Miramar falls to perennial Virginia state champion, coached by Patriots alum

To get to where they want to go, the Miramar Patriots on Friday night got an indication of where the bar is set. Highland Springs (Virginia) showed it’s raised pretty high.

In a physical matchup where neither offense did much in the passing game, Highland Springs scratched out a 20-14 win in the Broward County National Football Showcase.

Highland Springs is a dominant program in Virginia, winning the Class 5 state championship in 2022. Coach Loren Johnson, in fact, has won five state championships since 2015.

“It’s a measuring stick,” Miramar coach A.J. Scott said. “They’ve won five state titles for a reason. I think the quarterback is a two-time champion, and we went toe-to-toe. I’m proud of my team, and the way we fought. At the end of the day, we want to be a champion. We’ve got to spar with the champions and learn how to be a champion. We’ll learn from this.”

For Johnson, Friday was a successful return to South Florida. The Springers’ coach graduated from Miramar in 1995.

Scott, meanwhile, played his prep ball at McArthur High School, and was part of the class of 1996. The two head coaches actually played against each other in high school.

“I’ve never stood on that sideline, ever,” Johnson said. “But once the game started, it was a football game.”

Although Miramar lost to one of the top teams in Virginia, Johnson sees a promising season for his alma mater.

“They’re very good,” the Highland Springs coach said. “There are mixed feelings for me. I want to see them play another 14 games. Some things have to have for them to be really, really good, and I think they’ve got the right ingredients to do it.”

Miramar struck first and grabbed a 7-0 lead on Kael Alexander’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Darrel Mitchell at 7:47 of the first quarter. Unofficially, Alexander threw for 74 yards.

Highland Springs capitalized on an interception, and scored on Eric Byrd’s 74-yard touchdown run, in which he broke several tackles near the line of scrimmage. But a 2-point conversion attempt failed, and Miramar led 7-6 after the first quarter.

The Springers took the lead for good at 7:10 of the second quarter on quarterback Khristian Martin’s 5-yard touchdown run. The extra point kick made it 13-7. Martin, who is committed to Maryland, passed for 93 yards.

At halftime, Byrd rushed for 107 yards on five carries, and he finished the game with 108 yards on eight attempts.

Most of Miramar’s offense by running back Jordan Jones, who finished with 103 yards on 21 carries. Jones was shaken up with about 11 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

Miramar made it a one-touchdown game on Cayson Young’s 7-yard touchdown run with 11:18 remaining in the fourth quarter.

“I was disappointed with the mistakes – two turnovers, bad special teams play,” Scott said. “When you play a five-time state championship team, that can’t happen. You can’t give them the ball twice, and a turnover basically on special teams.”