American Heritage jumps on Rickards early, rides defense to fifth state championship
A mob swarmed around Oronde Gadsden II after the wide receiver skied and plucked a second-quarter touchdown catch out of the air and over the outstretched arms of a Tallahassee Rickards defensive back. Plantation American Heritage had waited three years for a state championship and it was starting to feel real.
It was the final score of a near-perfect first half for American Heritage and Gadsden’s touchdown, caught in the back corner of the end zone on the Patriots’ sideline at Doak Campbell Stadium, was worth celebrating. American Heritage trusts its defense. With 21 first-half points, the Patriots were well on their way to a 24-6 victory in the Class 5A championship.
“I knew there’s nothing that can beat that,” said Gadsden, who signed a national letter of intent with the Syracuse Orange on Wednesday. “We’ve got to win at that point.”
American Heritage (11-2) shut out Rickards (9-2) in the first half, and rolled to its fifth state championship and first since 2017. The Patriots held the Raiders to 150 yards in the first half and Rickards missed two field goals to send American Heritage into halftime with a commanding 21-0 lead.
The Patriots, ranked No. 23 in the nation by MaxPreps, only allowed more than 20 points in a game twice all season. Offense was occasionally a challenge for American Heritage, but the Patriots got three big plays to build their insurmountable lead.
“If we give our defense 21 points against anybody,” coach Patrick Surtain said, “we feel comfortable.”
First, Mark Fletcher exploded up the middle for a 46-yard to flip the field and he eventually punched in a 2-yard touchdown to put American Heritage ahead 7-0 midway through the first quarter.
The star running back finished with 21 carries for 127 yards and the touchdown, and had 91 yards in the first quarter.
“He’s our bell cow, man. The kid is special,” Surtain said. “The sky’s the limit for him. He has two more years in high school. I feel sorry for opposing defenses.”
On the Patriots’ next drive, wide receiver Nick Whitton raced through the Rickards secondary and quarterback Blake Murphy found him open for a 49-yard touchdown on third-and-16 to go up 14-0 in the final seconds of the first.
In the second quarter, star athlete Vinson Davis returned a punt 62 yards to set up Gadsden’s 3-yard touchdown catch with 5:28 left.
“I told them give me how many points they need,” said star free safety James Williams, who signed with the Miami Hurricanes on Wednesday. “They don’t score, they can’t win. We gave up one fluke touchdown. It is what it is. They lived to see another day, but, at the end of the day, we’re state champs.”
On defense, American Heritage had two sacks and six tackles for loss in the first half to keep the Raiders out of the end zone, even after the Patriots lost a fumble at their own 28-yard line with 1:07 left in the half.
Rickards did score just 1:07 into the second half after a 57-yard kick return by Raiders athlete Greg Turner Jr., but American Heritage held Rickards to 55 yards after giving up the touchdown to Raiders quarterback Michael Townsend.
Star edge rusher Marvin Jones Jr. logged two sacks and three tackles for loss, and Williams and defensive tackle Belizaire Bassette II each had a sack, plus a tackle for loss. Safety Boogsie Silvera piled up 17 tackles and the Patriots held Rickards to just 207 yards on 3.5 yards per play.
It was a vintage American Heritage performance. When the Patriots won four state titles in five years from 2013-2017, they did it with defenses led by future college football and NFL stars.
Two years, at this point, was too long to wait for American Heritage and there were moments throughout the postseason when another year was about to pass the Patriots by.
Revenge against Miami Northwestern last month — Northwestern knocked them out last year with a three-point win — and a 10-point comeback against Tampa Jesuit last Friday set up American Heritage for a long-awaited celebration in Tallahassee.
“Two years away from hoisting the trophy — even though we finished 11-2, it left a sour taste in our mouth,” Surtain said. “We’re back on top in 5A.”
This story was originally published December 18, 2020 at 10:00 PM.
