What was Cypress Bay worried about?

All the suspense and drama about the District 11-6A race disappeared Friday night.

All that talk about a three-way tie, and a subsequent maddening tie-breaker on Monday?

Gone.

Just like Everglades' season.

And Everglades left the race without much of a whimper.

A game that was supposed to be a showdown turned out to be an easy night for Cypress Bay, which pushed Everglades to the side on its way to the district title with a 27-0 victory.

And the Lightning brought Miramar into the playoffs as well. An Everglades victory would have forced a three-way tie and a tie-breaker on Monday, but instead of chaos, everything is in order.

Cypress Bay is at the top, Miramar is in as the runner-up, and Everglades is stuck on the outside with its nose pressed against the window, looking in and wondering what hit it.

The mauling might have been shocking to Everglades, but not to the kids at Cypress Bay.

''No, I'm not surprised,'' said Cypress Bay linebacker Phil Walker. ``Because we prepared for this game. We came in here and we knew what was at stake. And we dominated.''

That's an understatement.

Not only did Walker and his buddies get their first shutout of the season, but they hammered Everglades all night, and finished with 12 plays for negative yardage.

It was so simple for Cypress Bay (3-0, 8-1), which hasn't lost a game in Florida. Forget that loss to Katy, Texas in Houston. The best 6-A team in Florida might just live in Weston.

''We've been waiting for this game for a long time,'' said Cypress Bay coach Mark Guandolo, who has bigger things to worry about than Everglades. He wants to win it all.''

Are they prepared for a run at it all?

''We are on a journey,'' Walker said. ``And the journey doesn't end until we get to (the state championship) in Orlando.''

Cypress Bay running back Jason Douglas was counting down how many games the Lightning needed to win to capture a state title when the lights went out at the Everglades stadium, minutes after the game was over.

''Hey, they're turning the lights out on us,'' Douglas said. Then someone joked. ''Well, you turned the lights out on them.'' And almost as fast as the quick trigger stadium operator.

The Lightning did pretty much as it pleased Friday, and Everglades did little to stop it.

Just look at that first TD, a 19-yard run by Craig Dee, who topped off his touchdown by doing a Gator Chomp as he danced out of the end zone back to the bench.

If Dee angered the Everglades Gators, it didn't show. He scored again in the second quarter on a 4-yard run. By the time Douglas raced 37 yards for a TD in the second quarter, this one was all but over.

It was 20-0 with 6:11 left in the half, and Everglades (1-2, 7-2) hadn't mounted much of an offense. The Gators amassed just 12 yards in the first quarter and went to halftime with 39 yards (17 in the air and 22 on the ground) and 42 yards in penalties.

Douglas ran for a 14 yard TD on the first play of the fourth quarter, and the score might have been even more lopsided if not for a Cypress Bay fumble at the Gator 14, and a penalty that erased Eddie Cabrera's 48-yard TD on a punt return.

Suddenly, the big game and all the hype of a showdown had about as much intrigue as a bad sit-com. Even the Miramar fans, coaches and players at the game left early.

''I bet this is the first time Miramar was cheering for Cypress Bay,'' joked Guandolo.

• Cardinal Gibbons 56, Archbishop McCarthy 14: Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs (5-3) downed the Archbishop McCarthy Mavericks (3-6) Friday night 56-14. The win clinched their spot in the playoffs, which will be played in two weeks.

With the game tied 7-7 in the first quarter, senior defensive back Paul Jimenez intercepted a pass from sophomore quarterback Andrew Flory. The Chiefs took over on the Maverick's 35-yard line and immediately advanced 26 yards when senior quarterback Chris Schirippa competed a pass to junior wide receiver Sean Corker. On 1-G, junior running back Dareyon Chance smashed up the middle for a 4-yard touchdown. Junior Drew Zloch's kick was good and the Chiefs led 14-7 with 1:43 left in the first quarter.

''This win clinched the playoffs, which is why the kids are so happy,'' said Cardinal Gibbons head coach Michael Morrill after a being drenched by a cooler full of ice water.

The Mavericks made a strong showing in their first possession when Andrew Flory completed a pass to freshman Camden Krohn for a 45-yard touchdown.

Freshman kicker Michalee Morgan's kick was good and the Mavericks led 7-0 with 9:13 left in thee first quarter.

-- AMANDA NICOLE BROWN

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