to Lakeland triumphant. Lake Gibson got on the scoreboard first, scoring on a 20-yard run by quarterback Travis Williams. Armondo Maldonado’s kick gave the Braves a 7-0 lead with 6:28 left in the first quarter.
Palmetto’s Lajohntay Wester took the ensuing kickoff to the Lake Gibson 41-yard-line on the first of a series of key special teams plays. Several plays later Rafael Gonzalez made a 22-yard field goal as the Tigers closed the deficit to 7-3 with 2:31 remaining in the first quarter.
Gavin Carter and Lake Gibson responded on the ensuing kickoff with an 80-yard touchdown run. The kick was blocked as Lake Gibson led 13-3 with 2:15 left in the quarter. Missed kicks looked crucial for the Braves until the Tigers pulled away on the scoreboard.
A blocked punt gave Lake Gibson a first down deep in Palmetto territory with 50 seconds left in the first quarter. On the first play of the second quarter, Williams scored on a 10-yard run.
Maldonado’s kick made the score 20-3 with 11:58 remaining in the first half. But the Tigers were determined to come back.
Quarterback Anthony Marino connected with Wester on a 72-yard pass and Gonzalez made the PAT as Palmetto closed the gap to 20-10. Marino was seen tying Wester’s shoes on the field before the play.
Jaylon Glover scored on a 7-yard run as the Braves moved their lead to 26-10 with 7:57 left in the half. Glover rushed 11 times for 116 yards in the first half.
The rest of the first half belonged to Palmetto.
First, the Tigers scored on a 6-yard run by Johnny Jones. Then they engaged in trickery, as Marino handed off to Eddravian Butler, who completed a 17-yard scoring pass to Wester.
Maldonado’s 38-yard field goal attempt was short for the Braves as time ran out in the first half.
Lake Gibson led 26-24 at halftime but the Tigers outscored the Braves 27-6 in the second half.
SAINT STEPHEN’S 49, NORTHSIDE CHRISTIAN 6: Xavier Williams ran for two touchdowns and threw for one, and D.J. Clark also had a pair of rushing touchdown to pace the visiting Falcons (3-1).
Ty Barker, Calvin Sauerbeck and Patrick O’Keefe also scored touchdowns for Saint Stephen’s, which faces rival Out-of-Door Academy (4-0) next week.