West Broward’s breakthrough football season ends with lopsided loss
West Broward cornerback/wide receiver A’Mir Sears wasn’t on the field as the final seconds on the clock ticked down on Friday afternoon.
The sophomore, four-star sensation, who had led the Bobcats on a historic run to the state championship game, sat on the bench with a towel covering his face.
Audible sobs could be heard as Sears let out his emotions while team trainers came to console him.
Sears had hoped for a much better ending to a breakthrough year for West Broward football.
But after 12 wins in a row and a first-ever appearance in a state final, the Bobcats were left empty-handed and without any points after a humbling, 31-0 loss to defending state champion West Boca Raton in the Class 6A final at FIU’s Pitbull Stadium.
“It felt really good to be here, but we didn’t get the outcome we wanted,” Sears said. “We just have to get back here next year. I didn’t fulfill the promise I made to win it so I’m gonna spend the offseason getting better and stronger so we can get back here again.”
West Broward (12-3) began its season 0-2 with a pair of losses to out-of-state powers Corner Canyon (Utah) and Camden County (Ga.). The Bobcats turned things around quickly with eight consecutive wins to end the regular season.
Sears led them through a tough postseason slate, which included gutsy comeback wins on the road over Miami Southridge in the regional finals and Gainesville Buchholz in the state semifinals.
But the Bobcats couldn’t find the end zone against the Bulls (13-2), and seemed to find nothing but frustration any time they put together even the smallest semblance of offensive rhythm.
West Broward’s typically-prolific running game was held to only 45 yards, mostly due to the sack yardage lost on five sacks of quarterback Brandon Mincy.
Daquon Adderley led the Bobcats with 55 yards on nine carries. Mincy passed for 223 yards on 14 of 22 attempts. But it seemed every time West Broward looked like it would get a drive going, a turnover or a penalty would stifle their momentum.
“We just should have finished better,” West Broward coach Brian McCartney said. “It’s a tough thing to feel this way. You make it this far and this happens, it’s tough.”
On the flipside, the Bobcats had a difficult time containing the rushing tandem of University of Miami signee Javian Mallory and quarterback Trey Moran.
Mallory ran for 117 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries while Moran picked up 133 yards on 11 carries as West Boca ran the ball on 41 of its 50 plays.
Sears was held to two catches for 30 yards, and led West Broward with nine tackles including one for loss on defense.
West Broward’s best play on offense came with 44 seconds left in the third quarter, and already trailing 24-0, when Mincy found Ratavion McReed open for a 60-yard completion to the West Boca 20.
An illegal motion penalty followed by a false start backed the Bobcats into a first and 20. Two plays later, Mincy was sacked for a loss of five, making it 3rd and 22. After a scramble picked up a yard and an incomplete pass, the Bobcats’ best scoring chance to that point was over.
“We just weren’t on the same page, that’s really it,” Mincy said.
After a scoreless first quarter, Mallory broke the stalemate when he shook off a tackler and scampered 50 yards to the end zone with 8:04 left in the second quarter. West Boca took a 14-0 lead when McReed fumbled after a catch when he was hit West Boca safety Damari Jerry and safety Trey Mitchell recovered and returned it 61 yards for a score.
West Broward might have had an opportunity to shift the momentum just before halftime when it appeared to create a turnover in West Boca territory. West Boca backup quarterback Omari McNeal was sacked by Jayson Bam Farfan and stripped of the ball, allowing Joshua Cruz to recover and return it to the Bulls’ 27. But a defensive holding call nullified the play. West Boca then finished off the first half by extending its lead to 17-0 on Tristan Lamb’s 37-yard field goal.
Down 31-0, West Broward drove inside the West Boca 5-yard line for the first time in the game. But with 3:25 left, West Boca linebacker Demetrius Geathers Jr. stripped Mincy of the ball and recovered it to preserve the shutout for the Bulls.
“It was one of those days. It was just an uphill battle,” McCartney said. “We kept shooting ourselves in the foot all day. It was crappy, honestly.”
This story was originally published December 13, 2025 at 8:36 AM.
