Miami Southridge shows off its depth in victory over rival Palmetto
Miami Southridge’s football team started its season playing a game against Columbus that was delayed over three days and it hasn’t even had a chance to finish.
The Spartans seem to have found some continuity since.
They showed it on Thursday night at Tropical Park building a 24-point first-half lead and eventually hanging on for a 34-24 victory over Miami Palmetto.
“It was an exciting night and (Palmetto) made the game really interesting and they always have a competitive spirit,” Southridge coach Pierre Senatus said. “Our quarterback had a great night and we’re finding our running game.”
Southridge (2-0) followed up a 63-22 win over Goleman last week with another strong overall performance on offense.
Quarterback James Perrone threw for over 200 yards and three touchdown passes including two in the first half.
Travis Gamble Jr. ran for 105 yards on 10 carries and a touchdown.
Southridge’s defense also produced two turnovers, which led to points in the first half including a 93-yard interception return for a touchdown by sophomore King Gage to put the Spartans ahead 20-3.
But Senatus knows his team must become more consistent at finishing games.
Palmetto, led by quarterback Andre Bailey, who threw two touchdown passes and ran for another, kept the Panthers (1-1) in the game after Southridge extended its lead to 27-3 on Perrone’s 35-yard touchdown pass to junior tight end Trae Proctor.
Bailey’s 32-yard touchdown pass to Conneilus Miller Jr. cut the deficit to 10 with 8:13 left.
But Southridge’s defense forced a punt on Palmetto’s ensuing drive and then its special teams blocked a field goal with 13 seconds left to seal the victory.
“Defensively we had a couple of injuries and we had to be resilient,” Senatus said. “We had a lot of mental mistakes and a lot of cleaning up, but we’re excited for the process. We’re finding ways to find wins.”
Proctor, a 6-5, 215-pound three-star prospect who transferred from Miami Norland, is already making an impact on Southridge’s offense. He finished with four catches for 122 yards and a second touchdown catch in the second half from 44 yards out.
Jakhari Johnson also took a short screen pass from Perrone and raced 76 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter.
“He’s starting to find his groove and Jakhari Johnson is a monster to deal with,” Senatus said. “Nothing like playing. Reps get you better.”
This story was originally published September 5, 2025 at 9:25 AM.
