By James Oyola
MaxPreps.com
MIAMI – The Killian High School football team defeated North Miami Beach 35-20 on Thursday night at North Miami stadium using a dominant performance by running back Lamar Miller.
Miller, a 5-foot-11, 205-pound senior and one of the top recruits in Florida, rushed for 212 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries.
“Our coaches have been telling us all week that we need to come out and fight because they are not going to quit,” Miller said. “Coach really prepared us for this game and we came out and did the rest.”
The Cougars (2-0) didn’t waist anytime scoring as running back Reginal Harris capped a four-play, 65-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown run on their opening possession. Miller, despite bobbling the handoff, set up the score with a 37-yard run.
Killian extended its lead when linebacker Jamal Robinson intercepted quarterback Nico Flores and returned it 44 yards for the score.
On the ensuing possession, Flores, a senior, led the Chargers (1-1) on a six-play, 60-yard drive that resulted in a 10-yard touchdown pass to receiver Jonathan Cyprien. Cyprien finished the game with three catches for 97 yards and two touchdowns. After an unsuccessful two-point conversion attempt, the Chargers trailed 14-6 with 3:10 left in the first quarter.
Killian immediately answered scoring 14 points in 24 seconds. The first came on an electrifying 95-yard run by Miller. Then, Miller scored again after Cyprien fumbled the kick return on the NMB eight-yard line, giving the Cougars a commanding 28-6 lead.
With 1:18 left in the half, the Chargers regained a small measure of momentum after Flores connected with Cyprien for a 74-yard touchdown catch, his second of the game. The Chargers pulled to within two touchdowns after Flores found receiver Kemal Ishmael for the two-point conversion. Flores finished the contest completing 16-of-32 passes with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Killian controlled the clock much of the third quarter and turned a Charger punt into an eight-play, 80-yard scoring drive. Quarterback Ricky Rowe led the drive before Miller ended it on a 10-yard touchdown run. The run extended the Cougar lead to 35-14 with 1:57 left in the third.
With North Miami Beach threatening to get back in the game, Killian’s defense sealed the win after safety Keith Reaser intercepted a pass from Flores to Ishmael in the end zone.
“The kids did a heck of a job handling all the adversity that they faced,” Killian coach Steve Smith said. “They fought through it and came together when they needed each other the most and I’m really proud of them. But like I told them, this is just step number two. We can enjoy the win tonight, but we have to get ready to get back to work tomorrow.”
Defense Shines For Miramar Against Monsignor Pace
Unfortunately for fans of the Miramar Patriots, they weren’t able to witness the usual heroics of star quarterback Eugene Smith Friday night against Monsignor Pace. Instead, the watched the emergence of the team’s defense in a 24-9 victory.
"Defense wins ball games and defense wins championships,” Miramar coach Damon Cogdell said. “They stepped up to the plate today and made it happen. Even our backups were getting it done.”
Miramar (1-0) recorded five sacks, two forced fumbles and one interception. They allowed the Spartans (1-1) just two first downs through the first three quarters.
Three of the sacks were credited to sophomore defensive tackle Jordan Burdi. After trailing by seven with 3:55 left in regulation, Pace forced Miramar to punt and had one more chance to either win or tie. Burdi sacked Pace quarterback Stephen Morris twice, forcing a third-and-28 situation. After being forced out of bounds, the Spartans decided to go for it and Burdi made them pay recording his third sack of the night.
The Patriots sealed the win on a seven-yard touchdown run by running back Orwin Etkins. Smith connected with junior receiver Derius Silas for the two-point conversion.
The Spartan defense did an excellent job in containing Miramar's superstar quarterback.
Smith finished the game completing 14-of-24 passes for 175 yards. The offense controlled the clock most of the game but had a tough time finishing drives against a motivated Spartan defense.
”We have a long way to go,” Cogdell said. “We have to do a better job of executing our plays and finishing our drives if we want to get to that championship level.”
Junior kicker Julian Garcia stepped up for the Patriots, connecting on field goals from 38, 37 and 23 yards away.
Week 2 Top Performers (Miami-Dade)
Lamar Miller, RB, Killian: Miller, a senior, rushed for 212 yards on 22 carries and three touchdowns leading Killian in its upset, 35-20, victory over Miami-Dade County powerhouse North Miami Beach.
Jeffrey Godfrey, QB, Central: Despite a 44-39 loss to Booker T. Washington, Godfrey, a junior, compiled 387 yards of total offense for Miami Central. The dual-threat quarterback threw for 247 yards and four touchdowns, while also rushing for 140 yards and two scores.
Torrance Moise, QB, Booker T. Washington: Moise, a senior, led the Tornadoes to a 44-39 win over Miami Central after overcoming a 25-point deficit. Moise finished the game with 272 yards passing and three touchdowns while also rushing for two scores.
Jerron Seymour, RB, Hialeah: Seymour, a sophomore, rushed for 196 yards on 15 carries and four touchdowns leading Hialeah High to a 34-6 victory over Miami Springs.
Chris Elliott, RB, Dade Christian: Elliott, a senior, led Dade Christian to a 35-7 win over Calvary Christian rushing for 244 yards on 27 carries and two touchdowns.
Darian Mallary, RB, Gulliver Prep: Mallary, a senior, had 285 all-purpose yards and a pair of touchdowns leading Gulliver Prep to its 45-14 victory over hosts Archbishop McCarthy.
Week 2 Top Performers (Broward)
Devon Wright, RB, Taravella: Wright, a junior, had 154 yards rushing on 24 carries and three touchdowns helping Taravella to a 42-7 win over Coral Glades.
Jason Douglas, RB, Cypress Bay: Douglas, a senior, rushed for 171 yards on 18 carries and three touchdowns helping Cypress Bay to a 29-27 victory over Boyd Anderson.
Elijah Haynes, RB, Stranahan: Haynes, a senior, had two rushing scores and two special teams touchdowns helping Stranahan defeat Flanagan 29-7.
Phil Genovese, RB, Cooper City: Genovese, a senior, rushed for 163 yards on 12 carries and three touchdowns helping Cooper City defeat West Broward 40-17.
Audry Woodson, RB, Northeast: Woodson, a junior, rushed for 104 yards and completed 7 of 8 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown leading Northeast to a 17-7 win over Cardinal Gibbons.
Trabis Ward, RB, Dillard: Ward, a junior, rushed for 131 yards on 13 carries and one touchdown leading Dillard to a 45-12 win over South Broward.
Future Phenom: Kelvin Taylor
Taylor, an eighth grader and son of Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred Taylor, rushed for 103 yards on 14 carries with three touchdowns to lead Glades Day to a 28-3 win over Chaminade Prep last week. Taylor (5-foot-10, 205) stepped into his first varsity game replacing senior running back Brandon Dean who went down with an injury. Look for Taylor to cause headaches for opposing defenders in the years to come.
Week 3 Top Games
Miami Northwestern vs. Booker T. Washington: Both the Bulls and Tornadoes, fresh off championship seasons, look to continue their reign among the top schools in Miami-Dade County. The game will take place on Friday, Sept. 19 at Traz Powell Stadium.
Miami Killian vs. Miami Central: The Cougars, coming off a 35-20 win over 6A powerhouse North Miami Beach, look to continue their campaign as one of Miami-Dade County’s best teams when they face Central. The game will take place on Thursday, Sept. 18 at Traz Powell Stadium.