Miramar rallies from two-score deficit to open playoffs with win over Doral Academy
Miramar running Desmond Reid was asked after his game Friday night where he got the nickname “Flash.”
“Last year, starting off the season, every time I broke past somebody, my teammates couldn’t catch me so they just started calling me Flash,” said Reid.
Guess what? The Doral Academy Firebirds found out first hand on Friday night exactly how elusive “Flash” was as Reid was nearly unstoppable.
His 35-yard touchdown run with 3:10 left in which he literally steamrolled right over a Doral defender on the way to the end zone snapped a tie and turned into the game-winning score as Miramar knocked off Doral 28-20 in a Region 4-7A quarterfinal at Miramar High School.
Reid, who committed a few months ago to Western Carolina, finished his big night with 194 yards on 16 carries and scored all four of his team’s touchdowns. He even ran in both two-point conversions and had an 88-yard kickoff return for a score called back in the second quarter because of a penalty.
“I don’t know what’s up with these colleges. They’re all worried about his lack of height but the best running back to ever come through this school is that kid over there (pointing to Reid) and he went out there and carried us tonight when we needed him to,” said Miramar head coach A.J. Scott. “I love him. A pure playmaker, hard to tackle, strong kid with great character.”
When Doral scored with 8:36 left in the third quarter on a Michael Lomonaco 1-yard touchdown run, the Firebirds (8-2) went up 20-6 sending their loyal fans in the stands into a frenzy.
But the Patriots and Reid had some big plans in store and it didn’t take long to begin the comeback. After Darius Thomas III returned the ensuing kickoff back 48 yards to the Doral 27, Reid tore off two runs of 10 and 17 yards and was in the end zone.
When Doral got called for roughing the kicker on a failed point after, Scott decided to go for two. Reid carried it in making it 20-14.
After the Miramar defense forced a three-and-out, the Patriots took over at midfield following a short punts. Six plays later, Reid was in the end zone again from 11 yards out. The PAT was wide left leaving the game tied at 20 with 3:46 left in the third.
Doral, with its patented wing running attack that gave the Patriots defense fits early on, then put together a long drive that got the Firebirds inside the Miramar 5 with eight minutes left.
Then came the biggest defensive play of the night when, facing a fourth-and-2 at the Miramar 4, Doral coach Eddie Delgado rolled the dice, spurning a short field goal which would’ve broken the tie and went for it.
But Patriots defensive end Claudel Bazile shot through and gap and stuffed Jason Demetrius for a six yard loss. The Patriots took over at their own 10 and proceeded to put a 90-yard, 11 play drive together culminating in Reid’s game-winning touchdown.
When Doral jumped off sides on the PAT putting the ball on the one, Scott decided to go for two again. He just handed the ball off to Reid who found the end zone for the two pointer and eight point lead.
“I had a hunch on what was coming as it was a pinch play and I shot through the B gap and got right through and wrapped him up,” said Bazile, a Liberty commit, on his big defensive play. “Doral has a really tough offense to try and stop, something we hardly ever see so give props to them because they really ran on us early. But it was just a matter of adjusting to their scheme and adjust to their pulling guards and that’s what we did to eventually start stopping them.”
Scott said that when his team fell behind by two touchdowns in the third quarter, he was still confident that his kids had what it took to come back.
“I feel like a proud father,” said Scott. “You teach those kids all the time that when you get knocked down, you’ve got to get back up. You keep saying it and hope they get it. Doral’s a great team and we got knocked down. They punched us in the stomach, they punched us in the face and we licked our wounds and fought back.”
“I just told the guys, keep fighting,” said Reid when asked about his team’s third-quarter deficit. “The game’s not over until the clock says all zeroes. We had been through this situation in the regular season so we already knew what we needed to do. I just felt like one big play, I could hype my offense up and I managed to do that.”
Miramar’s reward for beating Doral will be a daunting one – a trip to Brian Piccolo Stadium next week to take on two-time reigning 7A state champion St. Thomas Aquinas in a Region 4-7A semifinal. But Scott would rather be doing that than having his season-ending meeting with his kids on Monday.
“At least we’re playing, that’s how it’s supposed to go,” said Scott. “You want to beat somebody, you’ve got to beat the big dog and we all know who the big dog is. I wouldn’t want it any other way, if I’m going to get a chance to play for the state title, it wouldn’t be right unless you went through St. Thomas and now we’ll get out chance.”
More results
▪ Region 4-8A: No. 1 Davie Western 43, No. 8 Parkland Stoneman Douglas 7; No. 5 Columbus 54, No. 4 Miami Dr. Krop 0; No. 2 Miami Palmetto 56, No. 7 Coral Glades 21; No. 3 Deerfield Beach 21, No. 6 Boca Raton 7.
▪ Region 4-7A: No. 1 Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas 43, No. 8 Delray Atlantic 7; No. 2 Homestead 55, No. 7 South Broward 3; No. 6 Fort Lauderdale Dillard 42, No. 3 Fort Lauderdale 0.
▪ Region 4-6A: No. 8 Plantation 44, No. 1 Fort Myers Dunbar 20; No. 4 Coconut Creek 36, No. 5 South Fort Myers 12; No. 3 Miami Northwestern 71, No. 6 Fort Myers 19
▪ Region 4-5A: No. 1 Miami Killian 60, No. 8 Cypress Lake 0; No. 5 Fort Lauderdale Stranahan 22, No. 4 Estero 7; No. 2 Plantation American Heritage 42, No. 7 Boynton Beach 14; No. 3 Miami Central 49, No. 6 North Miami Beach 6.
▪ Region 4-4A: No. 4 Miami Booker T. Washington 30, No. 5 Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian 6; No. 6 Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest 10, No. 3 Miami LaSalle 7.
▪ Region 4-3A: No. 4 Miami Edison 51, No. 5 Somerset Academy South Homestead 0.
▪ Region 4-2A: No. 5 Fort Pierce John Carroll Catholic 41, No. 4 Miami True North 20; No. 3 Belle Glade Glades Day 38, Fort Lauderdale Westminster Academy 0.
This story was originally published November 13, 2021 at 12:13 AM.