MIAMI, Fla. - In front of a sold out crowd at Traz Powell Stadium, the
Central (Miami) Rockets advanced to the Region 4-6A final by defeating
Northwestern (Miami) 42-27 on Friday night.
Behind senior quarterback
Rakeem Cato, who completed 18 of 22 passes for 310 yards and three touchdowns, and running back
Devonta Freeman, the Rockets (11-1) cruised to their 10th straight victory.
"We played good in all phases of the game," Cato said. "Offense, defense and special teams all did their part and now we're one step closer to our goal."
A 48-yard completion from Cato to
Charles Gaines Jr. set up a 6-yard touchdown run by Freeman to give Central a 7-0 lead. Freeman, a Florida State commit, finished with 18 carries for 141 yards and he accounted for four touchdowns (three rushing, one receiving).
Freeman was in the middle of the fray all night, accounting for four TDs.
Photo by Stuart Browning
Cato connected with
Thomas Shuler on a 32-yard scoring strike to give Central a 14-0 lead after the first quarter.
Northwestern (9-3) closed to 14-13 by early in the third quarter thanks largely to star quarterback
Teddy Bridgewater, who rushed for a pair of 1-yard touchdowns. The University of Miami-bound quarterback finished his illustrious career by completing 29 of 42 for 419 yards. He accounted for all four of his team's touchdowns.
"It was tough," Bridgewater said. "We didn't pull it off tonight, but you have to hand it to those guys. They played hard and did what they came here to do."
Cato threw for 310 yards and three TDs.
Photo by Stuart Browning
Cato, a Florida International University commit, responded to Bridgewater's rushing touchdowns by completing an 18-yard touchdown pass to Shuler, making it 21-13.
"This was a great win for us," said Shuler, who finished with five catches for 79 yards and two scores. "Our coaches did a great job of preparing us for this game and we just wanted to go out there and leave it on the field."
Bridgewater countered Cato by firing a 57-yard touchdown bomb to
Clinton Taylor, to close to 21-19. Taylor led all receivers with 10 catches for 143 yards and two scores.
Freeman exploded for 131 of his 141 yards in the second including two consecutive touchdown runs that helped the Rockets take a 35-19 lead with 8:24 left remaining.
Bridgewater, remained calm, and led another surge, connecting with Taylor for an 11-yard touchdown catch, followed by a 2-point conversion toss to
T.J. Canady, making it 35-27 with 2:41 left.
But Central went to Freeman, first on a 37-yard run to set up his 20-yard touchdown reception from Cato to seal the victory.
It was the second win over Northwestern this season, the first a 25-22 decision on Oct. 8. Central now plays South Dade, a 47-27 winner over Southridge.
"Focus is the key for these guys," Rockets head coach Telly Lockette said. "Each game has been a chance for us to gel and now we're really coming together. If our kids stay focused and keep our goal in mind, we should be OK."
Teddy Bridgewater closed illustrious career in style, throwing for more than 400 yards.
Photo by Stuart Browning
They'll be better than OK if it continues to excel on the defensive end.
Though the Rockets gave up a lot of yards Friday, they've also recorded five shutouts and recorded 73 sacks during the regular season. They recorded six more sacks and recovered a fumble in Friday's win.
Miami Central 42, Northwestern (Miami) 27
Central 14 0 14 14 - 42
Northwestern 0 7 12 8 – 27
First quarter
C - Freeman 6 run (Nadelman kick)
C - Shuler 32 pass from Cato (Nadelman kick)
Second quarter
NW - Bridgewater 1 run (Arzu kick)
Third quarter
NW - Bridgewater 1 run (kick failed)
C - Shuler 18 pass from Cato (Nadelman kick)
NW - Taylor 57 pass from Bridgewater (run failed)
C - Freeman 13 run (Nadelman kick)
Fourth quarter
C - Freeman 14 run (Nadelman kick)
NW - Taylor 4 pass from Bridgewater (Canaday pass from Bridgewater)
C - Freeman 20 pass from Cato (Nadelman kick)
