Nebraska commit Barney leads Palmetto to rout of Doral Academy in preseason classic
The Miami Palmetto football team’s first play of 2023 was a near disaster.
A high snap over quarterback Lucas Goenaga’s head nearly ended up in the end zone.
But Jacory Barney made sure to set a better tone for the Panthers season on the very next play.
Barney, a University of Nebraska commit, extended and made a great falling catch for 34 yards. Later he’d make another huge catch for 29 more to set up the Panthers’ first touchdown.
Barney would then play quarterback and proceed to throw two touchdowns himself and spark a comfortable 35-3 rout of host Doral Academy in a preseason kickoff classic on Thursday night.
“He’s a lot of fun and can do a lot of different things well,” Palmetto coach Mike Manasco said. “I’m glad we don’t have to play against him.”
The game was halted with 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter due to lightning in the area and concluded at that point after both sides agreed to end the game.
The Panthers controlled the game almost from the outset in a duel of two teams which made the playoffs last season in Class 4M.
Manasco felt like he saw enough of what he hoped from his team as it prepares to open the regular season next week against Class 3M state runner-up Homestead on Aug. 25 at Harris Field.
“Our kids played fast against a quality opponent and some things happened on offense that changed what we wanted to do, but our defense responded,” Manasco said.
While Barney was the engine that drove Palmetto on offense, he was not alone.
Junior running back Ethan Lopez ran for two touchdowns and Shemar Irvin ran for one. Lamarcuse Taylor and Cameron Sapp each caught a touchdown pass from Barney.
Balancing the offense is a goal Manasco said his team had this offseason coming off a 6-6 season in 2022 that ended in the second round against rival and eventual state champion Columbus.
“We really wanted to improve running the football and that’s who I want us to be,” Manasco said. “We need to be a group that can get those tough yards and we haven’t been that these past few years so I’m excited about this group.”
Palmetto’s defense kept Doral contained on its own end for most of the game and intercepted Doral quarterback Jordan Lleo three times. Javier Moss, Wynton Jones Jr. and Corey Pruitt each had an interception.
“That’s the youngest unit in our group, but we have seven or eight kids that can really play,” Manasco said. “That (Doral) offense is tough because you have to read guards and stay within your technique so our guys did a great job.”
OTHER SCORES
Wednesday: Miramar 21, Miami Edison 0; Miami Florida Christian 21, Southwest Miami 0.
Thursday: Miami Killian 16, Weston Cypress Bay 6; Homestead 23, Clearwater Academy International 21; Davie Western 47, Parkland Stoneman Douglas 2; Fort Lauderdale Dillard 16, Deerfield Beach 0; Miami Belen Jesuit 30, Miramar Everglades 6 (half); Miami High 26, Miami Ferguson 6 (half); Pembroke Pines West Broward 28, South Plantation 0 (half); Plantation 45, Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons 45 (tie); McArthur 13, Nova 0 (half).
This story was originally published August 17, 2023 at 10:37 PM.
