Four-year Tigers starter adds to county career leading stats in win over building Gateway
Tohopekaliga record-setting senior quarterback Sabby Meassick finished his high school career pretty much the way he started it – by throwing five touchdowns in leading the Tigers to a win.
A four-year starter, Meassick passed for 248 yards and five touchdowns in a 49-0 win over Liberty in his very first game as a freshman in 2022. Four years later on Wednesday night, he completed 38 of 49 passes for 343 yards and five scores in a 41-30 bowl game win over Gateway.
In between, he posted astronomical numbers. Unofficially, he finishes his Tohopekaliga career with school and Osceola County records for attempts (1,825), completions (1,160), yards (13,408) and touchdowns (138). Those stats included 37 touchdowns and 3,500 yards passing in his senior season.
“It’s great to go out with a win and a great way to finish my high school career,” Meassick said. “I feel absolutely blessed to be able to play four years here with my teammates. I just really enjoyed being here and being a part of this program.”
The game itself was a battle for most of the first half. After a defensive stop to open the game, Gateway struck first on a 45-yard halfback option pass from Nydrell Thigpen to Johnny Reyes on its first play from scrimmage to take 7-0 lead. Meassick countered with short scoring pass to Tre Punter, but the Panthers came right back with a 13-play, 80-drive that chewed 8:57 minutes off the clock. Thigpen capped the drive with a 13-yard touchdown run. Punter evened the score with four minutes remaining with his second touchdown reception to knot the game at 14-14.
It was the final minutes of the first half that doomed the Panthers. Getting the ball after a quick three-and-out, Meassick needed just eight plays to move the Tigers 69 yards for the go-ahead touchdown – finding AJ Wise from 31 yards out.
Gateway was only able to burn 27 seconds off the clock on its next possession, with another three-and-out and a shanked punt giving the Tigers great field position on the Panthers 41. After an incompletion, Meassick went 4-for-4, covering the last 25 yards with a pass to Xaevez Brown for the score.
“No question those last four minutes did us in,” Gateway coach Marlin Roberts said. “Sabby was getting the ball out of his hands quickly and we just had some breakdowns in our secondary.”
After an interception gave Tohopekaliga the ball back early in the third period, Brown took a handoff, blast through the middle of the Panther defense and race 86 yards for a touchdown to up the lead to 34-14.
Thigpen made it 12-point game with a 5-yard touchdown run, but a 50-yard pass from Meassick to Josiah Hall all but ended any chance of a Panther comeback.
Although disappointed with the loss, Roberts said he was proud of the way his 5-6 team played in the game and for the season. “We are light years ahead of where we were two seasons ago,” he said. “We’re starting to build a foundation of a really solid football team and I am already looking forward to next season.”
That optimism stems from the fact that most of the key pieces for the Panthers are scheduled to return. Thigpen, who rushed for 125 yards, threw the scoring pass and caught 55 yards in passes, is just a sophomore. Despite playing hurt for a portion of the year, he finishes with more than 1,300 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns. Quarterback Aristotle Span Jr., another sophomore, got better as the season progressed. He completed 7-of-11 passes in the game. Junior standout Dory Thimote caught 25 yards of passes and recorded two sacks Wednesday.
In his final game for Tohopekaliga, Punter finished his career with 15 receptions and two scores. Brown rushed for 106 yards and caught 61 yards of passes to go with his two touchdowns, while Josiah Hall led all receivers with 119 yards.
“It’s a good one to end the season on,” Tohopekaliga coach Anthony Paradiso. “Both teams played well and it was a good football game. Sabby had a great final game and our offensive line and receivers did their job.”
Paradiso, who has been the subject of retirement rumors addressed that topic briefly.
“For the last couple of years, the last game of the season was my last game period. We’ll address that topic after the holidays.”
