Miami Edison flag football will get another shot at state title; Homestead falls in semi
The Edison Red Raiders’ flag football team needed one more stop.
One more stop to get back to the state final for the first time since 2018.
One more stop to end Florida State University High School’s season.
And just one more stop to truly enjoy the night in Tampa.
Edison accomplished all of that thanks to senior linebacker Camille Canidate, who knocked down a fourth-down pass to help the Red Raiders prevail 21-14 in overtime on Thursday night.
“Our defensive coordinator (Mikey Sheehan) told me to stay on the center, which I hadn’t done earlier in the game,” Canidate said. “So, it was just about being coachable and making a play.”
Edison (18-1) will now play Wildwood (13-0) in Saturday’s Class 1A state final.
Neither school has ever won a state championship in flag football.
Edison, though, nearly blew its opportunity to even get to the final. The Red Raiders on Thursday led 14-0 by the end of the first quarter on a pair of Rakyia Louis touchdown passes – one to Brianna Bogan and one to Malayisa David.
But then the Red Raiders’ offense went cold with no points over the next three quarters. Worse, a pair of Louis interceptions led to FSU High touchdowns, tying the score on a pick-six with three minutes left in the fourth.
“Our girls nearly gave me a heart attack,” Edison coach Vincent Hall said. “They made it harder than it had to be.”
But Louis – who has had an incredible season with 81 touchdown passes and just 11 interceptions – redeemed herself in the fourth quarter, tossing the go-ahead score to David from five yards out.
The Red Raiders still needed that aforementioned stop to end the game, however, and Hall said he switched from a cover-3 to a cover-2 defense, putting Canidate in position to make her big play.
Now it’s on to play Wildwood, a team that advanced by beating Somerset Canyons Academy, 32-13.
Hall scouted Wildwood on Thursday and came away impressed.
“Wildwood’s girls’ basketball team won a state title this year, and a lot of those kids are playing flag,” Hall said. “They are super athletic, and their quarterback is amazing.
“I think it will be a high-scoring game.”
Hall, though, said he likes Edison’s chances.
“It will be a tough one – I won’t kid you,” Hall said. “But usually when we don’t play well – which was the case (on Thursday night) – we bounce back.
“I think (Louis) will bounce back, too. She was down on herself (on Thursday). She missed a couple of reads. But I’m looking for her to have a big game on Saturday.”
OTHER STATE SEMIFINALS
▪ In Class 3A, Homestead lost to Tallahassee Chiles, 18-7, on Thursday night. Still, Homestead (14-5) reached the state semifinals for the first time in program history.
▪ In a Class 4A state semifinal, reigning Florida champion Palmetto (16-3) will play Tampa Alonso (18-2) on Friday night at 8:30.
This story was originally published May 8, 2025 at 11:19 PM.