Homestead closing in on district title after defense leads victory over Southridge
The “revenge tour” is complete.
One year ago to the day, Homestead dropped its second straight game against Southridge following a loss to eventual Class 4M state champion Columbus.
But on Friday night, the Broncos forced five turnovers in a dominant 45-14 victory over the Spartans at Harris Field — a week after relying on their defense to beat Columbus, 32-16.
Now, Homestead is nearly a lock to win the District 16-3M title.
“It’s a humbling feeling to be able to get our game back and take care of these great opponents,” Homestead coach Ronnie Thornton, Jr. said. “[Southridge and Columbus] were both able to edge us out last year. We came back this year with a chip on our shoulder … The preparation was a little deeper, a little more intense. We wanted to make sure that we secured every game, but these last two weeks have been circled.”
Broncos quarterback Joshua Townsend went 7 of 11 for 132 yards and two touchdowns, both of which were caught by wide receiver Cortez Mills. He had three catches for 84 yards to lead Homestead.
How does Townsend, who also had a rushing touchdown, describe his connection with Mills?
“Like Wi-Fi. We got unlimited Wi-Fi,” he said. “Ain’t no stopping us.”
And early on, there was no stopping the Broncos’ defense. The Spartans’ first three possessions ended in turnovers — a fumble and two interceptions — and Southridge trailed 25-0 after the first quarter.
Homestead forced a fumble on the Spartans opening drive and used a trick play for a 34-yard score moments later. Wide receiver Fraquan Warren caught a screen pass and drew the defenders in before launching a touchdown to fellow wide receiver Kevin Cascudo.
The Broncos quickly added to their tally when defensive back Jakhai Rainey intercepted the Spartans and weaved through defenders for a Pick-6. Up 13-0, a tipped ball led to another Homestead interception on the ensuing drive, and Mills caught his first touchdown of the night with 5:07 left in the first quarter.
“Once we hit our midseason, the bye week, we went back and self-evaluated and realized that we hadn’t made very many turnovers,” Thornton said. “And we wanted to do something about it … When we’re playing that style of defense, we make it hard for a lot of offenses.”
Homestead led 31-14 at halftime and scored 14 unanswered in the second half before the game ended after an injury. A Spartans player went down on a kickoff return with 9:16 left in the fourth quarter and stayed there for several minutes before he was carted off the field.
He had movement in all his extremities, according to a doctor on the scene, and was transported to the hospital for concussion protocol.
Southridge falls to 6-2 with the loss — its first since a 54-6 blowout against Miami Norland. The Broncos (6-1) are now on a six-game winning streak after dropping the opening game of the season to Palmetto.
Homestead will face Miami Edison on Oct. 20 at 7:30 p.m. while the Spartans play Miami Central, which dropped a 29-26 overtime thriller to Norland on Friday, on Oct. 19 at 7 p.m.