Southridge stuns Homestead to win district title in Pierre Senatus’ first year as coach
At first, Pierre Senatus just shook his head while the ice-cold water dripped down his shoulders and off the edges of his Southridge polo shirt. It didn’t take long, though, for a smile to creep up face while the final seconds ticked away on the Spartans’ stunning 20-8 upset of Homestead at Southridge Park.
The first-year coach wanted the Spartans to play it cool, but how could they not get excited? For the first time since 2018, they were district champions.
“On the marquee, you see the state championships in all the sports,” Senatus said, pointing to the banners hanging on the side of neighboring Miami Southridge Senior High School. “The talent is immense down here. ... It’s a first-class program. It always has been and always will be.”
On Friday, the Spartans (4-3) played like a team ready to return to its old perch as the top team in the southernmost part of Miami-Dade County.
Southridge scored twice in the first 5:03 — on its first nine offensive plays — and took a 20-0 lead into halftime in Miami. Its offense got more than 200 passing yards from Spartans quarterback Damari Charlton and put up more than 300 total yards. Its defense didn’t give up a single point, with the Broncos only scoring with 5:33 left when they recovered a bad snap on a field goal and ran it all the way back for a touchdown.
Homestead (6-2) was the presumed powerhouse in District 16-3M after winning 11 games and a district title last year, and hanging with nationally ranked Columbus last Friday despite a rash of injuries. Instead, Southridge jumped ahead early and the Broncos, with quarterback Joshua Townsend sidelined with a foot injury, could never recover.
“They never got punched int he mouth,” Charlton said. “Once we punched them in the mouth, their whole defense shut down.”
The Spartans gambled at the end of their first drive, going for it on fourth-and-long at Homestead’s 27-yard line, and Charlton came through with a rollout and easy touchdown throw to Southridge wide receiver Glenn Smith III in the first three minutes.
After forcing a three-and-out, the Spartans got the ball back in Broncos territory and Southridge running back Jaden Miller immediately ripped off a 45-yard touchdown run to push the Spartans lead to 13-0 in just 5:03.
Although his reputation is as a defensive mastermind, Senatus has crafted an explosive offense in his first year at Southridge, scoring at least 20 points in every game.
He quickly realized it was how the Spartans could win after he took over as coach in June. Senatus, who’s best known as the defensive coordinator for Booker T. Washington’s 2013 national-championship team, knew he had a rock-solid senior quarterback and an electrifying group of wide receivers to complement him. He wanted to build everything around them.
“It fostered back to my Booker T. days, when ‘Fast is fast’ was our shirts and it kind of mirrors that energy,” said Senatus, who most recently spent two years as the defensive coordinator for Miami Gardens’ Florida Memorial University in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. “When I saw these skill sets, I’m like, Boy, I’m having flashbacks. ... We’re going to design our school, our education and our program, our strength and conditioning around their strengths.”
In the biggest moment of his young tenure, Senatus’ players delivered. Charlton went 17 of 27 for 225 yards and two touchdowns, to Smith and fellow wide receiver Cameron Owens, and Harris added 73 yards on 10 carries.
The defense, placed in a more advantageous situation, came through, too, with two sacks and an interception in the third quarter.
After the pick, Senatus prowled the home sideline with a smile on his face, fist bumping just about anyone who passed by him. “Good job tonight,” he said, sensing a signature win approaching.
By the time Homestead got the ball back, only 16 minutes remained and its offense never could muster any sort of real threat. The Broncos didn’t run a single play inside Southridge’s 35 and both times they moved inside the 40 they quickly got knocked out of striking distance, either because of a bad snap or a sack.
There’s still a long way to go for the Spartans to get back to the glory they attained in 2016 as state champions, but this week will be validation for the work Senatus has already done.
Four years ago, Southridge won just two games and the Spartans haven’t posted a winning record since 2018. In less months, Senatus already has made a new addition to Southridge’s trophy case.
“We went to every camp. ... We got in the vans, we got in the buses. We checked all the boxes,” Senatus said. “We ran in this stadium, on these bleachers, on this track. We didn’t miss an opportunity to work, so that work’s coming to fruition.”
MORE SCORES
No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas 49, Fort Lauderdale 13
No. 4 Columbus 35, No. 16 Doral Academy 7
No. 5 American Heritage 24, Stranahan 0
No. 10 Blanche Ely 7, Deerfield Beach 0
No. 11 Dillard 42, No. 14 Plantation 6
No. 13 Miramar 47, American 7
No. 15 Western 36, Cypress Bay 20
No. 18 Carol City 28, North Miami Beach 22
No. 19 Miami Palmetto 47, South Dade 13
Archbishop Carroll 47, Berean Christian 0
Belle Glade Glades Day 37, Dade Christian 20
Braddock 42, Varela 14
Calvary Christian 42, North Broward Prep 14
Coral Gables 24, Miami Beach 7
Everglades Prep 26, Florida Christian 13
Killian 22, South Miami 13
Krop 39, Hollywood Hills 12
Marathon 57, Miami Country Day 21
Mater Academy 22, Miami Springs 8
McArthur 30, South Broward 7
Miami High 28, Goleman 23
Miami Jackson 22, La Salle 6
Naples Gulf Coast 45, West Broward 13
Pine Crest 49, Coral Springs Charter 13
Piper 28, Nova 12
St. Brendan 14, Westland Hialeah 12
Somerset Academy 47, Cooper City 0
South Plantation 41, Pompano Beach 13
Stoneman Douglas 41, Boyd Anderson 6
True North 34, Somerset Silver Palms 33
Westminster Academy 31, University School 6
This story was originally published October 15, 2022 at 12:16 AM.