Honeywood’s clutch plays on defense and special teams help Norland remain unbeaten
Miami Norland’s Terrance Honeywood is one of the seniors that’s hungry.
Starved for a chance at redemption.
Honeywood is one of several Vikings, who endured the uncomfortable feeling of going undefeated last year until losing the state championship game.
So when Honeywood, a wide receiver, is asked to make a play on defense or special teams, he often comes through.
Honeywood made the decisive plays Friday night which helped Norland remain undefeated with a 21-17 comeback win against Miami Northwestern at Traz Powell Stadium in a game that started over an hour late due to inclement weather.
“He’s one of the leaders on the team and is put in positions like that,” Norland coach Daryle Heidelburg said. “He stepped up big in our biggest game so far.”
Trailing 17-8 midway through the fourth quarter, the Vikings (3-0) cut the deficit to three points on a 9-yard touchdown run by Nathaniel Rosario. After a three and out by the Bulls (2-2), Honeywood received a punt at Norland’s 45-yard line, ran through an open space in the coverage team and sped to the end zone to put the Vikings ahead by their eventual winning margin with 5:26 left.
“I saw a lane and my guys blocked and I knew I had to score,” Honeywood said.
Still, it would take one more stop on defense.
Honeywood made it when he anticipated a throw from Northwestern quarterback Leon Strawder to the far side of the field, jumped the route and picked off the pass with 25 seconds left to seal the win.
“They ran the play and we saw that on film so I just knew I needed to make the play my team needed,” Honeywood said.
It was one of three turnovers Norland’s defense forced at crucial times in the game.
Senior Jerrard Smith picked off Strawder early in the second quarter on a ball that went off the hands of receiver Nicsaint Joseph Jr. and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown to open the game’s scoring. A successful fake extra point that ended with holder Keyon Bryant finding Shawn Smith open in the end zone gave Norland an 8-0 lead and would prove to be a valuable additional point.
Without it, Northwestern could have lined up for a potential game-tying field goal on its final drive. Instead, it was forced to push for the end zone. The Bulls reached Norland’s red zone at the 14 before Honeywood came up with the game-clinching turnover.
Defensive end Michael Smith, who also had two sacks, came up with a key fumble recovery that ended Northwestern’s penultimate drive at midfield.
“We just had to make some plays. We did not make a play in the first half at all. We dropped balls. We literally did everything we could do wrong,” Heidelburg said. “Our defense stood up in the second half. It was expected though. If anyone didn’t expect this to be a great game then they don’t know Dade County football.”
The Bulls, who are trying to make their own push for a state title under first-year coach Teddy Bridgewater, responded to that early miscue with a pair of touchdown drives. Joseph Jr. secured some redemption when he hauled in an 11-yard touchdown pass from Strawder in the back of the end zone with six minutes left in the half.
Strawder then did it himself on Northwestern’s go-ahead score, powering through Norland’s defense for a 9-yard touchdown that put the Bulls ahead 14-8 at the half.
The Bulls defense did a solid job as well, containing Norland’s explosive quarterback Ennio Yapoor, who finished with 80 yards rushing and 76 passing, but did not score a touchdown or throw for one.
While Norland is officially unbeaten, both Honeywood and Heidelburg said their lopsided loss to Seffner Armwood in its preseason classic, served as a blueprint for which areas the Vikings needed to get better if they are to return to state and finish the job this season.
“We’ve been working even harder in practice than we were before that game,” Honeywood said. “We thought we were, but clearly we weren’t. We stepped it up a notch and we’re not stopping. We’re not stopping this year until we get it.”
