_{October 17th, 2025}
by Josh Zedner
Miami, Fla. | “Bulls Run Past the Panthers”

Florida Man Sports is back with more Week 9 coverage of the South Florida high school football season! We’re coming at you with another GMAC week matchup. Tonight’s contest was the 3rd place game between the Palmetto Panthers and the Northwestern Bulls. Both teams came into the contest at 6-1 so this was sure to be a highly anticipated bout.

Palmetto started the game with the ball but the Bull defense was ready from the jump. 2027 DT Jaylen Thanis and 2026 DB Tedarius Hughes (FSU commit) combined for a sack that eventually led to a 3 and out. The West had great field position and began their drive with a first down connection between 2028 QB Neimann Lawrence and 2026 WR Nicsaint Joseph Jr. (FAU commit). But the drive was stalled after a PBU by 2026 LB Prince Smith, and the Bulls missed a field goal. A huge early stop for the Panthers.

Palmetto got a drive going after a couple of first downs converted by 2026 QB Andre Bailey (1 scramble, 2 first-down passes to 2026 WR Connelius Miller Jr. (Eastern Michigan commit)). But after a couple of TFLs by 2026 LB Shane Rochelle and 2027 LB/DE Christian Essix, the Panthers were forced to punt again.

Lawrence and the Bulls once again drove the ball down the field through some 1st down passes to 2027 WR Nick Lennear and 2026 RB Tarvail Mathis. 2026 RB Irwin James also ran for a first down in the redzone. But once again, the Palmetto defense stood up. The combined efforts of 2027 DB Armond Weston (sack) and 2026 DB Elijah Tillman (TFL) forced Northwestern to turn the ball over on downs.

After another first down connection between Bailey and Miller Jr., the Panthers next drive stalled out again after a TFL from 2026 DB Keondre Ponton. 2026 EDGE Brandon Howard had a TFL for Palmetto on the next drive and then 2026 DB Kevin White Jr. picked off Lawrence to give the Panthers prime position. This Palmetto defense was just not giving in to the stars of Northwestern!

Nothing was done on the next drive. 2026 DT Roderick McFadden batted a ball down at the line of scrimmage and Palmetto turned it over on downs. After another sack by Weston, the Bulls final drive of the half stalled out and we were stuck at 0-0 at halftime. Truly a defensive slugfest.

Out of the half, the defenses picked up right where they left off. White Jr. broke up a bomb thrown to 2026 WR Calvin Russell Jr. (Syracuse commit). And for the West, Ponton and 2026 DB Percy Santos broke up passes and Thanis and 2026 LB Adrian Ellis combined for a sack to force yet another punt.

Finally, Lawrence and the offense broke through. After gutting through nearly 3 scoreless quarters, Lawrence and 2027 RB Ryan Mathis ran for first downs. And after a slip by the defensive back, Lawrence connected with 2026 WR Marcus Dumont in the endzone to break the scoreless seal.

Palmetto just struggled to get anything going on offense. They went 3 and out again on their next drive. The Bulls after breaking the seal, got comfortable on offense. Lawrence got two more first downs. One through his legs. One connection with Dumont. Then Mathis rumbled. He broke through multiple arm tackles and had a mean run to the endzone to extend the lead out to 14-0. A key insurance score.

Palmetto just couldn’t get a first down in the second half. They went 3 and out yet again. And things got bleaker. As Lawrence found his alpha in Russell. They got a first down. And after a holding penalty took away a touchdown, Lawrence rewarded the man with another dime in the back of the endzone. Which put this game out of reach at 21-0 in the middle of the 4th.

McFadden and Rochelle (TFL too) delivered punishing sacks. Hughes picked off Bailey. And Lawrence threw for one more score to Lennear on the West’s last possession. The final score in this one was 28-0, in favor of Northwestern.

The score line is a bit deceiving in this game, as it was a lot closer than the final score would indicate. It took a while, but Lawrence and the Bulls offense finally got humming late in the 3rd and never looked back. Yes, this is an absolutely loaded roster. 2026 EDGE Jordan Campbell (Miami commit) wasn’t even playing in this one. The receivers are all great. The running backs run hard. This was a very good test for these guys tonight and they got past it. Credit to the defense for achieving the shutout. They will finish the regular season with a game against St. Brendan next week.

I have to applaud the effort that the Palmetto defense gave in this game. They were very much bend but not break for the vast majority of the game. They were overall fantastic despite the 3 scores in the 4th quarter. But the offense on the other hand, was another story. There was no running game at all despite two quality runners in 2026 RB Varian Terry and 2027 RB Aiden Butler. Truly no holes were opened up. And Bailey was running for his life for pretty much the entire game. I am still of the belief that this is a very good Palmetto team this season. They just ran into a buzzsaw defense. Palmetto will play Miami High on the road next Friday.

FINAL SCORE:
Northwestern beats Palmetto 28-0

Florida Man Sports Player of the Game:

2028 QB Neimann Lawrence (3 Passing TDs)


About Josh Zedner:
Joshua Zedner is a beat writer covering high school football for Florida Man Sports. A native of Miami Beach, he attended Florida International University before finishing his undergraduate Business Administration degree at the University of Florida. Josh is an avid Miami sports fan, and he also writes a music review blog as a passion project under the @AlbumAnalysisWithZ handle on Instagram.