In the final moments before the biggest kick of his brief football life, Pace High’s Pate Garrett took a couple deep breaths.
Anything to calm nerves.
Joyous pandemonium then ensued around him.
Garrett, a senior, who never played football until this season, converted a 33-yard field goal with 19 seconds remaining, leading into the Patriots’ stunning 23-21 victory Friday night against Jacksonville Lee in their Region 1-6A quarterfinal playoff at Pace that embodied all the elements of a memorable game.
It included Pace students rushing the field in happiness and hugs all around.
“I was over the sidelines warming up and I heard my name called, ‘Kicker get ready!’ and I had to go out there and do my best,” Garrett said. “I just lined up and kicked it as best I could. It went through, so…’’
Say no more. Friday's ending proved as noteworthy as how Garrett became the Pace kicker.
When sophomore Reice Griffith broke his leg before the season, he reached out to Garrett and taught him how to be a field goal kicker. The two are teammates on the Patriots’ soccer team as well. Griffith also taught Pace quarterback Brandon Miller how to take over as punter.
Garrett, a center back in soccer, quickly picked up on the technique. And the mindset.
“I just had faith he was going to make it,” said Pace coach Kent Smith, whose team (5-3) rallied a week ago with 14 points in the fourth quarter to beat Booker T. Washington 24-20. “I have told him that all year long.
“I guess he has ice, cold, blood in his veins,” Smith said. “It doesn’t seem to faze him. I think he missed one extra point all season and he has made two field goals in playoff games and that’s big.”
The win sends Pace to the Region 1-6A semifinal on Nov. 27 at St. Augustine High, which beat Escambia High 48-27 Friday in St. Augustine.
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“As a head coach, it is my first two playoff wins,” said Smith, a former Pace assistant coach and later Jay High head coach. “So I am very proud of these guys. They made it happen and I think it helps getting this community back excited about football again.”
There was plenty of excitement Friday in this game.
The Patriots faked a punt near midfield on the game’s opening possession leading into a touchdown when Tyree Haynes scored from the 5.
With the score tied, Miller connected with Cam Hughes on 21-yard pass with 37 seconds left before halftime to put Pace up 14-7.
They were up 20-7 with the ball when Jacksonville Lee’s Jonathan Robinson returned an interception 45 yards for a momentum-changing touchdown. The Generals (6-2) then followed on their next possession with a big third-down pass that led to a tying touchdown and go-ahead extra point.
A snap mishap caused the Patriots to miss on converting their extra point after Haynes’ 16-yard scoring run midway through the third quarter to extend their lead.
With five minutes remaining, the Patriots had a first down on the Lee 28 after a long completion from Miller to Cam Hughes. But the drive ended there, after a trick play on third down was mishandled and fourth down resulted in an incompletion.
But once again, Pace’s defense rose up. The group had produced three stops on fourth down tries earlier in the game. This time, they pinned Lee to its own 22 following a sack.
The punt rush on fourth down forced a short kick that gave Pace the ball at the 50 with 2:21 left and no timeouts remaining.
Miller converted a fourth-and-1 with his power rush to the 34, then gained eight more yards before getting the ball placed near the center of the hash marks before spiking it at the 26 with 24.3 seconds left.
Miller then got into place as the field goal kick holder as Garrett joined the huddle.
“My nerves were really bad,” Garrett said. “I was just trying to calm myself down, getting my leg loose and stretching out everything. The snap was really good, it was fast and right on point. The hold was perfect. Straight up.”
And the kick?
“He kicked it and I just watched it the air. It was probably the longest six or seven seconds of my life,” Miller said. “(Garrett) was never put in that situation before, and for him to come in there and kick it straight down the middle, that is huge.”
The feeling Miller then felt after the ensuing kickoff, then two final plays from Lee’s offense didn’t get to midfield, was something he won’t forget.
His fellow Pace students were suddenly running on the field in celebration.
“Oh my gosh, it is exhilarating. We haven’t had many of these. It’s awesome to do it (last minute wins) two weeks in a row.
“Our defense played their tails off. They kept getting fourth down stops and that was huge.”
It has all meshed together in this playoff run.
“These kids have persevered. The pandemic, the hurricanes, losing some ball games,” Smith said. “We have four seniors injured for the year. These guys are learning life lessons. It is amazing what these guys have done ... I am so proud of them.”
Bill Vilonais a retired Pensacola News Journal sports columnist and current senior writer for Pensacola Blue Wahoos/Studer55. He can be reached atbvilona@bluewahoos.com.
