Miami Northwestern headed back to state in Teddy Bridgewater’s first season as coach
Leon Strawder and Calvin Russell Jr. haven’t forgotten how bad the 2023 season at Miami Northwestern felt.
It’s why no matter how lopsided the victories have been lately, they and the rest of the Bulls enjoy the moment to the fullest.
So on Friday night after dismantling Melbourne Eau Gallie High 40-0 in a Class 3A state semifinal on the Commodores’ home field, Russell, Strawder and numerous teammates busted out their best dance moves.
Northwestern’s jubilation stemmed from the realization that in just one season - its first with former star quarterback Teddy Bridgewater at the helm as head coach - it has restored its proud program to the heights it’s accustomed to and now stands one victory away from adding another state championship.
The Bulls (11-2) will have that opportunity next Saturday night when they take on Jacksonville Raines in the Class 3A final at 7:30 p.m. at Pitbull Stadium on the campus of FIU in Miami.
“I fell short my first two years so this is great to finish this off and get back to state,” Russell said. “We worked our butts off and we gotta make sure to finish this week.”
Northwestern will try to win its first state championship since 2019 when it won the last of three consecutive titles under then-coach Max Edwards. It would be the Bulls’ eighth FHSAA state title and ninth overall counting its 1964 state crown in the segregation-era Florida Interscholastic Athletic Association.
“We’re going to bring the city out,” Strawder said. “It’s going to be fun and it’s going to be huge for us.”
Northwestern slipped from its lofty status in recent years, dismissed Edwards after the 2022 season and then struggled last season to a 4-6 non-playoff campaign under Bulls’ alum Michaelee Harris.
Bridgewater returned to his alma mater in February after retiring from the NFL with a goal to resurrect the program.
But the mission ran deeper than just wins and losses for the former Miami Dolphins quarterback, who played in one state title game for his high school in 2008 but came up short of the crown that season.
“It’s been a fun ride and we’re not done. The guys are completely bought into what we’re trying to do around here,” Bridgewater said. “It’s deeper than football. It’s about molding young men. And they’ve been winning a lot in life lately. They’ve had so many silent victories in life that people don’t see. It’s about taking care of school, taking care of life and that makes football easy. They’re reaping the benefits of that right now and I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
Northwestern transformed its roster in the offseason, bringing in over a dozen FBS-level prospects. Bridgewater surrounded himself with a coaching staff of several Bulls’ alums that shared his hunger to return their alma mater to prominence.
They’ve mentored players like Strawder, who has developed into one of the top quarterbacks in the state this season.
“It’s a great feeling and to go from last year being a 4-6 team to going to state, I just wanna thank Coach Teddy for bringing me in, building me up and helping me grow,” Strawder said. “It’s been great learning from him. He was in the NFL so there’s nothing else to do but learn from him. It’s helped me a lot because he’s shown me how to handle a lot of reads and a lot of concepts.”
It wasn’t always easy though.
Losses to Class 7A state finalist Venice and rivals Miami Norland and Miami Central challenged Northwestern’s resolve.
Since their defeat on Oct. 4 against Central, the Bulls have won seven in a row. The result against the Rockets was later flipped after Central was forced to forfeit all of their wins for use of an ineligible player thereby disqualifying the Rockets from the postseason.
Northwestern also came under investigation for an alleged similar violation in recent weeks, but it has yet to incur any sanctions from the FHSAA.
With their biggest rival out of the picture, Northwestern has thoroughly handled the competition through its first four playoff games, outscoring teams 221-12 with only six of those points coming against Bulls’ starters.
On Friday night, Strawder led the onslaught, throwing for four touchdown passes, 324 yards and no interceptions on 21 of 27 attempts. Russell Jr., rated the No. 2 overall prospect in the state for the class of 2026, caught one touchdown pass from Strawder and ran one in himself late in the fourth quarter to cap the blowout win.
Sophomore Nicholas Lenneer caught a pair of touchdowns and finished with seven catches for 118 yards while senior Darius Johnson caught a screen pass and rumbled 50 yards for another score. Johnson totaled seven catches for 130 yards.
Northwestern’s defense recorded its fourth shutout of the season and held Eau Gallie (12-2) to 47 yards rushing and 122 total yards.
“I tell them all the time that our games are won Monday through Thursday,” Bridgewater said. “The way we compete. The way we hit. They answer the challenge every day.”
This story was originally published December 7, 2024 at 12:36 AM.
