Terry’s three touchdowns and a late surge lead Miami Palmetto over Miami Edison

Varian Terry left gloves grasping air as he tricked tacklers and found the end zone three times to help Palmetto hold off Edison for a 41-24 win Thursday at Tropical Park.

The Panthers (5-2) struggled to slow down the Red Raiders (4-4) running game through the first two quarters, but later suffocated their ground attack and used a run of 21-unanswered points in the fourth quarter to secure their fourth-consecutive victory.

“In the second half we came to play,” said Panthers defensive lineman Davion Dixon, who logged two and a half sacks and a fumble recovery.

Red Raiders quarterback Emmanuel Poitier threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Jaylen Moore to start the scoring in the second quarter.

Terry stole back momentum with an 86-yard kickoff return just seconds later. Quarterback Andre Bailey fed Cameron Sapp with a 10-yard touchdown pass later in the quarter for the Panthers’ first lead.

Sterling Joseph then ran for a 55-yard score and Edison led 14-13 at halftime. The Panthers then bottled up Joseph, who had 110 yards at the break, holding the elusive running back to 65 yards in the second half.

“That young man is one of the best running backs in all of Florida,” Panthers coach Mike Manasco said. “Man, he played well. We kinda caught on to what they were doing in the second half.”

Terry scored on two 16-yard runs in the final two quarters. Joseph scored from the same distance late in the third quarter to give the Red Raiders a 24-20 advantage, but they never scored again.

Panthers running back Ethan Lopez started the 21-point surge with a 1-yard touchdown run. Sapp followed with a 22-yard touchdown catch. Terry then sealed the game by finding the end zone for the final time with 52 seconds remaining.

Bailey completed 10 of 14 passes for 89 yards and two scores for the Panthers. Terry totaled 114 yards from scrimmage, while Lopez chipped in 85. Joseph rumbled for 175 rushing yards in the loss.

“We knew the type of team we are,” Terry said. “We weren’t playing to our potential. We just had to lock in and play our best ball.”

The Panthers will next face Miami High (3-4) at Southridge at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 25. The Red Raiders will battle Homestead (3-3) at Traz on Oct. 24 at 3:30 p.m.

This story was originally published October 18, 2024 at 6:49 AM.