By: J. Daniel Pearson
Positively Osceola
Nydrell Thigpen rushed for 158 yards and a touchdown and the Gateway defense turned away a late two-point conversion as the Panthers got off to 1-0 start with a 13-12 win over Lake Minneola.
“It was pretty much the type of game I expected,” Panthers coach Marlin Roberts said. “Lake Minneola brought in a new coach last year and he has already started to turn that program around. I knew it would be a struggle.”
That struggle started early, when quarterback Gianni Barzotti ‘s deep pass down the right sideline on the second play of the game was tipped by a Gateway defender into the hands of Eric Moore for a 55-yard touchdown and a 6-0 Minneola lead.
One series later, the Hawks blocked a punt and had a first down at the Gateway 32. A 12-yard run by Jamar Collis gave Minneola a first and goal on the Panthers 8, but a sack by Tavian Martinez pushed the ball back to the 12 and three plays later the Hawks turned the ball over on downs to keep it a one-score game.
A long Panthers’ drive, paced by Thigpen’s 44 yards rushing and a 30-yard pass from Aristotle Span Jr. to Johnny Reyes II, gave Gateway the ball on Hawk 6. Two plays later the Panthers handed the ball back to the Hawks on a fumble during a muffed handoff.
But the Panther defense would hold and a short punt put them back in business on the plus-side of the field. Thigpen’s 8-yard run tied the game and the conversion put the Panthers ahead, 7-6.
Midway through the third quarter, the Panthers upped the lead to 13-12 as Span directed a nine-play 55-yard drive capped off by his own three-yard run.
Lake Minneola got one more chance to steal the game late in the fourth quarter. Taking over on his own 15 after a punt, Barzotti converted two fourth down plays – moving the Hawks down to the Panthers 38 with under two minutes to go. After an illegal substitution penalty put the ball to the 33, Barzotti found Moore again in the end zone to cut the lead to 13-12. Electing to go for two and the win, Barzotti was hurried by the Panther line on a pass attempt that sailed high.
Gateway recovered the on-sides kick and ran out the clock.
“Hats off to the defense tonight. That stop on Lake Minneola’s second possession was tremendous, as was the goal line stand and the stop on the two-point conversion. We knew 22 (Jamar Collins) was a great back and we pretty much bottled him up after the first quarter,” Roberts said. “Offensively, I can’t say enough about Thigpen and how hard he runs. He just doesn’t go down on first contact.”
Moore, who scored two touchdowns, finished with 151 receiving yards on eight catches. But Collins, who had 37 yards on his first six carries, managed just four more yards on his next 12 attempts. The Gateway defense forced two turnovers, had two sacks and eight other tackles-for-loss.
It was the Panthers first season-opening win since 2022 and set up a road game next week against Colonial (1-1), a 14-0 winner over Cypress Creek on Friday.
In other action on Friday night, Osceola (1-1) bounced back from their loss to St. Cloud with a 34-7 win over Poinciana; Tohopekaliga (1-1) evened its record with a 18-0 win over Pine Ridge; Nova Lakes won its first game in history with a 25-0 win over Liberty; Celebration (0-2) dropped a 39-0 decision to Tavares (1-1); Victory Christian sent Harmony (1-1) down to its first loss, 20-0; while St. Cloud traveled to Georgia, losing to Marietta, 42-7.
