Southridge junior defensive back Andrew Johnson remembers what it was like in January when his team held its first meeting to meet its new coaches.

Johnson and several of his teammates had just come off a losing season.

Johnson noticed right away something was different.

``Last year, we had talented guys, but we used to play around too much,'' Johnson said. ``As soon as our new coaches got here they start teaching us to not waste time and always work hard. I knew by the way everyone paid attention and started following the message that we'd turn things around.''

On Friday night at Harris Field, the Spartans saw their efforts start to pay dividends when they beat longtime rival Killian 29-6 and clinched the District 16-6A championship.

Southridge (7-0, 4-0), ranked No. 7 in The Miami Herald's South Florida Top 20 rankings, secured its first district title since 2006 after compiling a combined 6-13 record the past two seasons.

Coach Patrick Burrows was at the heart of one of the biggest turnarounds in Miami-Dade County history when he guided Southwest, which had been a perpetual losing team for decades, to a pair of winning seasons and its first district title last year.

The game featured a matchup between Burrows and first-year coach Corey Johnson, who was a part of that turnaround as an assistant coach at Southwest for eight seasons prior to his hiring at Killian.

``When we got here, we basically emphasized positiveness in all aspects of what we were coaching,'' Burrows said. ``It was some of the same lessons we learned at Southwest. We had to make the kids believe they could achieve success.''

Johnson led a stellar defensive effort with two interceptions, including one he returned 34 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to give the Spartans a 22-6 edge. Later in the quarter, Gerrod Holliman intercepted another pass and returned it 32 yards for a touchdown.

The loss eliminated Killian (3-5, 1-3) from postseason contention.

Southridge's offense established some control early as senior quarterback Jermaine Kelson ran for 143 yards on 19 carries and threw for 69 yards. Kelson gave Southridge a 10-point lead early in the second half when he broke a 42-yard touchdown run down the sideline.

Kelson also evaded pressure from the Killian defense for most of the game with his ability to switch directions quickly and avoid tacklers.

``He makes it look like a video game out there,'' Burrows said. ``He's so fast. I'm working on a nice highlight tape of these last few games to show the college recruiters they've got someone special to check out here.''

• Dade Christian 51, Ransom 14: On Dade Christian's senior night, sophomores Bilal Marshal and Ryan Janvion led the Crusaders to a 51-14 rout on Friday night at Dade Christian.

Marshal didn't pile up many yards, but he threw three touchdown passes to different receivers and ran for a score as well. Janvion made it to the end zone twice.

Senior Armani Martin had a 17-yard touchdown pass and 83-yard kickoff return for a score as well.

Ransom's Gideon Ajagbe scored a touchdown and was the team's workhorse as he carried the ball 20 times.

The Crusaders' defense recovered three fumbles.

-- SERGIO BONILLA

• Braddock 31, Southwest 28: The Bulldogs defeated the Eagles on Friday night at Tropical Park. Braddock (2-6, 1-2) picked up their first district win of the season.

The Bulldogs were led by junior running back Billy Kinsey, who rushed for 218 yards on 25 carries with two touchdowns. Hansley Fleurjerus added 113 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown. As a team, Braddock rushed for an even 400 yards while picking up 16 total first downs in the game.

Southwest (1-6, 0-4) was led by senior running back Ed Smith, who rushed for a game-high 240 yards on 23 carries with three touchdowns, including a 96-yard run in the second quarter. Smith is supplanted as one of the top running backs in Miami-Dade.

-- ALEX OPPENHEIMER

• Northwestern 49, Edison 0: With the District 13-6A title already in hand, the Northwestern Bulls continued their march toward the postseason Friday, routing Edison 49-0 at Traz Powell Stadium.

Teddy Bridgewater completed his first eight passes and the Bulls' defense limited Edison (0-8, 0-2 Dist. 16-3A) to nine total yards as Northwestern (7-1, 4-0) dominated both sides of the ball.

After forcing the Red Raiders to punt, Northwestern scored on its first possession when Corvin Lang took a handoff 40 yards on fourth-and-two. Lang, Isreal Linder and Jerrill Jenkins each rushed for two touchdowns as the Bulls gained 273 yards on the ground.

Bridgewater, who finished 9-of-11 for 173 yards, threw the game's only passing touchdown to Roy Smith to give Northwestern a 24-0 halftime lead.

-- JOSHUA REY

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