Homestead shuts down Palmetto in testy rivalry clash to open high school football season

There was no easing into the new season for Homestead and Palmetto on Thursday. Before kickoff on the first night of high school football season in Florida, the Broncos and Panthers took every chance they could to chirp at each other, eager to kick off their season with a rivalry clash and measuring stick showdown at Tropical Park.

With both sets of bleachers nearly packed and something like a dozen future Division I players on the field, the Broncos’ defense made an early-season statement by shutting down the Panthers for a 19-7 win in Miami.

“That was our goal, to come out here and get a win,” Homestead junior quarterback Joshua Townsend said. “It was a low-scoring game, but we did what we did.”

The Broncos held Palmetto to just 146 yards, including only 36 in the first half, and came 56.7 seconds away from opening the season with a shutout before giving up a late touchdown.

Even after the Panthers scored to cut Homestead’s lead to 12-7 in the last minute, the Broncos scored less than 10 seconds later when Homestead running back Clinton Riley returned Palmetto’s ensuing onside kick for a touchdown.

Year 4 for Broncos coach Phillip Simpson began with a convincing win against one of the preseason favorites in Class 4M.

“It’s a good start,” Simpson said. “I thought we had the edge in terms of talent and physicality.”

Homestead needed just 1:34 to land the first blow. Star running back Isaac Brown, who’s already orally committed to the Louisville Cardinals as a junior, returned the opening kickoff to the Panthers’ 38-yard line and the Broncos punched in a touchdown three plays later when Townsend connected with Homestead wide receiver Javon Robinson for 32 yards on a slant.

With the way Homestead’s defense played, the quick touchdown was nearly enough to beat the Panthers itself.

On their first defensive possession, the Broncos recorded a sack and a tackle for loss, and then they did the same thing again on their second. Palmetto didn’t pick up a first down until the second quarter and didn’t cross Homestead’s 40 until its lone scoring near the end of the fourth quarter.

Homestead finished with four sacks, five tackles for loss, four interceptions and a fumble recovery, and forced the Panthers to make two quarterback changes.

The Broncos also held star athlete Robby Washington, who’s orally committed to the Miami Hurricanes, to just two catches for 48 yards and five carries for 11.

“That kid’s going to be special, so he’s going to get his and we knew that,” Simpson said. “We had to have more positives than negatives in the first half.”

The defensive line fueled the effort, which Simpson takes pride in as a former defensive line coach.

Last year, Homestead had one of the best lines in South Florida, but Dante Anderson and Daniel Lyons, the stars of the 2021 unit, are now playing for the Florida State Seminoles, which understandably prompted questions about how good the Broncos would be up front this year.

The new-look line answered those in Week 1 with sacks from Homestead edge rushers Eduardo Nunez, Markwon Strong, Jalen Saintil and Jerry Kavaursea, plus a forced fumble and fumble recovery by Nunez.

“I’ve been hearing the whole, Daniel and Dante is gone. We refuel. We bounce back,” Simpson said. “We’re smaller than last year, but we’re faster and we can rotate and we just continue to move forward 100 mph.”

With 2:42 left in the second quarter, Townsend pushed Homestead’s lead to 12-0 when he escaped a sack and was able to find Broncos wide receiver Kevin Cascuda wide open in the back corner of the end zone for an easy score.

Townsend finished of 12 of 18 for 107 yards and two touchdowns, and also ran for 78 yards on 15 carries.

MORE SCORES

Thursday: Booker T. Washington 48, Killian 12; Braddock 43, Mourning 0; Coral Gables 14, American 13; South Miami 20, Coral Reef 8; HML 20, Reagan 14; Piper 47, Cooper City 9; Everglades 44, Taravella 0; Flanagan 20, Nova 0; South Plantation 27, Coral Glades 18; University School 13, Coral Springs Charter 9; Avant Garde Academy 68, Somerset Key 3.

This story was originally published August 25, 2022 at 11:29 PM.