PAHOKEE – Kerry Mullins Jr. and Lamar Powell are an amazing tag team unit.
It took only one play for them to be crowned our Breakthrough Players of Week 14. But they did a lot more than that for Pahokee in last week’s 32-27 home playoff win over Chiefland.
Let’s get right to it.
With the Chiefland Indians at the Blue Devils 7-yard line late in the fourth quarter, senior athlete Ty Corbin was doing everything he could to end Pahokee’s season. But after he completed a pass to one of his receivers, Powell met the player near the line of scrimmage and pounded him for a forced fumble.
From there, Mullins quickly scooped up the ball and took it to the Pahokee 15-yard line with 2:20 left in the game.
In hindsight, it was the game’s most crucial play on defense. Without the timely forced fumble and recovery to follow, it’s impossible to know what would have happened next.
The Mullins-Powell tandem helped to save Pahokee’s season and secure their team’s run to the Class 1A state title.
“I feel like I played a big part on the defensive side, recovering the game-sealing fumble recovery and giving my offense the momentum,” Mullins said. “And with a quarterback like Jermaine [Roberson], we put the game in his hands and he made it happen.”
Earlier in the fourth quarter, Roberson reached the end zone on a 5-yard quarterback sneak play with 11:21 left in the game. It proved to be the final score.
Going back to the Mullins-Powell duo, Mullins couldn’t help but to diffuse the credit to Powell for what transpired to preserve the Blue Devils win.
“The play he forced the fumble on, we was in Cover 3 and he had the flat responsibility,” Mullins said about Powell. “Ty Corbin threw on the flat route and Mario instantly shot towards the ball carrier. And by us doing the scoop and score drill all week in practice, it was kind of natural for him. He secured the tackle first and punched the ball out. I seen the ball bouncing on the ground and I hopped on it.”
Mullins was effusive of Powell’s overall talent and future potential.
“Mario is definitely a key contributor to the defense,” Mullins said. “He’s a hard worker on and off the field, and he’s only a baby in the 10th grade. I love watching Mario play throughout the playoffs. He’s forced at least eight fumbles. It’s gonna be exciting to watch him lead the defense for the next two years.”
Powell tallied six tackles, two fumble recoveries, and one pass breakup in last week’s win over Chiefland. But with that game officially in the rear view mirror, the attention is now on his team’s revenge against two-time defending Class 1A state champion Madison County.
In the eyes of Mullins – and likely his entire team – there’s one thing Pahokee must do in order to pull off a monumental upset over 28-point favorite Madison County.
“Stop the run,” Mullins said.
Madison County Cowboys senior running back Visonta Allen effectively stands in the way of Pahokee’s collective mission to win this year’s 1A state title. But Mullins is determined to do his part to remove what’s perhaps the final stumbling block to glory.
“He’s a good back and he got a good size on him,” Mullins said. “But it doesn’t intimidate me. I’ve seen bigger backs. I played against Thad Franklin from Chaminade and he was easy to tackle. Madison’s back isn’t any different. We will shut him out!”
So how will Pahokee win this game tomorrow night?
“They can’t throw on us,” Mullins said. “Pahokee is know for elite defensive backs to stop the pass. But if we stop the run, we take this team to the state championship.”
The kickoff for tomorrow night’s 1A state semifinal game between Pahokee and Madison County is 7:30 p.m. at Madison County High School in Madison, Fla.
