Win puts Miramar half way to its district title goal

Miramar wide receiver Dominick Watt stiff-armed two defenders with one hand on his way to the end zone in a spectacular display of power and speed.

After Monday night the Patriots are half way toward swiping away its two biggest obstacles in the race for the District 12-8A championship.

Watt’s highlight-reel 22-yard touchdown catch and run, during which he later juked around a third defender, capped Miramar’s dominant second half in a 34-12 victory over previously unbeaten Plantation.

"I saw the man in front of me and another so I said I’m just gonna push," Watt said. "They both hit each other. Then another guy came and I just stopped and ran for a touchdown."

Watt, a physical 6-2, 200-pound senior who transferred from McArthur in the offseason and is being recruited by several FBS schools including Louisville, caught three passes overall for 50 yards.

Watt is one of several reasons Miramar’s offense is averaging nearly 30 points per game so far this season.

"With this offense we can go far," Watt said. "The defense is lockdown so teams just need to be ready."

Miramar (3-1, 3-0 in district) picked up its third consecutive district win and second in four days.

The Patriots will next host reigning district champion Flanagan on Friday night.

In what is shaping up to be a three-team race in the district with Plantation (4-1, 2-1) and undefeated Western, Monday night’s victory was crucial for Miramar, which last won a state title in 2009.

The Patriots missed the playoffs last season after two one-point defeats against Flanagan and Western.

Miramar coach A.J. Scott, a former assistant coach for seven years under then-coach Damon Cogdell, returned this season as head coach with the goal of making the Patriots a state champion again.

"We’re en route but I still think we have a long way to go," Scott said. "I’ve been part of some great defenses over the years. But we don’t have that one guy like when we had a Tracy Howard, but collectively I think this team has what it takes to be a great defense.

"The offense has had a lot of kids stepping up and I’m really happy with how far they’ve come along," Scott said. "Hopefully we put it all together for our last three district games."

MORE HIGHLIGHTS

▪ Miramar collectively ran for over 250 yards led by quarterback Steven Williams, who ran for a 60-yard touchdown and threw a pair of touchdown passes. Williams went 10 for 21 for 165 yards. Freshman Katravis Geter ran for a touchdown and finished with 64 yards.

▪ Plantation’s Khamani Adelson ran for both of the Colonels’ touchdowns and finished with 79 yards. Plantation will try to rebound at home against Everglades on Friday.

▪ Miramar senior linebacker Xavier Zavala returned an interception 47 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to cap a stellar performance by the Patriots’ defense, which held Plantation under 200 total yards.

This story was originally published October 2, 2017 at 11:13 PM with the headline "Win puts Miramar half way to its district title goal."