In football, it's as close to calling your shot as one can get.

The scenario: Friday Night. McArthur High School.

Game -- and District 16-4A title -- in the balance.

Twelve seconds left. Stranahan up by three on rival Hollywood Hills, but the host Spartans with a makeable field-goal attempt to tie.

Derwin Brown wasn't about to let that happen. On the sideline before the kick, the Dragons' senior safety begged his coach, Joseph Redmond, to put the game in his hands.

Brown didn't disappoint.

In a blur, he ripped around the right edge and swatted back Sebastian Alvarez's 37-yard field-goal attempt, preserving the Dragons' 20-17 victory and sending Stranahan to the playoffs.

``I knew I was going to block it,'' said Brown, a transfer from South Plantation who blocked two field goals in a game in 2008. ``I came around the edge and gave it my all.''

Without Brown's heroics, Alvarez very well could have sent the game to overtime. Hills (3-4) was in the position thanks to a two-minute drill offense that took the Spartans 60 yards in 74 seconds. But with a 12 seconds left on the clock and no timeouts, Hills coach Scott Barnwell decided to go for the tie on third down.

Alvarez's range was said to be up to 40 yards.

But thanks to Brown's burst around the end, he never had a chance.

But Stranahan (5-2) was only in position to win thanks to a gutsy late drive by ailing Dragons quarterback Willie Tindal.

The senior mangled his shoulder in the first quarter, but convinced Redmond to keep him in the game.

Smart move.

Tindal hit Anthony Drayton on a 41-yard touchdown pass with 1:26 left in the game to put the Dragons ahead for good.

• Plantation 27, Piper 0: Quarterback Imonni Carswells led the Colonels (5-2, 2-1) to their second district win of the season. Carswell finished with 162 yards passing on 6-of-12 passing.

Carswell completed a 66-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Stanley Rivers on the first play from scrimmage for a 6-0 first quarter lead.

Carswells' second touchdown pass of 3 yards to running back Rijante Randall gave Plantation a 13-0 lead going into halftime.

The Colonels' running-back duo of Michael Anderson and Terrance Mitchell combined for 111 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Anderson rushed for 40 yards and scored on a 4-yard run, giving Plantation a 21-0 fourth quarter lead. Mitchell added 71 yards rushing on 12 carries and finished the scoring on a 2-yard plunge.

Piper (3-4, 0-2) was led by running back McNeil McKinney's 67 yards on 17 carries.

-- KEN HINDSLEY

• South Broward 38, Nova 14: South Broward clinched a playoff berth with the win. The Bulldogs were led by running back Kevin Grooms, who rushed 21 times for 222 yards with three touchdowns and caught a touchdown.

Nova was led by freshman quarterback Michael Flood, who completed 7 of 21 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown. -- ALEX WEINTRAUB

• MacArthur North 22, Upperroom Christian 10: MacArthur North beat Upperroom Christian in a 8-1B District game at Oswald Park in Fort Lauderdale.

MacArthur improves to 5-1, and its defense has allowed just 28 points in six games.

Just after MacArthur quarterback Brandon Turner was taken out of the game with an injury, junior quarterback Dedrick Dukes filled in and completed a 50-yard touchdown pass to Daryl Baker.

MacArthur increased its lead 14-8 with 3:03 left in the third quarter.

-- AMANDA NICOLE BROWN

• Ransom 48, Hollywood Christian 14: Javier Henriquez was 3-of-6 passing for 105 yards and a touchdown and rushed three times for 61 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Raiders (2-4).

Emmanuel Stern ran for 106 yards and a touchdown and contributed 10 tackles on defense. Gideon Ajagebe had 14 tackles and two rushing touchdowns.

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