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Before the game Friday night, Palmetto Ridge Coach Tim Speakman said he wanted to make an impression, send a message to Lely on the first series.

The Bears didn’t, but they did score first in the second quarter.

Lely Coach Steve Pricer said he didn’t care much about the first series, but he did want to have the last chance to go for the win.

And the Trojans did.

Lely kicker Gerry Reyes split the uprights with just two seconds to go to give the Trojans an electrifying 44-42 win in Class 4A-District 15 action.

Also unfortunate for Speakman was that he said, “We need to stop number 9.” The Bears didn’t.

Lely’s Darian Hall rushed for 256 yards and scored four touchdowns. He now has 706 rushing yards in just three games. With pass-catching, kickoff and punt returns his overall yards are at a staggering 1006. And he is only a junior.

Initially, surprise was the most fitting term for the fans as they watched two power offenses go nowhere in the first quarter. Then shock took over.

In the last 10 minutes of the second quarter both teams scored twice.

Gary Jackson, who punished Lely early, ran in from three yards out for the Bears first lead.

But that was for all of 18 seconds. Trojans quarterback Dennis Marcelin looked like he handed the ball off to Hall and the Bears gave chase, while Marcelin surged forward for a 59-yard score.

“I faked the ball to Darian and when I turned for the corner all I saw was grass and I hauled butt,” Marcelin said of his score.

Hall scored on a seven-yard run, but two minutes later Bears wide receiver Sean Smikle, using his height advantage, reached over a Lely defender for a catch in the end zone for a score.

Bears quarterback Mike Pinter, who hit some key passes, would find Smikle for a 34-yard TD in the fourth quarter.

Lely scored twice in the third quarter and looked like it had the game in command, but a play call and two dead ball fouls gave the Bears momentum at critical times in the fourth quarter.

The call came at 11:53 of the fourth quarter. Lely had fourth down and eight yards to go for a first down around the Bears 40-yard line. Offensive Coordinator John Principe decided to go for a first down.

“My thinking was that we would punt the ball and it most likely would go into the end zone,” he said. “That meant that a 40-yard punt would only net 20 yards as it would come out to the (Bears) 20.”

The Trojans lined up for a pass play, but the hike from center came out more like a hard ground ball. Marcelin was tackled back on the Lely 44. With 7:33 on the clock Max Tryfus caught a Pinter pass for a touchdown.

No problem, give the ball to number 9. Hall out raced Bears defenders for a 76-yard score, but Lely got two penalties on the extra point try, which Reyes missed.

Pinter connected with Smikle for a touchdown with 6:26 left.

Lely says “we can match that,” of course with Hall, who scored from 56 yards out with 5:51 to go.

But on the kickoff the Bears get a good return and the first dead ball foul, hitting a player after the play is over, gives Palmetto Ridge field position on the Lely 44. At 3:22 Torrey Campbell scored, but Lely’s David Isme blocked the extra point to give the Trojans a 41-35 lead.

The Bears successfully complete an onside kickoff to get control of the ball and the second dead-ball foul against Lely gives Palmetto Ridge the ball at the Lely 35.

Campbell scored his second TD on a 31-yard run and when Pinter hits Smikle for the two-point conversion the Bears are up, 42-41 with 3:12 to go.

At this point Lely fans are thinking about a year ago when the Bears rallied to win with 18 seconds left.

Three Hall runs moved the ball to the Bears 38. A run fake and a Marcelin pass to Romanthi Mathurin puts the ball on the Palmetto Ridge 11.

With Lely facing a fourth and five for a first down and no time-outs left, Reyes came out for the field goal try.

With about five seconds left Palmetto Ridge calls time out to freeze Reyes.

“When time out was called I thought we had committed a penalty and I was getting nervous that I was going to have to kick the field goal from farther out,” Reyes said. “I knew the team had faith in me and this kick was not for us, it was for EP, I couldn’t let him down.” The ball soared through the uprights and Lely had a win for Ereck Plancher.

Plancher, a standout football player for the Trojans, died in March at the end of a football conditioning drill at the University of Central Florida. Before the game the players walked through “Plancher’s Place,” the walkway to the players take to the field. The sign was unveiled to the senior players on Thursday and seen by Lely fans on Friday night.

Lely has a short ride to Golden Gate this Friday night.