Palmetto beats Columbus for first time in playoffs to advance to regional final
The lights went out at Tropical Park as Palmetto ran out the clock on its long-awaited 27-10 win against Columbus in the Region 4-7A semifinals Friday in Miami, but the outage, even though it delayed the final whistle, did not delay the Panthers’ celebration.
Music blared across public address system while officials, coaches and administrators tried to sort out how they’d finish up the last 1:45 of Palmetto’s monumental win and a dance party broke out on the Panthers’ sidelines, complete with miniature mosh pits and cellphone flashlights acting as strobe lights. A few minutes passed and eventually Mike Manasco called the mob to order.
“We’ll have plenty of time to celebrate,” the Palmetto coach said. “I need first offense on the field to take a knee.”
The Panthers broke into cheers and sent their offense back onto the field for one final play: a kneeldown with no defense on the field and police officers and administrators arced around the offensive players to shine a light on the action. The ending was unusual, but far from unsatisfying: For the first time ever, Palmetto took down the Explorers in the postseason.
The Panthers (10-2) are headed back to the region championship for the first time since 2021, when they lost to Columbus with a chance to make a second straight state semifinal. Palmetto will host Goleman in the Region 4-7A championship next Friday back in Miami, now with a chance to reach the final four for only the second time in program history.
The Gators, who are also in the middle of their best season in program history, will provide a challenge next week, but no one in Pinecrest shied away from the significance of the Panthers’ win this week.
Manasco has been the coach since 2013 and never beaten the Explorers in the playoffs until Friday. Palmetto was 0-3 in the postseason against Columbus, with losses in 2018, 2021 and 2022. For most of the last decade, the Panthers and Explorers have been the top two teams in Miami-Dade County in their classification, and yet Columbus has won three state championships and Palmetto hasn’t even been to one—the Panthers’ deepest-ever postseason run in 2020 also happened in a season when the Explorers sat out in the Florida High School Athletic Association playoffs because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Palmetto felt like this was probably its best shot yet to take down Columbus (4-8) and the Panthers delivered.
“They’ve been so good for so long. They’ve really stretched us thin at Palmetto because they’ve been our one hurdle,” Manasco said. “To have this year and to have this moment, and to have this opportunity—it means everything for these kids.”
Palmetto scored on its opening drive and never trailed. The Panthers leaned on their running game, and Aiden Butler exploded for 178 yards and four touchdowns on 22 carries. The Explorers’ only two scoring drives came with short fields—once when they started at Palmetto’s 31-yard line after an interception and had to settle for a field goal, and once when they started at their own 43 after a short punt.
The Panthers took a 13-10 lead into halftime, then pulled away in the second half, getting two more touchdown runs from Butler in the third and fourth quarters while shutting out Columbus on the other end of the field. The Explorers’ only consistent source of offense was running back Shawn James, who ran for 92 yards and Columbus’ lone touchdown on 19 carries, plus three catches for 11 yards.
Butler was the offense’s consistent driving force, and he capped his career-best performance with one last big play: After Butler scored his third touchdown with 53 seconds left in the third quarter to put Palmetto up 20-10, the Panthers forced a three-and-out and got the ball back at their own 24 with a chance to all but end the game with a touchdown; on the first play of the drive, Butler hit a hole and outran the defense for a 76-yard touchdown run.
“I just realized I needed to score and my team needed me in that moment,” the junior said, “and I capitalized where I needed to be at, and it got us the win.”
The celebration at the end of the game was raucous, but not long. As important as this was for them, the Panthers can’t have it be their last or else this historic victory will go for naught.
A signature win, even against the Explorers, won’t guarantee Palmetto its first state title or even a trip back to the final four. Those sorts of accomplishments, however, wouldn’t have been possible without one.
“We’re staying levelheaded always,” Butler said. “We’re going week by week. We’re only focusing on one week at a time.”
