It wasn't the prettiest brand of Miami-Dade County high school football.

But an ESPN2 audience got to see one of its classic neighborhood rivalries -- Miami Northwestern and Miami Central -- play a thriller Thursday night.

And in the end, the Bulls proved they still own this rivalry.

Led by the right arm and legs of junior quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and the reliable hands of senior wide receiver Michaelee Harris, Northwestern scored 20 unanswered points in the second half to surge past the Rockets 22-14 in front of an estimated crowd of 12,000 at FIU Stadium.

It was the first time the two district rivals, separated by just 24 blocks in Miami's inner city, played each other on national television.

And Northwestern, a team that fell from national championship contention last week following a 35-28 loss to Miami Booker T. Washington, avoided losing back-to-back games for the first time in five seasons. The Bulls' record during that span is 47-3.

``Both teams came in and played really hard,'' senior defensive tackle Todd Chandler said. ``A loss is never something you want to experience again. We needed to show everyone that we're still the best team in the state.''

Bridgewater finished 12 of 23 for 166 yards and two touchdown passes, running back Corvin Lamb had 78 yards on 15 carries, and Harris, who is being recruited hard by the Hurricanes, finished with nine catches for 133 yards and two scores.

Harris was named the game's Offensive Most Valuable Player, and linebacker Lyndon Edwards was named the same on the defensive side as Northwestern (4-1, 3-0 District 13-6A) claimed the first annual Commissioner's Cup, a trophy awarded to the winner of the rivalry game.

Not only was the nation watching, but also several big time college scouts.

The University of Miami sent five coaches -- including coach Randy Shannon -- and several Hurricanes players. South Florida's Jim Leavitt was on the sidelines in a suit, as were scouts from Central Florida.

Northwestern, which won last year's playoff showdown between the teams after losing the regular-season clash, definitely played like a team used to the big stage. Central (5-1, 2-1 in district), ranked fourth in the National Prep poll, didn't.

``It helped a lot that we've played in games like this in front of the cameras,'' Harris said. ``At halftime, we knew we had to pick up the pace. I knew we were coming back.''

The Rockets were penalized 25 times for 178 yards, lost two fumbles and had a punt blocked in the second half to help the Bulls rally. Northwestern contained a Central offense that entered the game averaging 47 points per game.

Northwestern will most likely move ahead of the Rockets when the next national polls are released Monday.

``We didn't talk about needing this game because it was the Central game or any other reason,'' Northwestern coach Billy Rolle said. ``We prepared the kids stressing that it was an important district game.''

Trailing 14-2 at the start of the third quarter, sophomore Elgin Hilliard broke free and blocked a Central punt to give Northwestern possession at the Rockets' 21-yard line. Four plays later, Bridgewater connected with Harris in the back of the end zone to make it 14-8. After a successful two-point conversion the score was 14-10 with 8:36 left in the third quarter.

Central didn't keep the ball long on the ensuing possession. Junior running back Devonte Freeman fumbled after bursting for a 15-yard run up the middle and the Bulls recovered at the Central 39-yard line.

Bridgewater and Harris quickly went back to work. On third-and-4 at the Central 33, Harris caught a ball in the flat and shook free from Tyrone Florence down the sideline for a 23-yard gain. On the next play, he leaped over Florence for the go-ahead touchdown to put the Bulls ahead 16-14.

Jeffrey Godfrey, who connected with Joshua Reese on a 59-yard touchdown pass right before the half and ran 4 yards for a score in the first quarter, couldn't lead the Rockets back.

He drove the Rockets down to the Bulls' 38-yard line, trailing 22-14. But his final pass sailed over the head of receiver Derrick Knowles with 3:46 left, and Northwestern ran out the clock for the victory. Godfrey finished 8 of 19 for 144 yards, and running back Brandon Gainer had 93 yards on 15 carries.

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.repliedToText@

@Nyx.replyAnswerText@

Reply to this Comment @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@