Northwestern holds off Central as both top-10 teams open long-awaited state title defense
Miami Northwestern and Miami Central both waited more than 10 months for Friday.
They both won state championships late in 2019 and then waited out nearly a year worth of delays, postponements and outright cancelations because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was fitting, then, to have the archrivals and top-10 national powerhouses unofficially usher in the start of high school football in Miami-Dade County and their long-awaited meeting delivered. Northwestern’s defense, always the backbone of the storied program, made two red-zone stops in the final five minutes to open the season with a 21-14 win at “Traz” Powell Stadium.
“It built up to the fourth quarter,” Bulls coach Max Edwards said, “which is meant to be.”
Northwestern, the reigning Class 5A champion and winner of three straight state titles, never trailed after jumping out to a 14-0 lead in the first four minutes, but Central, the reigning Class 6A champion, had two chances to force overtime in the final four minutes in Miami.
A 72-yard run by star running back Amari Daniels set the Rockets up at the Bulls’ 12-yard line with less than five minutes to go, trailing 21-14. Northwestern’s front seven blew up the drive. Bulls outside linebacker Carlton Thomas logged back-to-back sacks, Northwestern forced an incomplete pass, then dragged down Central quarterback Keyone Jenkins for no gain on fourth down with less than two minutes remaining.
The Bulls gave the ball right back, though. Northwestern quarterback Taron Dickens fumbled the snap and the Rockets jumped on the loose ball to get another chance at the Bulls’ 25 with 1:41 left. After a second-down scramble by Jenkins put Central at Northwestern’s 20, the Bull’s pass rush teed up again. Bulls defensive tackle Michael Marshall sacked Jenkins on third down and Northwestern came up with another turnover on downs after Jenkins’ final completion fell a yard short of picking up the first down.
The Bulls piled up 10 sacks, including five in the fourth quarter. They also scored a defensive touchdown in the first quarter when star outside linebacker Patrick Payton, who is orally committed to the Nebraska Cornhuskers, returned a fumble for a touchdown and added another takeaway in the second on an interception by star safety Kamren Kinchens, who is orally committed to the Miami Hurricanes.
“I was just as shocked as you. I knew we were going to be winded, due to the fact that we weren’t in shape because we didn’t get the summe or a spring,” Edwards said, “but they were good. They kept fighting.”
On Northwestern’s final defensive stand, the Bulls pressed star wide receiver Romello Brinson into duty in the secondary. Injuries and cramps left Northwestern shorthanded, so it turned to perhaps its best player to cover talented sophomore wide receiver Lamar Seymore on the outside. He stuck to his fellow Hurricanes commit and held him to 9 yards on the final play when he needed 10.
“I had to. A lot of guys going down,” Brinson said. “I had to step up for the team.”
It bookended a dominant night for the four-star wideout. On the third play of the game, he hauled in a 77-yard touchdown to put the Bulls ahead 7-0 in just 1:21. Payton’s scoop and score pushed the lead to 14-0 with 8:24 left in the opening quarter.
Jenkins guided two resounding answers for the Rockets, though. On the next drive, he went 3 for 3 for 32 yards and hit wide receiver Zaylan Reese on a 9-yard slant for a touchdown to cut the lead to 14-7. Central’s next drive lasted only one lay after a bad snap on a punt gave the Rockets the ball at the Bulls’ 37. Jenkins placed a perfect outside-shoulder throw to wide receiver Robert McMinn along the right sideline to the the game at 14-14 with 3:16 left in the first.
Finally, the defensive struggle both sides anticipated set in. Jenkins, who started 8 of 9 for 118 yards and two touchdowns, finished 18 of 27 for 185 yards and got sacked 10 times. Dickens, who threw a 77-yard touchdown on his second attempt, finished 12 of 19 for 146 yards. Even Daniels, who had 65 yards on his first eight carries and added the late 72-yard run to finish with 146 yards on 15 carries, otherwise had only 8 yards on six second-half carries.
Northwestern finally broke through with 5:25 left in the third quarter. Bulls running back Siddiq Jackson found a hole on the right side of Central’s defense and burst through it for a 46-yard touchdown.
Both teams are setting out two defend their state championships this season — two of only five Miami-Dade County Public Schools opting in to the Florida High School Athletic Association’s state series — which means only three regular-season game apiece for the top-10 teams, according to the MaxPreps rankings.
For both teams, it was exactly the sort of benchmark challenge they needed.
“I feel like we set the tone for us, as far as our practice. They’re not happy with what we did, but they’re happy with the win.”
▪ St. Brendan (3-1) 48, Somerset Homestead 7: Damari Charlton 9 of 12 for 179 yards and 3 touchdowns; Richard Dandridge 3 receptions, 85 yards, 3 TDs; Isaac Brown 3 carries, 86 yards, 1 TD; Christian Lowry 6 tackles, 1 fumble for 1 TD, 1 interception for 35 yards.
Cross country
Undefeated Belen won its eight consecutive meet at the St. Thomas University Invite held at the university’s campus on Saturday.
The team scored a perfect 15 points in the varsity division in a field that included 4 teams. The team was led by Evean Torres, who finished first for the 5K two loop course in a time of 16:51. Second was Belen’s Joshua Ruiz, who finished with a time of 17:08.
The Wolverines have now beaten 126 teams across Florida this season. The team runs at Archbishop Maccarthy next Saturday for the District Championship.
Girls’ volleyball
▪ Regional quarterfinals — La Salle d. Gulliver (25-12, 25-21, 25-11): Kiara Alietti 4 aces, 2 assists, 17 digs; Emma Callaghan 1 ace, 4 kills, 5 blocks, 2 digs; Adriana Medina 3 aces, 11 assist, 11 digs; Angelina Cambo 1 ace, 7 kills, 1 assist, 7 digs. La Salle advances to the regional semifinals against St. Brendan on Tuesday.
This story was originally published October 23, 2020 at 11:50 PM.
