Micah McFadden has been the heart of the Plant Panther defense all season.

A senior leader who’s crushed the competition, with 177 tackles heading into Friday's regional final playoff game against Lakeland, including 36 tackles for a loss.

But nothing could have prepared him for the biggest moment of his football life.

“I put my hand in the dirt, and I like felt myself shaking,” McFadden said.  “It was so exciting.  And I was like, holy smokes- here it is:  the last play.  Let’s go do it.”

You see, McFadden, who had just four carries during the regular season, was being brought in as a goal line back with the season on the line.

The Panthers had the ball at the one yard line, trailing by three with 12.9 seconds left and no timeouts.

“I’m standing over there on the sideline, and he’s just like, ‘Micah, you’re in!’  I didn’t know if I was blocking or something.  And he called the play- the dive to me.”

McFadden stepped up to the challenge- scoring his second touchdown of the game- a play that gave Plant a 22-18 come-from-behind win and moved the Panthers into the state’s Elite Eight.

At a school that’s seen its share of dramatic playoff moments, this was one of the biggest.

“If I had to put my life in someone’s hands, I would put it in Micah’s hands,” Plant head coach Robert Weiner said.  And that was our football lives right there.  If the play had not worked, I could have gone home that night and I would have fallen asleep just fine knowing that I went to bat with my best kid, my best football player, I think the best defensive football player in the state of Florida.”

“Everybody’s jumping around,” McFadden said.  “It’s just a great feeling to know you’ve come from behind and you’re surviving another week.”

For McFadden and his teammates, it’s a moment that will survive- and thrive- in their minds forever.