Showcasing most talented roster in over a decade, Norland handles Monsignor Pace
Many thought that Friday night’s big District 13-2M showdown between neighborhood rivals Monsignor Pace and Miami Norland would bring lots of competitive drama.
After all, the two teams, ranked No. 15 and No. 12 in the Miami Herald South Florida Top 20 poll, respectively, were supposed to be very evenly matched.
But Norland players had much different ideas.
The Vikings traveled the short distance to Pace High School and dominated from the moment they got off the buses on their way to a 29-12 victory.
Norland quarterback Ennio Yapoor finished with more than 250 yards passing and three touchdowns and scored the other touchdown on a quarterback sneak as the Vikings (3-0) moved to 2-0 in the district with a matchup against Miami Central in three weeks to likely decide the 13-2M title.
This could be the best Norland team its longtime head coach Daryle Heidleburg has put together since Duke Johnson helped lead the program to the second of its two state titles in 2011. Two years ago the Vikings won the Tri-County Championship (during the COVID season) with several players from that squad still on Norland’s roster this season.
“Definitely the best team we’ve had since our Duke days and it’s been a awhile since we’ve been able to stack up this kind of talent,” Heidleburg said. “The key has been that we’ve been able to keep all these guys in the system, bringing them in as ninth and 10th graders and basically the same team that won the Tri County championship two years ago so it’s a special group.”
The Vikings took advantage of a very uncharacteristically sloppy performance by Pace as the Spartans (2-2) practically handed Norland its first two touchdowns, committing numerous penalties and missteps all night long.
On the first possession of the game, Pace’s punter dropped the ball inside his own five giving the Vikings the ball at the Pace five.
Two plays later, Yapoor found Isaiah Scott for a 6-yard touchdown less than three minutes into the game. After Aidan Martinez drilled a 33-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter to make it 10-0, Pace turned it over on the next possession when quarterback Aidan Karsh couldn’t handle a high snap from the shotgun and the Vikings recovered at the Pace 12.
Two plays later, Yapoor snuck over from two yards out to make it 16-0. The lead ballooned to 23-0 with 2:57 left in the first half when Yapoor took advantage of a busted coverage by the Pace defense and found Scott wide open for a 48-yard score.
Trailing 23-6, Pace stopped Norland on a third-and-8 at midfield which would’ve forced a punt. But the Spartans were flagged for a dead ball personal foul. When the same player was called for unsportsmanlike penalty, the 30-yard penalty put the ball at the Pace 18. On the very next play, Yapoor found Ivory Aikens in the end zone for a score to make it 29-6 and it was time for everyone to drive home safely.
“It feels great with the big effort tonight and a shout-out to Coach Burg (Heidleburg) and all of our coaches because they really had us ready to go,” said Yapoor, a sophomore who already has offers from Ole Miss, Houston, Akron and FAU. “We’re going to change Miami Norland football and feel like that’s what we’re doing now. A lot of people are sleeping on us but we really don’t care because when we come out, we’re coming out to play. It doesn’t matter who’s in front of us and we know we’ve got a lot of great teams that we’re going to have to battle through. But I honestly feel we have the talent to beat anyone.”
This story was originally published September 17, 2022 at 8:26 AM.