Doral Academy football rallies for crucial district win over Goleman

After making a historic run to the regional finals last season, the 2023 campaign hasn’t been nearly as friendly to Doral Academy.

Hit hard by graduation and assorted injuries, the Firebirds suffered a pair of lopsided losses to Hollywood South Broward and Miami Southridge and coach Eddie Delgado has had to work hard to hold it together.

Things got a lot better on Wednesday night.

In a key District 15-4M showdown with Goleman, Doral trailed 16-7 entering the fourth quarter. But led by quarterback Jordan Lleo, the Firebirds rallied for a 20-16 victory at Milander Stadium to move their record to 3-2 and give them an inside track to a possible playoff berth.

“It’s been rough for sure,” Delgado said. “We’re not only young but have had to deal with more injuries than I expected. Winning a game like this the way we did tonight could go a long way towards turning our season around. The kids did a lot of growing up tonight.”

Lleo was the star of the show, throwing for over 250 yards and three touchdowns, the last of which came with 6:06 left in the game. On a third-and-24 from the Goleman 40, he fired a laser right down the middle that found Samuel Catalan who split two Gator defenders and sprinted down the middle untouched to the end zone for the game-winning score.

Lleo’s favorite target on the night was Marcus Antelo who caught nine passes including a 5 yarder for a touchdown in the first quarter staking Doral to an early 7-0 lead.

Goleman’s final possession reached the Doral 45 before linebacker Jordan Rusinque picked off a pass with 1:05 left to seal the win.

The loss stings for Goleman (2-2), which is seeking only its second playoff berth in program history and first since 2004.

▪ Homestead vs. South Miami, cancelled: The game was cancelled due to inclement weather at Tropical Park on Wednesday.