As the final minutes rolled off the Tropical Park Stadium game clock, you could sense by the bounce and excitement on the home sideline that the reality of the moment was beginning to set in.

The Columbus defense had held highly touted Palmetto running back Jaamal Berry to 58 yards in a convincing 49-0 win Friday evening.

The victory gave the navy blue-clad Explorer fans in attendance and defensive linemen Caesar Rodriguez, Anthony Rabasa and Antwan Lowery a chance to express their true pride.

''A lot of people knew how talented we were coming into this season,'' said the senior Rodriguez. ``This game gave us the opportunity to showcase our defense against a good running back in Berry. We didn't change much from the last game -- we just did things better.''

The three linemen enjoyed perhaps the most efficient performance of their careers, tallying three sacks and 15 tackles. Rodriguez had one sack, four tackles and two fumble recoveries, including one for a touchdown in the second quarter, helping drop Palmetto to 0-1.

Linebackers Tommy Heffernan and Michael Abadin also showcased themselves in the secondary with six tackles combined and an interception by Abadin.

''We played well overall,'' Rodriguez added.

The Explorers (1-0) were led offensively by Jakhari Gore, a junior running back, who finished with a game-high 167 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown. Balancing Gore's offensive attack were quarterbacks Chris Ackemjack and Garret Colao, who completed nine passes combined for 100 yards.

ELSEWHERE

• LaSalle 21, Miami Country Day 0: Michael Dallas had touchdown runs of 2 and 3 yards, and Sam Miller had a touchdown of 4 yards, as the Royal Lions blanked Miami Country Day. LaSalle's defense held Miami Country Day to 55 yards.

Delvin Jones led the defense with four sacks. Danny Castillo added an interception and a fumble recovery.

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