BOCA RATON, FL — Sometimes, you just have to let your best player go make plays. That's what first-year Carol City (Miami, Fla.) coach Toro Wallace did. He put the game in Nick Lennear's hands. The five-star wide receiver answered the call in overtime, helping Carol City, which ranks No. 20 in USA TODAY Sports preseason Super 25 rankings, score a come-from-behind 24-23 win in overtime against West Boca Raton, the two-time defending FHSAA champions in Class 6A.
"I told the coach to put the game in my hands," said Lennear, a second-teamer on USA TODAY Sports Southeast Region ALL-USA team. "I'm gonna come down with it every time. Coach gave me a shot, and I came down with it." Lennear, who had largely been quiet up until the overtime period against West Boca Raton, had just three touches for 8 yards heading into the fourth quarter. Then the Miami commit woke up, finishing with 6 receptions for 48 yards and the game-winning touchdown against the Bulls. "We can't take no credit for that," Wallace said. "That's all Nicholas Lennear. He said, 'Hey coach, it's overtime, it's my team. Give me the ball and get out the way.' I said, 'Y'all heard what he said, get him the ball.' And we all saw the rest."
Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X at @NP_AlexMartin or via email: amartin@usatodayco.com. For additional high school sports coverage, be sure to follow @usatodayhss on Instagram and X. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Watch as Miami football commit, 5-star WR Nick Lennear makes wild catch in OT