Homestead’s second half propels it past Krop to advance to third regional final in a row

Friday night’s Region 4-3M semifinal matchup between the Homestead Broncos and the Miami Dr. Krop Lightning had more drama than most predicted.

Homestead, the region’s top seed, came into the game having advanced to the regional finals in each of the past two seasons. Dr. Krop, on the other hand, started this year 2-4 and surged forth late to secure a postseason berth, followed by its first playoff victory since 2009.

But after a close first half, it was all Homestead late in the third quarter as their defense finished with four sacks and three interceptions, which propelled the Broncos to a 35-12 victory over the Lightning at Harris Field.

Homestead quarterback Joshua Townsend orchestrated the Bronco offense like a young maestro, completing 12 of his 22 passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 41 more yards on the ground. Time and again when the Broncos needed a big play, Townsend delivered.

His performance was crucial, and he’ll be counted on again next week when Homestead hosts the Region 4-3M final against Miramar, which edged Southridge 29-24 on Friday. It’ll be the third consecutive year that Townsend and the Broncos (10-2) advance to that round, but Homestead has yet to surpass that point in program history. Townsend knows exactly what’s at stake in the Broncos’ next playoff battle.

“This year we’re pushing to make it [to the fourth round]. Make history,” Townsend said.

The contest kicked off with fireworks, as the Broncos scored on both of their first two offensive plays. The first was a double pass on which receiver Fraquan Warren caught a lateral behind the line and proceeded to launch a bomb to fellow route runner Javon Robinson, who scorched the Lightning secondary for an 80-yard touchdown.

After jumping out to a 14-0 lead on their next drive with a 35-yard touchdown strike from Townsend to receiver Cortez Mills, Homestead looked like they would cruise to an easy victory, but Dr. Krop wasn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet.

The Lightning (7-5) answered back with a long, methodical drive, capped off by a 15-yard touchdown pass from Krop quarterback Jamaal Haggins to receiver Oxley Christiani for Dr. Krop’s first score of the game. Krop closed the gap to eight points, but that would be as close as they’d get.

When asked about the upcoming regional final, Townsend noted that Homestead needs to keep their foot on the gas for the entire game going forward, admitting they let up a bit after taking a 14-0 lead early.

“Don’t look at any opponent sweet,” said Townsend of what he tells his teammates. “Everybody needs to come to play hard and we just gotta do what we do to get to states.”