- November 27, 2024
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Bucs overcome refs, moves on
Mainland’s second-round playoff victory (11-1) over Heritage (Palm Bay) was no run-of-the-mill rout. They fought from beginning to end hold off the Panthers 21-14 Friday, Nov. 20, at Municipal Stadium.
On their first possession of the game, the Bucs reached Heritage’s seven-yard line, but a rare string of consecutive penalties reversed two touchdown passes and eventually back Mainland up to the Heritage 43-yard line, where the Bucs punted the ball away.
“I just had to keep the team up and keep them with a positive attitude,” Denzel Houston said. “We calmed down and started playing like Mainland.”
When the Panthers got the ball back, they moved down field and scored on a 24-yard quarterback keeper.
On the Bucs’ ensuing possession, quarterback Denzel Houston, on fourth down, eluded two defenders in the back field and scrambled for a 24-yard score of his own to tie the game. Just before halftime, Heritage would find the end zone again to go up a touchdown at the break.
Forcing Heritage to punt on its first possession, Randy Baker returned it all the way to the Panthers’ 16-yard line, and Houston found Baker on the next play for a touchdown pass to tie the game.
After picking up a first down on a fake punt attempt, the Panthers’ fumbled, and Mainland recovered the ball on its 34. A big Adrian Killins’ run put the Bucs inside the Panthers’ 20, and Houston finished the drive off with another elusive quarterback keeper that went for 10 yards to give Mainland the go-ahead score in the third quarter.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, both teams swapped fumbles, Houston got hit as he was throwing the ball, and Heritage recovered the fumble with four minutes remaining in the game, at the Panthers’ 26.
Once the Panthers reached midfield with a first down, Mainland’s defense held on third down, but a defensive holding penalty was called that gave Heritage a first down at Mainland’s 35-yard line. In the following down sequence, the Bucs forced a fourth down, and, when the quarterback overthrew his receiver by five yards, the ref threw his flag for another penalty against Mainland, which gave Heritage a first down at the 19 with a minute left.
Corner back Ronnie Stokes, who had a touchdown-saving tackle on Mainland’s first fumble earlier in the fourth quarter, made another tackle of the same magnitude, when he stopped the quarterback at the six. With less than 20 secs remaining, Mainland pulled down the quarterback, and they batted the Panthers’ last pass, which ended the game.
“When things got tough, I told my boys, “Let’s go!” Stokes said. “I just started getting this feeling that I couldn’t let my seniors down, so, when we got back on the field, my main thing was just do my job, and I did that, when the play came to me.”
The Bucs’ have a familiar foe awaiting them in the third round, Miami Central, who has knocked them out of the playoffs three times in the last five years.
