Wellington pulls last-gasp upset

Ahead for most of the game, ninth-ranked Palm Beach Gardens struggled to put Wellington away on Friday night.

The Wolverines ultimately made the Gators pay, scoring twice in the second half, including the winning touchdown with just four seconds remaining, to pull off the 20-17 upset.

Quarterback Austin Wallace led the Wolverines (4-4), completing 19 passes for 227 yards. But no pass was bigger than Wallace’s last to Abran Perez, who battled defenders to make the winning catch.

“He made a play and caught it over top of everybody,” coach Tom Abel said.

Abel praised his squad’s decision-making during the final drive, which started around midfield with less than two minutes remaining after a 20-yard Gators punt.

“We wanted to be strategic about it, and I feel that we were,” he said.

Wallace’s quick-decision passes, often targeting Perez, defined the Wolverines’ offensive scheme the entire night. Perez was Wallace’s favorite target, with nine catches for 95 yards.

The Wellington line did its part, keeping Gardens’ defensive line — which boasts Louisville commit Jarrett Jackson — from recording a sack.

The Wallace-led offense jelled in the quarterback’s second game back from injury, Abel said.

“We got our confidence back because we got our quarterback back,” Abel said.

Wallace also connected with Aniik McKenzie for a 70-yard touchdown pass with 3:33 remaining.

Wallace did, however, throw a pair of interceptions, to Wisney Jean and Dequan Walker, which contributed to Gardens’ 10-0 lead at halftime.

Gardens scored on Jeff Olsen’s 30-yard field goal and an 18-yard touchdown pass from Chris Sancilio to Deont’e Cooley.

The Wolverines’ other TD came on a 2-yard run from Mark Anthony Richards in the third quarter. He finished with 14 carries for 65 yards.

“That was our signature win for the year,” Abel said. “We needed that.”