Homestead’s Nunez and Columbus’ Chavez are the Dade 4M-3M Defensive Players of the Year
Both Homestead’s Eduardo Nunez and Columbus’ Hector Chavez know what it’s like to be “quarterbacks” on defense.
The two standouts guided two of the best defenses in the state this season and led their teams to the state championships in Tallahassee as a result.
Chavez, a 5-10, 215-pound junior, followed up on a breakout sophomore season and led the Explorers to their second consecutive state championship. Meanwhile, Nunez was the heart of a Broncos’ defense that formed a big part of their 13-game winning streak on the road to their second consecutive appearance in a state final.
As such, Chavez and Nunez are this year’s Miami Herald 4M-3M Defensive Players of the Year.
On a defense with no shortage of standouts, Chavez was the most consistent throughout the season, finishing with a team-high 80 tackles including 11 for loss to go along with an interception, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Chavez is already on the radar of multiple FBS schools such as Miami, Syracuse and Liberty.
Chavez capped his season with a game-high eight tackles and a rushing touchdown on offense that started Columbus’ dominant performance in a 38-19 win over Jacksonville Mandarin in the 4M state final.
At Homestead, Nunez almost instantly formed a bond with quarterback Joshua Townsend when the two became teammates three years ago.
It kinda made sense not just because their personalities clicked.
While Townsend lit up the scoreboards on offense, Nunez became the quarterback the Broncos needed to become elite on defense.
“I love playing against very good competition,” Nunez said earlier this season. “If I can play against the best of the best, I knew this year I needed to take it one game at a time and show I was one of the best players in the state.”
Nunez (6-1, 210 pounds) began to draw some interest from FBS-level colleges after he posted 10 tackles, forced a fumble and recovered another in Homestead’s 38-21 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas in the state finals in 2022.
He and his Broncos’ teammates reloaded for another run at the state title this past season.
The final result ended the same with Homestead losing to Aquinas in the Class 3M state final albeit much closer this time as the Broncos pulled to within a field goal before losing 31-28.
Nunez, who has offers from Bowling Green and Western Michigan, was a major reason Homestead was a balanced squad this time around. Nunez totaled 105 tackles including 30 for loss and showed his versatility in pass coverage as recorded five interceptions.
