By James Oyola
MaxPreps.com
Miami Northwestern (6A), St. Thomas Aquinas (5A), Pahokee (2B) and Jupiter Christian (1B) kept their seasons alive over the weekend with victories and continued on the path to repeat state titles. Northwestern is two wins away from capturing its third consecutive state championship, a first in Miami-Dade County since the playoff system began in 1963.
St. Thomas Aquinas, No. 1 in this week’s Maxpreps National Rankings presented by the National Guard, is also two victories away from capturing its second consecutive state title and possibly a mythical national championship. The Raiders have dominated their competition and outscored opponents 604-96 this season.
Regional Final Recap
Class 6A
Miramar 34, Deerfield Beach 30
Despite totaling 185 yards in penalties, Miramar, led by quarterback Eugene Smith and receiver Stedman Bailey, won its heavily-anticipated match-up with Deerfield Beach 34-30.
Smith, who was sacked 10 times, proved his worth as Broward County’s top recruit by completing 20-of-31 passes for 373 yards with four touchdowns. The West Virginia verbal had 252 yards and three touchdowns in the first half alone.
Bailey, who is also headed to West Virginia, was unstoppable finishing with seven receptions for 181 yards and two scores. The two hooked up early for a 62-yard touchdown pass on their first drive to take a 7-0 lead.
Deerfield Beach and senior quarterback Denard Robinson would not go out quietly.
Robinson answered the score with a 50-yard touchdown pass to running back Cassius McDowell with 6:00 remaining in the first quarter. The dual-threat quarterback completed 10-of-30 passes for 220 yards with three touchdowns, while also rushing for 66 yards.
Both teams traded scores the entire game and entered the fourth quarter tied 27-27.
After a scoreless third quarter, Miramar, facing a 4th-and-22 situation, attempted to punt but fumbled the snap and turned the ball over on downs. The turnover gave Deerfield Beach great field position at the Miramar 15-yard line.
Despite the opportunity, the Bucks couldn’t get in the end zone and settled for a field goal to take a 30-27 lead over Miramar with 6:00 left in the regulation.
Smith, who led the Patriots to two last second game-winning drives in their previous playoff games, continued his fourth quarter character and sealed the win.
The standout senior capped a 6-play, 73-yard drive with a 33-yard touchdown pass to receiver Ivan McCartney with 3:50 left in the game. McCartney, a junior and the nephew of Pro Bowl receiver Chad Johnson, caught four passes for 91 yards and two scores.
Robinson and the Bucks attempted a comeback but the quarterback's final shot at the endzone was intercepted by Miramar safety Joshua Nelson with 30 seconds remaining in regulation.
Next contest: vs. Miami Northwestern (12-1)
Miami Northwestern 40, Killian 15
Miami Northwestern, the reigning Class 6A champions, blew past Killian 40-15 in the 6A regional final. The Bulls’ defense, along with quarterbacks Teddy Bridgewater and Wayne Times, proved to be too much for the Cougars and their star running back Lamar Miller.
Miller, Miami-Dade County’s leading rusher (1,719 yards, 22 touchdowns), was held to 75 yards on 13 carries.
Times has been Northwestern’s most versatile player all season, seeing action at quarterback, running back, wide receiver and special teams. Against the Cougars, the standout senior caught six passes for 60 yards, returned a punt 59 yards for a touchdown and also rushed for a score.
Bridgewater, a sophomore, contributed with two rushing touchdowns.
With the win, the Bulls propelled themselves to their fourth consecutive state semifinal and are two wins away from winning their third consecutive state championship.
Next contest: at Miramar (11-2)
Class 5A
St. Thomas Aquinas 56, South Fork 14
Senior Ronnie Kennedy and the Raiders demolished South Fork 56-14 in the 5A regional final. Kennedy, who starts at cornerback but also plays running back and returns kicks, dominated the field and scored three touchdowns on the night. The versatile athlete rushed for a score, returned an interception 32 yards for a score then capped off his hat trick by returning a punt 88 yards for a touchdown.
With the win, St. Thomas Aquinas advances to the state semifinal for the fifth consecutive season.
Next contest: vs. Largo (12-1)
Class 4A
Dwyer 24, Booker T. Washington 21
The Tornadoes gave up 252 yards on the ground and fell to Dwyer 24-21 in the regional final. Senior quarterback Torrance Moises did all he could for BTW by completing 21-of-28 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns, but it was not enough as the Tornadoes failed to reach the state semifinals for the first time in six years.
Class 3A
Monsignor Pace 38, Naples 21
Quarterback Stephen Morris led Pace to a 38-21 win over Naples, the defending 3A champions, in the regional final. Morris, a junior, completed 15-of-17 passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for a score.
Next contest: vs. Cocoa (12-1)
Class 2A
Gulliver Prep 19, Tampa Catholic 17
Running back Darian Mallary led the Raiders by rushing for 143 yards en route to a 19-17 win over Tampa Catholic in the 2A state semifinal game. With the win, Gulliver Prep advances to the state finals for the first time since winning the title in 2000.
Next contest: vs. Jacksonville Bolles (14-0)
Class 2B – Pahokee blasted Frostproof 30-0 and will face Trinity Catholic (13-1) in the state finals on Saturday, Dec. 13.
Class 1A – American Heritage (Delray) loses to Fort Meade 33-10 and ends its run for a second consecutive state title.
Class 1B – Jupiter Christian defeated Victory Christian 41-6 and will face Warner Christian (13-1) in the state finals on Saturday, Dec. 13.
