Bison take out frustration on Miami Springs

Brandon Cohen bolted 60 yards for a touchdown on the game’s third play and host Ronald Reagan High never looked back as the Bison rolled to a 38-0 win over Miami Springs in a District 16-7A game Friday afternoon.

Cohen finished with 138 yards on 17 carries as Reagan, despite being eliminated from playoff contention 24 hours earlier when Doral defeated Mourning, picked up its fifth win. The Bison are 5-3 and 5-2 in its district.

Cohen’s heroics aside, this day belonged to the Reagan defense as the Bison picked off Springs quarterback Jacoby Clark five times.

Sophomore Joseph Rodriguez enjoyed a career day as he picked off three of them including a 45-yard, pick-six in the fourth quarter which got the running clock going.

“Wow, I can’t believe it, what a great day,” Rodiguez said.

“I was watching the BYU-Boise State game [Thursday] night and BYU had two pick-sixes. My coach told me this morning that there was no reason I couldn’t have one myself and sure enough I got one. I’m just glad I was able to help my team win.”

Estefan Lacayo and Trevin Johnson had the other two interceptions, Johnson returning his 35 yards for a second quarter score as well. Miami Springs falls to 2-6 and 2-5.

MORE FOOTBALL

▪  North Miami Beach 48, Hialeah Gardens 0: The Chargers set the tone from the first play from scrimmage when junior quarterback Wendell Morrison threw a screen pass to Ernest Labissiere who slid down the field 62 yards and immediately put his team up.

Morrison did not let up on the gas pedal after that, finishing with 245 all-purpose yards and three total touchdowns. He was subbed out a couple of plays into the third quarter.

The Chargers (5-2) remain undefeated in District 13-8A as they clinched a playoff spot last week; NMB plays American (4-3) for the title next week. Hialeah Gardens dropped to 1-6.

“American was the district champion last year so we got to go in there and beat them,” NMB coach Jeff Bertani said.

“We got to do what we can because, again, they are having a great year. We just have to play our best football again, it's building up to that. We played good all the way up, now our best game against them to win.”

LUIS GONZALEZ

▪ Killian 14, Homestead 0: The Cougars (3-5) keep their playoffs hopes alive but need a win over Palmetto next week to continue on.

“This game was a big swing of momentum,” Killian defensive back Traquan Butler said. “All our focus is on Palmetto now.”

The Cougars had an excellent defensive performance and were led by Butler, who had a pair of red zone interceptions to prevent Homestead from scoring. “I went up and fought for the ball,” Butler said.

Killian sophomore quarterback Cairiq Rackley had an outstanding performance with 114 yards passing and two touchdowns. Rackley is 20 yards shy from eclipsing 1,000 passing yards.

RUSSELL QUINOA

▪ Deerfield Beach 42, Monarch 7: Following a scoreless first quarter against district foe Monarch, the Bucks scored 28 unanswered second-quarter points to run away with the win. Deerfield Beach quarterback Nick Holm finished 12-16 for 89 yards with three touchdowns.

With the win, the Bucks clinched a playoff berth in Class 8A. They can take home the District 11-8A title next week with a win over Piper, which at press time led Coral Springs 40-22 in the fourth quarter. Monarch (2-5, 2-2) was eliminated from playoff contention with the loss.

Monarch started out strong on Friday night. On the opening possession of the game, the Knights chewed up six minutes of clock, but were forced to punt after stalling at the Deerfield Beach 40-yard line.

After a pair of first-quarter punts, the Bucks turned it on in the second quarter. Deerfield (6-1, 4-0) struck first less than two minutes into the frame as Holm connected with Leroy Henley on a four-yard touchdown strike.

On Monarch’s ensuing possession, the Bucks’ defense went to work. Following a Knights’ completion, defensive back Kobe Green ripped the ball out of a receiver’s hands and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown, giving the Bucks a 14-0 lead with 9:01 left in the quarter.

Four minutes later, Deerfield Beach’s star receiver Jerry Jeudy got into the action. Following a 32-yard reception, the Alabama commit strolled into the end zone on a two-yard touchdown grab to put the Bucks up 21-0.

Just before halftime, the Holm-Henley connection struck again as the two hooked up for a 20-yard touchdown to make it 28-0 with 2:30 left in the quarter.

In the third quarter, Deerfield Beach wasted no time in extending the lead. On their opening possession of the half, Alton Allen sprinted in for a 20-yard touchdown to give the Bucks a 35-point lead and a running clock.

Monarch avoided the shutout early in the fourth quarter as James Micioni threw a two-yard touchdown to Delshawn Velves.

WELLS DUSENBURY, Sun-Sentinel

▪ Pine Crest 56, Kissimmee Avant Garde 0: The host Panthers (6-2) ran out to a 42-0 halftime lead and cruised to the victory. Pine Crest will be the fourth seed in the North Division of the Southeastern Football Conference playoffs, visiting South top-seeded La Salle next week. On Friday, Pine Crest was led Raul Cepero who ran for 84 yards with a touchdown.

▪ Miami Senior 49, Coral Park 7: Travon Shannon led the Stingarees (2-6) team with four catches for 79 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

▪ Stoneman Douglas 35, Taravella 7: Riley Allsion rushed for 229 yards and scored twice to lead the Eagles (4-4) over the rival Trojans. With Deerfield Beach and Piper winning Friday night, Douglas was eliminated from the postseason. Clarence Burley and Nick Longley also scored for the Eagles.

GIRLS’ VOLLEYBALL

BOYS’ CROSS-COUNTRY

GIRLS’ CROSS-COUNTRY

BOYS' BOWLING

GIRLS' BOWLING

This story was originally published October 22, 2016 at 1:14 AM with the headline "Bison take out frustration on Miami Springs."