Pruitt, defense drive Miami Palmetto to win over Homestead for second season in a row
Corey Pruitt’s eyes never left the rain-splashed ball, watching it ricochet off hands before clasping a clutch interception to secure a tight victory over Homestead in Palmetto’s season opener at Tropical Park.
“As a team, we try to have each other’s back,” Pruitt said. “I saw my guys make a good play. I cleaned it up and finished the game for them.
“I’m a team player. That’s what I do.”
Pruitt logged two interceptions in the 14-10 triumph. The Panthers got off to a sloppy debut, fumbling the open kickoff, and struggled offensively, but leaned on their pass rush and ball-hawking secondary in the second half.
“We had a shaky start, but we came back and we finished it,” said Panthers quarterback Andre Bailey, who threw a go-ahead 40-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Sapp 3:30 into the fourth quarter.
Japhrece Joseph also logged an interception for the Panthers. Davion Dixon and Jerald James recorded sacks. Sapp totaled three catches for 71 yards. Bailey completed 7 of 14 passes for 83 yards.
“It meant a lot,” Sapp said. “We were down. I told them to get me the ball and let’s go.”
Quarterback Malachi Lewis threw a 13-yard pass to Malik Penson seconds after the Panthers muffed the opening kickoff, but the Broncos never found the end zone again. Lewis completed 11 of 21 passes for 138 yards in the loss.
Panthers running back Ethan Lopez scored on a 7-yard run in the second quarter, tying the score. Kicker Adrian Lima then made a 20-yard attempt to give the Broncos a 10-7 lead at halftime.
The Panthers defense proceeded to shut down the Broncos over the final 20 minutes, as rain emptied from the clouds. Dixon and James logged their sacks on consecutive third-quarter players, before the Panthers blocked a punt, fueling their late momentum.
The Panthers will play their second game at 7 p.m. Thursday vs. Booker T. Washington at Traz Powell Stadium. The Broncos will host South Dade at 7:30 p.m. next Friday at Harris Field.
This story was originally published August 23, 2024 at 11:57 PM.