Everglades was winless through three games. Now the Gators are district champions and have won five of their past six.

In a mostly defensive struggle against District 11-6A rival Cypress Bay, Everglades prevailed 14-13, shocking the home crowd that was hoping for a district title Friday night.

``We lost three close ones to start the season,'' said Gators coach Josh Shapiro, minutes before taking a Gatorade bath. ``We battled back. The kids really stayed together.''

Everglades will host District 12-6A runner up Miami Krop in the regional quarterfinals on Nov. 20, and Cypress Bay will travel to District 12-6A champion Miami Carol City for the first round of the playoffs.

The Gators (5-4, 3-0) wiped out the Lightning's last hope when linebacker Dwayne Thomas intercepted a bobbled pass with Cypress Bay (5-4, 2-1) on its own 49-yard line and 43 seconds remaining.

The interception was the first turnover of the game.

``The play had to be made,'' Thomas said. ``I had to go and get it.''

The winning score came on the third play of the third quarter. Two Gators running backs went right at the snap, but wideout Randall Bailey got the misdirection handoff and went left. No Lightning player touched him as he went 76 yards for the score.

``It was all in my head that I had to get in the end zone, and that's what I had to do get my team in the lead,'' Bailey said.

The Lightning offense struggled in the second half, resorting to two 27-yard field goals from Derek Soven when two of their first three drives in the half stalled at the Gators' 10-yard line.

Cypress Bay's best chance to control the game came in the waning moments of the second quarter when it got the ball on the Gators' 37-yard line with 31 seconds to go.

But despite moving the ball as close as the 3-yard line on 26 penalty yards against Everglades and an 8-yard run from David McKnight, time expired as Cypress Bay tried to regroup following the run.

• North Broward Prep 52, Coral Springs Charter 0: After a week of off-field news out of Pahokee that altered the District 7-2B race in favor of North Broward Prep, the Eagles easily got the job done on the field, clinching the district title while spoiling Coral Springs Charter's homecoming at Coral Glades.

With Pahokee being forced to forfeit two district games it had won, including one against North Broward Prep, the road was paved for the Eagles (7-2, 5-1), dominating play on offense and defense, which forced seven three-and-out possessions from the Panthers (3-6, 1-5).

``I thought the team responded well [to the off-the-field news],'' Eagles coach Jeff Dellenbach said. ``I told the team that we can't do anything about things we can't control. Their job is to take advantage of the opportunity and take care of business, and they did.''

The Eagles finished with 178 total yards with 16 first downs in a game that started the running clock early in the fourth quarter when the lead was 37-0. Charter was held to 14 total yards and two first downs.

Brandon Doughty led the offense with 144 yards passing on a 10-for-13 night with two touchdown passes and a rushing score. Ethan Grant, who led all rushers with 82 yards and a touchdown, capped the scoring with his second touchdown of the night with a 36-yard interception return.

-- CONCEPCION

LEDEZMA

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