NSU University School football advances to SSAC independent state championship game
As the NSU University players celebrated among themselves and with family and friends, Sharks coach Mike Norman reflected on how far the football program has come in four years.
“My first year, we had about 15 JV players out here,” Norman said. “To be here in year four is unbelievable. To try to bring back some of that old tradition of this program.”
What University School has brought back is making a state championship run a reality.
The Sharks on Thursday took a giant step closer to sealing the deal with an impressive 21-10 victory over Cape Coral Oasis.
Through the strength of the running game, and the defense making Oasis work hard for every yard, University School (9-2) advances to the Sunshine State Athletic Conference state title game next Saturday at The Villages in Ocala. The Sharks will face the winner of Oviedo Master’s Academy and Christ’s Church Academy, who will play in the other semifinal on Friday night.
Both schools happen to have Sharks as their mascots. They also both have blue and white colors. And in the semifinals, Oasis also had a large cheering section for what became a physical football contest.
But after heading into halftime with a 7-3 lead, University School exploited its running game in the second half to take control of the game.
Collin Francis showcased his speed and elusiveness with a huge second half, scoring touchdowns on 19 and 50-yard runs. And in the first half, Jacques Dixson Jr. was the primary back, scoring the game’s first touchdown on a 3-yard run with 7:22 left in the second quarter.
“Every time we ran the ball, our line was holding up, moving us,” Dixson said. “I was like, ‘Coach, run the ball.’ We’ve got two backs, and great linemen on the field. Might as well run it.”
Oasis’ lone points in the first half came on Mason Sargis’ 40-yard field goal.
In the second half, U-School seized received the kickoff, and wasted little time building a two-score lead. On the first play, Francis scampered 45 yards, setting up his 19-yard touchdown run, making it 14-3 just 55 seconds into the third quarter.
“We wanted to get to the edge a little bit,” Norman said. “We thought we had enough speed. But as the game wore on, we thought, ‘Hey, let’s go right at them.’ We dialed up a couple of plays there, and we were really able to hit the middle of that defense.”
In the first half, University did connect on some big pass plays, especially with quarterback Jayden Miller hooking up with Bradyn Potter four times for 45 yards.
“I feel like we started playing more as a family, and started playing together,” Potter said. “That’s when we’re playing our best, when we’re all playing together. Helping each other out, and picking each other up. That’s when we’re at our best.”
Reaching the state finals is a relief, especially after last year’s disappointing 41-20 loss to Westminster Academy in the semifinals.
“We got to this point last year, especially with all the returners, we thought we left something out there last year, and we didn’t play up to our standard,” Norman said. “We kind of had a chip on our shoulder all year, from the offseason to August. Getting back here was the goal.”
Senior defensive back/receiver Belal “Juju” Logan is one of the leaders and top players on the Sharks.
Last year, Logan dealt with the disappointment of the lopsided loss to Westminster Academy in the state semifinals.
“Last year was a heartbreaker,” Logan said. “All of my seniors and my fellow friends had to go up to college, but now I’m a senior. I’ve got people on this team to get into that state game.”
The Sharks defense is a big reason University School has a shot to win at state.
Against Oasis, University’s defense neutralized quarterback Parker Smith’s passing attack. Oasis did pick up some tough yards on the ground, behind the running of Frederick Harley Jr., Dallas Scott and Colin Anderson.
Oasis’ only touchdown came on 4th down on Smith’s 3-yard pass to Carlos Avila-Lopez, with 2:20 left in the game.
“Our defense is very disciplined, we watch the ball,” Logan said. “We that ball snaps, we go.”
University’s defense was stingy even on the touchdown drive it allowed. Oasis had first down at U-School’s 20 with 6-minutes left. The Oasis drive covered seven plays and burned 3-minutes and 40-seconds.
“The defense has been playing great all year,” Norman said. “A couple of times in a couple of games we’ve shown we’ve given up some big plays. Tonight, they really sucked it up. They played well.”