By BRIAN MCLAUGHLIN
PALM HARBOR — It has been a while since Palm Harbor University’s football program had a night quite like Thursday’s 27-10 home win over Countryside.
Not only was this the first time the Hurricanes knocked off their nemesis on the field since 2008 but it also marked the first time PHU has started 3-1 since 2016.
The Hurricanes did it thanks to a running back with NFL pedigree who kept racking up yards, so much that he nearly set a school record.
Junior running back Luke Yoder, the son of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Todd Yoder, rushed 311, along with two touchdowns.
The younger Yoder was just 12 yards shy of surpassing the single-game school record of 322 set by former PHU standout James Brown against Ridgewood in 1999.
It was the third straight game Yoder rushed for 200 or more yards. His big numbers on the ground helped the Hurricanes finish an undefeated September by outscoring opponents 84-24. PHU hosts rival East Lake on Oct. 1.
“I’m very proud of how hard we played tonight,” Hurricanes coach Mike Mullaney said. “There were a lot of self-inflicted mistakes that we made that hurt us tonight, and we need to clean up those mistakes for next week.”
Mullaney was talking about the 104 yards of penalties and two turnovers in enemy territory that made the game seem closer than it really was. But while he was frustrated with being short of having a perfect night, he was happy with the defensive effort, the execution up front from the offensive line – and the array of players who had stellar nights.
Case in point: While Yoder would steal the show in any 60-second recap of this game, he was hardly the lone guy who had his best night of the year. Defensive stud and sophomore linebacker Gunner Fodor registered four tackles for loss and eight tackles overall, while his co-captain in the linebacking corps – senior Ian Seibert – posted eight tackles and four tackles for loss, as well as a key tipped pass.
Fodor and Seibert also combined to rush for 55 yards and two touchdowns to give the ground game 366 yards and four touchdowns on the night.
Senior defensive end Erik Malyszko – who earlier in the year made key first-down conversions as a fullback on offense – had his best game on defense with an interception, along with a sack and another tackle for loss. He has made a name for himself by making pivotal plays at crucial points in the game.
The defense ended up holding Countryside’s top player – Jaden Griffin – to 59 total rushing yards on 11 carries. As it turns out that all came on his one breakaway touchdown run – the other 10 carries netted zero yards. Considering he came in as one of Pinellas County’s top rushing threat with nearly 400 yards and seven touchdowns – that was no small feat by the defense.
When it became obvious PHU’s defense was going suffocate Countryside’s run game, they went to the air. The Hurricanes recorded three interceptions and allowed just 151 yards passing, much of it coming late in the fourth when the Cougars were down by 17. Besides Malyszko, senior Alex Lynch, and freshman Will Seibert each picked off a pass. Mekhi Butler, a senior defensive back, also was solid in pass defense.
This was, perhaps, the biggest win in school history over Countryside considering the previous win on the field (the 2012 victory came via forfeit) was by seven points. PHU has played varsity football since 1997.
Now comes an even bigger rival.
The Hurricanes host East Lake this week in a game that will have plenty at stake. After all, it is the Class 8A, District 11 opener for both teams.
| TEAMS | 1ST Q | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | FINAL |
| Countryside | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Palm Harbor | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 27 |
| Q | TEAM | PLAY | CONV. | TIME MARK | DRIVE |
| 1st | PH | Yoder 1 run | (Lynch kick) | 2:44 left in 1st | 12 plays, 60 yards |
| 2nd | COUN | Gregory 42 FG | 10:25 left in 2nd | 12 plays, 55 yards | |
| 2nd | PH | Yoder 1 run | (Lynch kick) | 0:28 left in 2nd | 12 plays, 43 yards |
| 3rd | COUN | J. Griffen 59 run | (Gregory kick) | 11:46 left in 3rd | 1 play, 59 yards |
| 3rd | PH | Fodor 14 run | (kick blocked) | 0:56 left in 3rd | 12 plays, 80 yards |
| 4th | PH | I.Seibert 3 run | (Lynch kick) | 1:14 left in 4th | 8 plays, 15 yards |
| COUNTRYSIDE | PALM HARBOR | |
| 1st downs | 8 | 24 |
| Att-Rush | 17-55, 1 TD | 58-366, 4 TDs |
| Pass-C-A-I | 10-23, 3 INT, 151 yds | 2-5, 0 INT, 11 yds |
| Punt | 4 punts, 37 avg | 2 punts, 46 avg |
| Penalties | 13-86 yds | 11-104 yds |
| Fumb-Loss | 0-0 | 3-2 |
| Time of Poss. | 27:06 | 32:54 |
