NSU University School falls to Master’s Academy in SSAA state championship

NSU University School’s football team learned a lot this season.

The Sharks learned how resilient they can be and how much pride they have.

They also learned what it takes to reach the Sunshine State Athletic Association (SSAA) 11-man Football state championship game.

Unfortunately, the Sharks learned Friday that it takes a lot to win an SSAA title.

After tying the game at 42 with 4:03 left to play, NSU University School couldn’t come up a defensive stop late, surrendering the go-ahead — and ultimately game-winning — touchdown with less than a minute to play and saw its final drive fall stall out in the waning seconds as Oviedo Master’s Academy came away with a 49-42 win.

“This one,” University School coach Mike Norman said, tapping his hands on his chest, “hurts.”

“Unfortunately, you’re never going to forget things like this. We just couldn’t find our groove on defense. We got a couple stops here and there, but when we really needed it, we couldn’t get it done on that side of the ball.”

“But yeah, this one hurts,” Norman added as Master’s Academy celebrated its second straight SSAA state championship on the other side of the field at The Range at H.G. Morse Stadium.

NSU University School (9-3) showed its resilience as it erased an 8-point deficit in the fourth quarter. The Sharks found themselves down eight thanks to a missed extra point in the third quarter — after a 68-yard touchdown reception by Bradyn Potter — left them trailing 35-34 and Master’s Academy, which has now won four SSAA titles since 2019, took a 42-34 lead after freshman quarterback Jackson Stetcher capped a methodical, clock-draining drive with a 10-yard touchdown run.

On the ensuing drive, NSU’s faced a 4th-and-15 but was able to keep the drive and their hopes alive by drawing a defensive pass interference penalty on the Eagles. Gifted a new set of downs, Jacques Dixson Jr. found a crease in the Eagles’ defense and rumbled for 41 yards — down to the Master’s Academy 2-yard line.

A play later, Collin Francis pushed his way across the goal line for a score.

Dixson Jr. tied the game when he pushed his way through the pile of linemen on the two-point play — making it a 42-42 game with 4:03 left to play.

“There was no quit on the sideline,” Norman said. “The guys kept fighting and their attitude stayed positive.”

Master’s Academy’s (11-1) running game went back to work on the ensuing drive, gaining chunks of yards and draining the clock as it made it into Sharks territory with just over a minute to play. As NSU was expecting another run, the Eagles took the lead on a 29-yard touchdown pass from Stetcher to Davon Washington.

U-School’s final drive ended with a turnover on downs as quarterback Jayden Miller took his first sack of the night.

Still, Miller had a very solid night in the pocket — completing 20 of his 26 passes for 329 yards with five touchdowns. The Sharks also rushed for 146 yards — 126 belonging to Dixson Jr.

Miller’s first touchdown of the night, a 32-yard toss to Kobe Conway, put the Sharks on the board first and brought his team back even at 28 just before halftime as Carlos Avila-Lopez made a contested catch in the front of the end zone.

“Offensively we did a great job tonight and our special teams was solid,” Morgan said. “Hat’s off to [Master’s Academy] — they have an excellent quarterback and an excellent game plan. They made a few adjustments and were able to catch us out of position. And we made some adjustments, too, but we couldn’t make the stops.”

“That No. 9 over there is a heck of a football player, I have to give him that,” Norman said about the Eagles’ freshman signal caller.

Stetcher, who entered Friday’s title game with 34 touchdowns and holds offers from UCF, USF, and Samford, was 10-for-11 with 225 passing yards and four touchdowns while also running for 101 yards and a score.

“Last year when we lost in the [SSAA] state semifinals, a lot of those young guys sat on that field and watched the other team celebrate. That definitely carried us into the offseason and gave us motivation going into this year,” Norman said.

“Our senior class came with me four years ago when we were just trying to build the program up from just having a JV program. A lot of these kids have been here through it all and have seen this program come from that up to the point we are now. I love these guys. And I know they are going to carry this with them and be something we use as motivation not to feel like this again next year.”