Western secures much-needed win over Goleman, district title in sight

Amid a mass exodus of transfers during the offseason and a slew of injuries sidelining key players, the 2025 season had been a brutal one for head coach Adam Ratkevich and his Davie Western football team.

Spoiled with the riches of major success over the last decade, the Wildcats entered Friday night’s District 15-7A showdown with Goleman with a 1-5 record and in danger of missing the postseason for the first time since 2015.

But sometimes one game can turn it all around and that’s just exactly what happened as Western, thanks to an interception return for a touchdown in the final minute, stunned the Gators 14-7 before a huge Goleman homecoming crowd at Milander Stadium.

“It was a nailbiter but our boys fought their tails off all night long and ultimately found a way to win,” Ratkevich said. “I can’t be more proud of them.”

He was especially proud of his defense which held the potent Goleman offense at bay all night long and of course his defensive star of the evening, free safety Silas Allen.

Allen picked off a Timothy Potts pass in the center of the field with 56 seconds left in the game, took off around the left side picking up a wall of blockers and wound up in the end zone for a 35-yard pick-six touchdown as the Western sideline erupted in celebration.

“We were in a cover 3 and I was responsible for anything that came deep,” Allen said. “Maybe he didn’t see me but the quarterback threw the ball right at me. I took off around the left side, spotted my blockers setting up along the sideline, saw that flag and dove in that end zone for the big money.”

In addition to that throw, Potts probably wished he could have his pass, one play earlier, back. With the Gators taking over at their own 14 with 1:13 left, Goleman coach Ariel Cribeiro stayed aggressive and came out throwing. Wide receiver Rashad Gaines had beaten his defender down the far sideline and was wide open. But a potential 86-yard touchdown pass went by the wayside as Potts overthrew him.

Even though still saddled with a 2-5 record, the win moved the Wildcats to 2-0 in the 4-team district and they can wrap up the district title next week with a win on the road over neighborhood rival Cypress Bay. The Gators, ranked No. 18 in the Miami Herald Top 20 South Florida poll, could’ve wrapped up the district title with a win but instead slipped to 4-3, 1-1.

If Western should lose to Cypress Bay and Goleman defeats Taravella in two weeks, the three teams would finish in a 2-1 tie for first and then it would come down to whoever has the highest FHSAA power rating.

After each team found the end zone on their opening possession, it looked like the game might be a shootout. The Wildcats took the opening kickoff and marched 58 yards in 10 plays as Caleb Williams, lined up in the wildcat formation, bolted through the left side 19 yards for a score.

The Gators, thanks to a 55-yard kickoff return by Darryl Bell III giving them a short field, answered quickly with the equalizer, Antwain Easterling going over from five yards out to make it 7-7 with 6:16 left in the first quarter.

And that was that.

For the next three-and-half quarters, the two teams went back and forth constantly battling for field position amidst a slew of punts.

Western’s best chance to break the tie came with just over eight minutes left when they marched from midfield to the Goleman 5 and faced a fourth-and-two. Ratkevich, in a decision he almost came to regret, spurned the short field goal and went for it. Lining up in the shotgun again, Williams took off around the right side but was stuffed inches short of the line to gain. The Gators got their best chance a little over two minutes later when Western punter Brennan Parsons, off a slow snap, ran around the right side to try and create more space to punt the ball away but dropped the ball.

Goleman took over at the Western 25 with 6:12 left poised to go in and take the lead. But all the Gators did was go backwards as a pair of holding penalties and a sack left them back at midfield having to punt the ball away.

Three of Western’s five losses were to three defending state champions, West Boca Raton, Chaminade-Madonna and St. Thomas. The other two defeats were also against quality teams, Coconut Creek and Plantation.

How confident was Ratkevich coming in?

“We talked about it all week,” Ratkevich said. “We’re going 1-0 each week all the way to the state playoffs. One game at a time now. Anything that happened in the past this season is in the past. Quite frankly we had already set up a celebration breakfast party for tomorrow (Saturday) morning.

“That’s how confident we were that we were going to come in and find a way to get this thing done tonight. No disrespect to Goleman, they’re a good football team but we were completely healthy for the first time all year and that we were going to come in here tonight, play Western football and find a way to get it done.”