Northwestern makes statement, crushes Coconut Creek in Bridgewater coaching debut
It’s only been two games.
One, if you don’t count last week’s preseason game.
But it appears safe to say if you’ve watched Miami Northwestern’s football team over the past two weeks.
The Bulls are back.
Led by junior quarterback Leon Strawder, who threw four touchdown passes including two to five-star receiver prospect Calvin Russell, Northwestern thoroughly dominated host Coconut Creek 45-0 on Thursday night on the Cougars’ home field.
The game was part of the third annual Broward County High School National Football Showcase.
Northwestern (1-0) is the first Miami-Dade County team to play in the event in its brief history.
It wasn’t the only official debut on Thursday.
The Bulls played their first regular season game under new coach, alum, and former Miami Dolphins quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.
Under his guidance, Northwestern put together a complete performance on offense, defense and special teams which followed a similarly dominant victory last week against Miami Palmetto in an exhibition game at Traz Powell Stadium.
While there’s still a long road ahead for the Bulls, that’s two victories over teams that advanced to at least the second round of the playoffs last season and are regarded still as potential postseason squads this season.
“It’s a group that’s been working hard since I took this job,” Bridgewater said. “It’s good to see the transition from last year to this year. There’s a ton of potential.”
Coconut Creek (0-1) struggled to sustain any offensive momentum as it was held to only four first downs, 101 total yards and minus-7 rushing yards.
On four different occasions, Creek had errant snaps, which contributed to their problems.
Northwestern’s defense did the rest.
Senior Deangelo Thompson recorded 2.5 of the Bulls’ three sacks of new Cougars’ starting quarterback Devin Gonzalez and they forced two turnovers.
Junior defensive end Jayson Farfan picked up a fumble which led to a score and junior linebacker Desmond Johnson intercepted a pass that led to another.
Strawder did the rest, conducting Northwestern’s offense efficiently, completing 9 of 14 passes for 112 yards.
“I feel like we’re going to states,” Strawder said. “We work hard and play hard in practice. When we’re all on the same page nobody can stop us.”
Strawder set the tone on the Bulls’ second drive when they capitalized on Farfan’s fumble recovery with a 2-yard touchdown pass to junior Nicsaint Joseph Jr.
On the Bulls’ next drive, Strawder connected with Russell in stride down the sideline for a 39-yard score.
The two would hook up again just before halftime when on 4th-and-1, Strawder looped a screen pass to Russell, who then turned up field and scampered untouched into the end zone.
“We had to let them know we’re here,” Russell said. “We grinded all summer, blood, sweat and tears. It was important to come out of the gate and jump on them early. We’re just making a statement right now.”
Northwestern also controlled the game on the ground, amassing 128 yards overall on 19 carries. King Davis led that effort with 52 yards and a touchdown on six carries. Backup quarterback Florentino Lopez capped the scoring with a 50-yard touchdown strike to senior Daruis Johnson after a Davis touchdown prompted a running clock in the second half.
The Bulls will next hit the road to face state powerhouse Venice - a team they lost to in a 63-46 shootout last season at Traz.
Northwestern’s hot start is a positive sign for a program with a rich history, which includes seven FHSAA state championships and eight overall, and a national title in 2007. But after winning three consecutive state titles under former coach Max Edwards from 2017-2019, the Bulls regressed and last season, under former coach Michaelee Harris, missed the playoffs for the first time in over a decade.
Bridgewater is aware that a long road awaits his team as several challenges remain for the Bulls including games against Miami Columbus, Miami Carol City, Miami Norland, Miami Jackson and, of course, longtime neighborhood rival Miami Central.
“When Northwestern football is good, the community is good,” Bridgewater said. “We’ve put on a show for them the past two weeks. Hopefully, we can just keep building on it.”
