Broncos rally to get win ‘for the history of Homestead’ against Booker T. Washington
Philip Simpson did some quick math in his head as the clock ticked toward its final 30 seconds Friday at Orange Bowl Field at Harris Field Park and then his eyes lit up. The Homestead coach started hopping up and down, and waving his arms to get his quarterback’s attention.
“Take a few steps back,” he shouted once Joshua Townsend finally turned in his direction, “and take a knee!”
The Broncos quarterback did it and Simpson led a charge onto the field, punching the air and bounding his way out toward his players to celebrate Homestead’s 27-20, come-from-behind win against Booker T. Washington.
It’s the sort of win the Broncos (7-1) haven’t managed often in their history and, in the middle of one of their best seasons ever, it felt monumental.
“That win was for the history of Homestead,” said Simpson, rattling off a list of Homestead natives who had gone north to play for the Miami powerhouse in recent seasons. “Obviously, it’s a great opponent, another physical team. On film, you can see them being scrappy, so it was a good playoff environment against those guys and then, on top of that, talk about the recent history.”
The Broncos rallied twice in the second half, scored a touchdown on fourth down with 2:57 remaining and made one final defensive stand to finish off the Tornadoes (4-5) in Homestead.
Tyrone Maxwell ran for 120 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries for the Broncos, fellow running back Isaac Brown returned a punt for a touchdown, and Townsend ran for another 56 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.
The win helps Homestead, which has already locked up District 16-Class 7A, jockey for positioning in the Region 4-7A bracket. Booker T. Washington, which last won a state championship in 2019, should remain in playoff position in Region 4-Class 4A despite the loss.
The Broncos trailed 14-7 at the half after a late field goal attempt got block and set up the Tornadoes for a go-ahead touchdown. In the first 13 minutes of the second half, the lead changed three times.
Homestead started the third quarter on defense and swung the game with a disruptive sequence. On six-play drive, the Broncos, led by star defensive lineman Daniel Lyons, piled up three sacks and two tackles for loss, and Booker T. Washington had to punt from its own end zone. Brown fielded the kick at the Tornadoes’ 30-yard line, ran to his left and hit a hole to find the end zone and put Homestead ahead 15-14 with 7:12 left in the quarter.
“After the half,” Maxwell said, “we came fired up.”
Booker T. Washington answered. The Tornadoes covered 67 yards in seven plays, and Booker T. Washington quarterback Claudell Sherman linked up with Tornadoes running back Antwan Smith for a 4-yard touchdown to put Booker T. Washington back ahead 20-15 with 3:46 left in the third.
Sherman finished 9 of 16 for 134 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, and also ran for a touchdown. Smith added 83 yards on 12 carries to go along with his touchdown catch, and Tornadoes wide receiver Adam Moore had four catches for 94 yards and a touchdown.
The Broncos started their next drive in Booker T. Washington territory, though, and Maxwell capped a 10-play, 39-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown to give Homestead the lead again with 11:42 remaining. The Broncos came up with another stop, then marched back down the field again to set up Maxwell for a 26-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-2.
On Booker T. Washington’s final drive, three straight passes fell incomplete then star athlete Richard Dandridge picked off a desperation heave on third down.
“As soon as we crossed the 50, I said, ‘Guys, you’ve got four downs on every play,’” Simpson said. “It paid off.”
