Many of the names on the Northwestern roster have changed in the nine months since Jacory Harris, Marcus Forston, Sean Spence and others saved a state championship season in the final two minutes of a state semifinal game against Deerfield Beach.

On Friday night, the players that learned from one of the greatest senior classes in Miami-Dade County history pulled some fourth-quarter magic of their own to keep the county's longest-ever winning streak intact.

Senior quarterback Wayne Times scored on a quarterback sneak with 27.9 seconds left, lifting Northwestern to a 31-29 comeback victory against crosstown rival Booker T. Washington in a battle of defending state champions at Traz Powell Stadium.

Times, who backed up Harris last season and watched the Bulls pull a fourth-quarter comeback to beat Deerfield Beach in the Class 6A state semifinal, had converted a fourth-and-6 on the previous play by running 10 yards to the Tornadoes' 1-yard line.

The victory extended Northwestern's winning streak to 33 games and dealt Booker T. its first loss against a Dade opponent since 2003 -- a span of 29 games.

''I just pictured myself like it was at the end against Deerfield last year,'' Times said. ``I just brought us back the way [Harris] would have.''

The Bulls (3-0), ranked No. 4 in The Miami Herald's South Florida Top 20 poll, beat Booker T. (1-2) for the second time in as many regular season meetings since Booker T. reopened as a high school in 1999.

Both schools, which used to play on Thanksgiving in the annual Turkey Day Classic until the 1960s, finished ranked in the top five in the nation last season after winning state titles in their respective classifications. Because of scheduling conflicts, however, they were unable to play each other.

''It's been a long rivalry between our two communities, and it's a blessing to be a part of it,'' said senior running back Daquan Hargrett, who finished with 179 yards and a touchdown to lead the Bulls' offense. ``I just told the young guys that we were about to be a part of history.''

Hargrett's touchdown run from eight yards out gave the Bulls a 19-7 lead late in the third quarter.

But in the fourth quarter, the Tornadoes appeared to be ready to pull their second comeback victory in as many weeks.

After Booker T. junior running back Eduardo Clements scored on a 1-yard touchdown, the Tornadoes forced a turnover when Natturner Harris intercepted Times at the Tornadoes' 43-yard line.

Eight plays later, senior quarterback Torrance Moise gave Booker T. the lead when he ran a sweep five yards for a touchdown. Moise then threw a fade pass that Lynden Trail caught in the corner of the end zone for a two-point conversion and a 22-19 edge.

Northwestern answered on special teams when junior Corvin Lamb took the ensuing kickoff and returned it 94 yards for a touchdown to put the Bulls ahead 25-22.

Moise brought the Tornadoes back again. Moise directed an eight-play, 65-yard drive that he capped with a 29-yard touchdown pass to Clements with 2:45 left in the game.

But Moise, who completed 12 of 24 passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns, was forced to leave the game on Booker T.'s final possession with 19.8 seconds remaining with an unspecified injury.

Moise returned last week and guided the Tornadoes to a 44-39 victory against Central. But on the last drive of Friday's game, he watched as the Bulls forced backup Jeremiah Hay into three consecutive incomplete passes. On the game's final play, Booker T. tried a series of laterals after a short pass from Hay to Andre Edwards, but Northwestern's defense stopped the play for negligible yardage to end the game.

''The last few drives were so intense I couldn't even breathe,'' Hargrett said.

Added Times: ``At the end, I kept telling the guys to stay calm. That's what Jacory Harris always told me. If you show you're nervous, everyone around you will be.

``I never showed them any fear.''

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@