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Miami Palmetto stifles Western in preseason clash
Western receiver Shamarr Wright catches a pass in front of Miami Palmetto’s Robert Hanna on Thursday during the first half of their preseason Kickoff Classic game. Palmetto’s defense recorded a TD and a safety in a 23-0 victory.
DAVIE — Expectations are high for Western this year, but the Wildcats’ preseason matchup with a fellow tough Class 8A opponent did not go as well as they would have liked.
Western’s offense never found a way to beat Miami Palmetto’s defense, and the Wildcats fell 23-0 to the Panthers in their kickoff classic in Davie on Thursday night.
“They’re one of the best defenses we’re going to face,” Western coach Adam Ratkevich said. “We told our guys coming in, ‘You’re really not going to face anybody better. You might face somebody different.’ We knew coming in what type of defense we were playing against.”
The two teams both boast star defensive players in the secondary. The Panthers have a pair of fourstar cornerbacks in Corey Collier and Jason Marshall, while the Wildcats have senior Miami commit Justin Hodges, five-star junior safety James Williams and several other Division-I caliber defensive backs.
Palmetto and Western traded defensive stops for much of the first quarter, as the teams’ loaded defenses kept the offenses off the board.
The first two Panthers scores came by way of their defense. Senior defensive back Robert Hanna, a Syracuse commit, picked off an errant pass from Western quarterback Cedquan Smith and returned it for a touchdown. Later in the first half, Palmetto’s defense sacked Smith in his end zone for a safety.
Western’s defense proved capable of stopping Palmetto’s offense, as well. Hodges broke up a pass in the end zone on a thirddown, red-zone pass, and the Wildcats forced a fumble on another Panthers red-zone opportunity.
“Overall, a lot of sacks, a lot of good, negative-yardage plays from our defense,” Ratkevich said. “Obviously, I would’ve liked a few more turnovers like we had in our scrimmage last Saturday, but again, we’re going to get back to the drawing board and get better.”
Palmetto finally ended an offensive possession in the end zone as time expired in the first half. Quarterback Kevin Smith hit Marshall in the end zone to put the Panthers ahead 16-0. It was the only offensive touchdown of the game for either team.
Marshall took Palmetto’s second pick-six to the end zone on an errant pass from freshman Collin Hurst early in the fourth quarter, giving the Panthers their final 23-0 lead.
“Turnovers, at any level, is the quickest way to lose a football game,” Ratkevich said. “I think we’re going to correct some things with our quarterbacks, especially on making better decisions with the ball.”