American Heritage edges East St. Louis in overtime thriller; Palmetto dominates Mater Academy

American Heritage’s Patriots narrowly escaped a late comeback by East St. Louis, securing a 35-28 overtime victory in a matchup hosted at Plantation. The Patriots dominated through three quarters, building what appeared to be an insurmountable lead before their visitors mounted a furious rally that forced the extra period.

Tremaine Mullen’s short touchdown run gave American Heritage an early 12-0 advantage in the second quarter. The Patriots extended their lead to 21-0 in the third quarter when quarterback Nieman Lawrence connected with 6-foot-5 receiver Tray Proctor on a touchdown pass, with Lawrence evading defensive pressure before finding his target in the end zone.

East St. Louis responded with two quick scoring drives that brought the contest to parity. Reece Shanklin’s 42-yard touchdown pass to Ronnie Gomiller down the sideline knotted the score at 28-28, sending the game to overtime.

In the extra period, Lawrence engineered the decisive drive, using play-action to deceive the defense before finding Michael Stringer wide open for a touchdown that put American Heritage ahead 35-28. Safety Jaytoin Thomas sealed the victory with an interception on East St. Louis’s possession.

Elsewhere in Miami-Dade County, Palmetto’s Panthers dismantled Mater Academy at Tropical Park. Facing third-and-20 in the first quarter, quarterback Jamison Larsen launched an 80-yard touchdown pass to Kaden Howard, who raced into the end zone for an early lead. Larsen struck again moments later, connecting with Jefftavious Lyons as Palmetto surged to a commanding 27-0 advantage.