The Palmetto Tigers would get their first win of the season after shutting out the Countryside Cougars in a 27-0 win.
For coach Dave Marino, it felt good to come out and get a win, regardless of it being a non-district game, after losing to Lakewood 20-13 in the BHSN Game of the Week six days ago.
“We just had to go out there and protect the ball, which was kind of our downfall last week,” said Marino. “When we played them (Lakewood), we were winning 13-7 in the fourth quarter and when our QB threw a pick, that was demoralizing and it totally killed our defense.
"We wanted to get to the fourth quarter and have something for the team to rally on.”
The Tigers would dominate the first half, after Joshua Hicks would score the first two touchdowns of the game as Palmetto raced out to a 13-0 halftime advantage.
According to Marino, although the game remained in their favor, it was not over yet.
“Even going into the second half for this game, I remind them to remain hungry for the last 24 minutes of the game. Anything could have happened," Marino said.
It turned out that the Tigers would dominate the second half. In the third quarter, Simon Williams would get the first touchdown after a 20-yard pass from quarterback Sean Allison. After an interception by German Edizon, Hicks would gain his third touchdown of the night, making the final score 27-0.
“We really came together as a team tonight,” said Allison. “We just wanted this win more tonight than we have ever have. It’s always great to have someone like (Josh) Hicks on your line. He is a great running threat and has to be respected by all the defense.
"He opens up a lot things on so many different play actions.”
Both teams will be away next Friday when Countryside (2-1) will face the Northeast Vikings, while Palmetto (1-2) will be at North Port.