(Pictured: Plant quarterback Robert Marve. Times photo - Brian Cassella.)
By DAVID MURPHY
Times Staff Writer
MIAMI -- One year from now, Robert Marve will be playing in stadiums bigger than this, in front of crowds more numerous as this, in situations more pressure-packed than this.
But if he can come up half as big as he came up in the Class 4A Championship game Saturday afternoon, he'll have nothing to worry about.
The senior quarterback capped off his high school career in brilliant fashion, throwing for three touchdowns and leading the Panthers on a game-winning touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter as Plant beat Nease 25-21 to win its first ever state football title.
Throughout the second half, Plant watched a 17-0 lead slip away. Nease took its first lead of the game with 3:02 remaining as quarterback Ted Stachitas' 10-yard touchdown run put the Panthers up 21-17.
That's when Marve took over.
The senior calmly led Plant on a 12-play, 78-yard march down the field, completing 6-of-7 passes and breaking off an 18-yard run. His 19-yard completion to Derek Winter set up a game-winning 5-yard pass to Winter in the end zone with 17 seconds left.
Plant bucked conventional wisdom, going for 2 instead of kicking the extra point. The conversion was successful, which proved critical as Nease returned the ensuing kickoff to the Plant 23-yard line. Trailing by four, Nease was forced to go for a touchdown with three seconds remaining, and Plant linebacker Patrick Carter sacked Stachitas to end the game.
For the game, Marve completed 29-of-44 passes for 276 yards, with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Winter finished with 11 receptions for 114 yards and tow touchdowns. Thompson Brandes had seven catches for 77 yards, while Cornelius Gallon had seven catches for 55 yards.
For Nease, Stachitas rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. He completed just 7-of-15 passes for 175 yards and was intercepted twice. He did have completions of 48 and 57 yards.
Weiner Brilliant! Plant Wins!
I have no earthly idea why Weiner decided to go for two after scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 17 seconds left, but the Panthers converted, and Nease was forced to go for a touchdown after returning the ensuing kickoff to the Plant 23-yard line. If Plant had gone for one, or failed to convert the 2, Nease could have attempted a 40-yard field goal to tie or win.
Then, on the final play, Plant blitzed Stachitas rather than sitting back in a prevent. Patrick Carter ended up sacking him, sealing the victory for Plant. Stay tuned for complete post-game coverage from Joey Knight, Scott Purks, John Romano and David Murphy live from Dolphins Stadium. We'll have post-game analysis and statistics, and whatever else we can dig up here from Dolpins Stadium/
End of Game
Weiner Brilliant?
Three seconds left.
Nease just returned the kickoff to the Plant 23. But they can't go for a field goal because of Weiner's call to go for 2. Stay tuned.
(Pictured: Plant's Patrick Carter sacks Nease quarterback Ted Stachitas. Times photo - Brian Cassella.)
The Game-Winning Play?
Plant did a great job of getting Derek Winter isolated on a cornerback. Winter then did a great job, running an in-and-out route, beating his man to the outside. Marve then made a terrific pass, right on the money, and Winter hauled it in for the score. Plant made an interesting call to go for 2.
The Drive?
17 seconds left.
12 plays, 78 yards 2:45 seconds, 4-yard pass from Marve to Winter with 17 seconds left.
1st-and-Goal, 4-yard-line, 25 seconds remaining
Wow. Plant just dodged a bullet there. Marve decided to run for the first down himself, but fumbled at the end. Plant recovered.
What a Throw
0:35, Fourth Quarter
That, my friends, is a big-time player making a big-time play. Nease brought a linebacker and a cornerback on a blitz. Plant picked it up perfectly, Marve slid to an opening in his protection and fired a bullet to Derek Winter on the 7-yard line. 3rd-and-2.
Marve Sacked
1:02 remaining
2nd and 21 on the 26-yard line. Huge sack for Nease.
Zebras?
Don't want to seem like I'm dissing Plant here, but that was an awful, awful, awful call by the referee calling a personal foul on a Nease defensive back on an incomplete pass. These referees need to keep their flags in their pockets and their whistles around their necks, especially in situations like this.
Plant: 2nd-and-5 on the Nease 23-yard line with 1:28 remaining.
Recipe For a Legend
1 21-17 point deficit
2:55 remaining
1 Senior Quarterback
78 yards
Combine. Wait for result.
We'll see what happens.
Plant Is Lucky There is No Replay in High School Football
Because Nease recovered a fumble on the kickoff return. Not sure why the referee ruled it was Plant's ball, but he did.
Wowzers
3:02, Fourth Quarter
Not sure how Ted Stachitas stayed on his feet, but he did, and he capped off a 7-play, 41-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown run that has shocked the Plant Panthers here late in the fourth quarter of the Class 4A Championship.
Marve's Second Mistake
5:50, Fourth Quarter
OK, maybe I spoke to soon. Another poor decision by Marve to throw into triple coverage. One could argue it was as good as a punt would have been, but that's probably not entirely accurate. Nease is just gashing Plant's defense now while running out of its spread, shotgun sets.
Koooooooze-dale!
7:56, Fourth Quarter
Don't worry, Chris. They're not booing. They're saying, "Kooooooooooz-dale." The senior safety just keeps making big plays. As good as Marve has been all postseason, this kid is as big a reason as any that Plant is still alive. Let me tell you, that Plant receiver was wide open in the back left corner of the end zone. I mean, wide open. I don't even know where Kuzdale came from. Nease quarterback Ted Stachitas waited a little too long to throw the ball, but still. What a play by Kuzdale, who came sweeping over to make a one-handed interception, single-handedly keeping Nease on top in this championship game. It's Kuzadel's fifth interception in the last three games.
(Pictured: Plant receiver Luke Rorech. Times photo - Brian Cassella.)
Uh-Oh
8:30, Fourth Quarter
I can honestly say that is the first true mental mistake I have seen Robert Marve make this postseason. But it was a huge one. A Nease interception of an ill-advised pass killed a Plant drive and has Nease threatening in Plant territory. Zach Tronti just broke off a huge run that has Nease with a first down on the Plant 20-yard line.
Marve Breaks Another Record
Marve entered the game needing 219 yards to break Tim Tebow's single-season passing yardage record. He just did that and now has 229 yards passing on the day.
Fourrrrrrrrrrrrth!!!
Hold up those fingers. 12 minutes separate Plant from jubiliation or disappointment. The Panthers have a 17-14 lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter here at Dolphins Stadium. They have a first down on their own 23-yard line. Please keep all hands, feet and other objects inside the vehicle before it comes to a complete stop. Thanks.
This Just In: It's a Ballgame Again
Nease is 5-of-6 on fourth-down conversions for the game now that quarterback Ted Stachitas has just bowled into the end zone on a 1-yard-quarterback sneak for a touchown. Nease has scored 14 straight points since falling behind 17-14 and is looking like it has figured out Plant's defense. This is a pivotal possession: Plant needs to score and staunch a little bit of the momentum that Nease has gained. Conversely, if Nease can come up with a stop and tie or tak ethe lead, the pressure on Plant will increase tremendously.
Already people in the press box here are talking about last night's Lakeland-St. Thomas Aquinas game, when Lakeland squandered a 21-point lead before winning in overtime.
What do you do here?
Nease has fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Down 10 points. What do you do?
Ah, There You Are, Nease Offense. Where've You Been?
4:00, Third Quarter
The momentum here at Dolphins Stadium has swung decidedly. It started with a 57-yard completion on 1st-and-10 from deep in Nease territory that gave the Panthers a first down on the Plant 36-yard line. But it has continued, as Nease is steadly marching down the field, gashing Plant's offense with its running game. Currently, Nease has a 2nd-and-4 at the Plant 9-yard line.
A Huge Penalty
5:36, Third Quarter
An apparent 20-yard gain on 3rd-and-3 from the Nease 42-yard line was negated because of a holding penalty, forcing Plant into a 3rd-and-long that it failed to convert. Plant still leads 17-7, but it'll need to start putting up more points soon.
Plant Driving
6:29, Third Quarter
Nease had a little something going on its first drive of the second half, but Plant came up with a stop on fourth down and forced the Panthers to punt. The punt went out of bounds at the 2-yard line, but Plant is currently driving on the Nease 42-yard line.
Reactions From the First Half?
Don't know about you guys, but here's what I though of the first two quarters:
1) I have no idea why Nease thinks it can just sit back and stop Robert Marve. The Panthers need to blitz, blitz, blitz the quarterback. I realize this can be difficult against a five-wide, spread offense, but it's the only choice. Marve is simply too good. Give him time, and he'll pick you apart. Give Plant's offensive line credit: it has, for the most part, won the battle up front. But Nease needs to look elsewhere for its pressure. Ever since Plant picked up a Nease blitz in the first quarter and converted a 3rd-and-6, Nease has seem reluctant to blitz. But it can't be reluctant.
2) Nease defensive back Mario Butler's bone-crunching block of Plant linebacker Patrick Carter was the hardest hit I've seen of the post season. If I were picking a Slack's Hoagie Shack Whack of the Game (Which I'm not, because there are no Slack's Hoagie Shacks in Florida, and thus no Slack's Hoagie Shack sponsorship deals), that would be it.
3) Lovell Jackson had a solid first half. Though he only had three carries, he had a huge pick-up of the aforementioned blitz, giving Marve time to complete a third-down throw, and he had a huge 17-yard run that set up Plant's first touchdown.
4) Be aggressive. Be, be aggressive. I don't think this needs to be said, but I'll say it anyway: Plant needs to keep doing what it has been doing. Throwing the football, executing its offense, and trying to score points. The only way Nease has been able to stop the Plant offense has been by keeping it off the field. Plant needs to play as if the game is tied, not as if it has a 17-7 lead.
5) Adjustments: Plant doesn't need to make many. It's gameplan has worked perfectly. Nease needs to work on getting the ball out faster. Stachitas hasn't had bad protection, but he has struggled to find open receivers. Nease has had success with its screens and its short passing game. It needs to start relying more on its short game, and less on its intermediate-to-long game.
First Half Highlights:
Plant: Marve is 16-of-27 for 156 yards and two touchdowns. Derek Winter has seven catches for 73 yards.
Nease: Quarterback Ted Stachitis has rushed 15 times for 60 yards, but has struggled through the air.
For complete stats go to: http://www.fhsaa.org/livestats/xlive.htm
(Pictured: Plant linebacker Chris Breit (43) hits Nease quarterback Ted Stachitas. Times photo - Brian Cassella.)
Plant Drive Falters
Looks like that will do it. Plant's drive stalled on its own 42, and there are two seconds left in the first half. Looks like the first half will end this way.
Go For the Jugular or Stay Conservative?
What do you do here? 62 seconds before halftime, protecting a 17-7 lead: If you are Plant, do you give Marve free reign to try to drive the length of the field and add more points before halftime, or do you sit on the ball?
One thing is for sure: Nease desperately wants the ball back and would love to cut its deficit to one possession heading into the locker room (Nease receives the ball in the second half).
Kuzdale strikes again
He didn't score a touchdown, but Chris Kuzdale just recorded another interception, giving him four in Plant's last three games. Nease had just recovered an onsides kick when Stachitas attempted a deep throw. Kuzdale went up over the receiver and won a fight in the air for the ball, giving Plant a first down on its own 12-yard line with 1:10 remaining in the first half.
Marve Records Update
Marve has already set two records today: the touchdowns record detailed below, and also the single-season completions record. Marve has 16 completions today, giving him 265 for the year. The old record was 263.
Just what Nease needed
2:02, Second quarter
Two fourth-down conversions paid of for Nease as the Panthers scored a much-needed touchdown late in the second quarter to trim its deficit to 10 points. Quarterback Ted Stachitas hasn't had much success throwing, but managed to hook up with running back Graham Bates on a 20-yard touchdown pass.
Stachitas has been running the ball real well.
Desperation?
3:30, Second Quarter
Facing a 4th-and-4 in its own territory, Nease decided to go for it rather than punting away. The Panthers converted, but the sheer decision to go for it is pretty telling. I think Nease can feel this game slipping away from them.
Marve Breaks Tebow's Record
17-0, 5:06, Second Quarter
That didn't take long. A few minutes after tying Tebow's single-season touchdown record with 46, Marve hooked up with Cornellius Gallon on a 1-yard touchdown pass to break the record and give Plant a 17-0 lead.
Don't want to jinx all you Plant fans out there, but watching this game in person, it is obvious that Plant is the better team. A lot of that has to do with Marve, who has been absolutely on point today. But this has been a complete team efford thus far: the defense has been great, the offensive line has been solid, and the wide receivers have been thier usual dependable selves.
Plant Money on Third Down
5:46, Second Quarter
If Plant does indeed go on to win this game (The Panthers are leading 10-0), a big reason will be its performance on third down, both offensively and defensively. Robert Marve just hooked up with Luke Rorech on 3rd-and-10 to give Nease a first down inside the Nease 25-yard line. All of Plant's points have been scored thanks in part to critical third down conversions, and with 5:25 remaining and Plant on the Nease 5-yard line, it looks like that will be the case again.
Marve Ties Tebow's Record
11:04, Second Quarter
Two years ago, Tim Tebow set a state record with 46 touchdown passes while playing for Nease High. Just minutes ago, Robert Marve tied that record while playing against Nease High. The Plant quarterback connected with wide receiver Derek Winter on a quick slant in the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown pass that gave the Panthers a 10-0 lead. It was Marve's 46th touchdown pass of the season tying the record set by Tebow, who is currently a fresman quarterback at the University of Florida.
Marve's updated numbers for the game: 10/15, 101 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions.
First Quarter Analysis
Nease is doing its best to put pressure on Marve and is forcing him to deal with different looks in the secondary. It looks like this is going to be a common theme throughout the game. When Nease is able to knock Marve to the ground, it is successful. But when the senior quarterback has time, or is able to buy time with his feet, he has been his usual accurate self.
One other observation: I've seen Plant receivers drop a few balls already, which wasn't the case in the Panthers' two playoff wins. They'll need to rectify this as the game progresses.
(Pictured: Plant running back Lovell Jackson. Times photo - Brian Cassella.)
Plant 3, Nease 0
2:32, First Quarter
Robert Marve couldn't find anyone open on 3rd-and-long, and Plant was forced to settle for a 28-yard field goal with 2:32 remaining in the first quarter. The 13-play, 65-yard drive covered 5:08 of gameclock. And though it did not result in a touchdown, Plant's nerves are sure to be calmed by striking first in this championship game.
Lovin' Lovell
4:00, First quarter: A lot of attention will be paid toward Lovell Jackson's 17-yard run that gave plant a first down on the Nease 12-yard line, but the biggest play he made on the drive was on 3rd-and-7 from the Neast 47-yard line. Nease blitzed a linebacker from the strong side in hopes of forcing Marve into a bad decision or a quick throw (or both). But Jackson intercepted the blitz beautifully, giving Marve time to find Cornelius Gallon with a 10-yard strike for a first down.
Line play will be key
7:58, First Quarter: A nice stop by the Plant defense on 3rd-and-6 from the Nease 47. Nease QB Ted Stachitas has had plenty of time to throw on his first few attempts. Nease is huge up front. Keep on eye on that battle in the trenches, particularly as the game wears on.
Plant Could Have It's Hands Full Versus This Defense
Quick first impression: Nease does a lot of things scheme wise with its defense. That's not common for high school teams. Booker T. and Armwood both relied a lot on the athletes they had on the defensive side of the ball. Nease, however, has been changing things up along the line of scrimmage, creeping defensive backs up into the box, and sending blitzes. Marve was stuffed on a running attempt on 3rd-and-4. It will be interesting to see how Plant reacts.
1:05 p.m.
We're under way here at Dolphins Stadium. Plant has received the opening kickoff and will begin its first ever state championship game on its own 32-yard line.
Pre-Game Thoughts
1) Keep your eyes on Plant's defense: This Nease offense is a juggernaut. We've focused so much on Robert Marve and the Plant offense throughout this postseason, but the key to today's game lies on the other side of the ball. Remember, Plant struggled at times to stop Armwood and Booker T. Washington in its two postseason wins. The Panthers have been aided by big plays, most notably in terms of takeaways, but Nease quarterback Ted Stachitas has thrown just three interceptions al lseason and has completed 103-of-154 passses.
Statistically speaking, this Nease offense is the best they'll have faced all year, having outscored opponents 530-155.
2) Marve is the X-Factor: Top-to-bottom, Booker T. Washington was a more talented team than Plant. You could probably say the same thing about Armwood. But the presence of quarterback Robert Marve negated that athletic disadvantage in both games. We don't want to put too much pressure on this kid, but he has the ability to single-handedly take over a game.
3) Watch the first few possessions closely: Plant needs to get its nerves out of the way early. Nease is a little more experienced when it comes to championship games. Plant is appearing in its first. These are 16, 17, 18-year old kids. The nerves could very much be a factor.
PREDICTION:
Nease 38, Plant 31
(Pictured: Plant receiver Cornelius Gallon. Times photo - Brian Cassella.)
12:52 p.m.
Just got back from the field. The sun is out, the breeze isn't blowing too hard. . .it's a beautiful day for football.
12:23 p.m.
The weather looks to be clearing up, although the wind here in Dolphins Stadium is pretty strong. Plant is currently on the field warming up for the game. Robert Marve is at the 40-yard line throwing timing patterns with receivers. Ace Times reporter Joey Knight and I arrived at the stadium at about 11 a.m., and there were already Plant fans tailgating in the parking lot. Whatever they were cooking smelled pretty dang good.
Anyhow, I'm running down to the field for a few minutes. I'll come back with a report for you guys. I'll also have pre-game observations and predictions here, hopefully within a half an hour. Stay tuned. We'll be updating constantly throughout pre-game and the game.
9:37 a.m.
There are exactly 3:30 minutes until kickoff here on a gray day in Miami. If last night's Lakeland-Aquinas game was any indication, all you Plant fans are in for a doozy here today.
Make sure you tune in here to blogs.tampabay.com/preps for the best live coverage of the game you'll be able to find. We'll provide running play-by-play, commentary and analysis throughout the Class 4A Final, so if you aren't watching on TV, have no fear.
Even if you are watching on TV, keep your laptop handy as we make sense of what you are watching and provide you with updated statistics.
We'll start blogging from Dolphins Stadium Press Box (or the Joe Robbie Stadium Press Box, or the Pro Players Stadium Press Box, or whatever the heck it is called these days) at about 11 a.m.
Feel free to chime in with any questions about the game (How many yards has Lovell Jackson rushed for? What's the weather like? What do you think of the shirt Robert Weiner wore to the stadium today) are talk smack about the game here.
First thing's first: the weather could play a factor.
It is windy and drizzling right now, and it is expected to be windy with scattered showers throughout the day. Certainly not ideal conditions for a spread-formation, pass-heavy offensive attack.
But stay tuned. I'm pretty good at meteorology.
(Boca Ciega's Lamorya Daniels, Hooters' Tourney MVP. Times photo by Atoyia Deans. Click to enlarge)
