Amid season of change, patience helps Miami Norland remain a top contender
Patience among high school athletes is rare these days in an era of rampant transferring from school to school.
Many often seek instant gratification for greater spotlight or more playing time.
But sometimes, patience pays off.
And it has for several key individuals involved with the Miami Norland football team.
And it’s a big reason the Vikings (1-1), who routed neighborhood rival Miami Carol City 42-13 on Thursday at Traz Powell Stadium, are still among Miami-Dade County’s top contenders despite many changes heading into this season.
Patience paid off for junior quarterback Kai Moore, who waited for two years behind four-year starter Ennio Yapoor.
Moore (6-1, 187 pounds) is now the starter and, on Thursday, completed 18 of 24 passes for 242 yards and threw three touchdown passes against the Chiefs (1-1) to make sure Norland won the Miami Gardens Mayor’s Cup for the sixth consecutive season.
Moore’s trio of scoring tosses helped Norland build a 28-0 lead by the third quarter. Junior Rashad Wallace’s two rushing touchdowns and a fumble recovery in the end zone by Tedrick Oatman prompted a running clock later in the quarter.
“It was an important win to get back on the right mindset,” Moore said. “We just have to clean up the little things, but we’re a great team. I learned a lot from Ennio and how to be a leader. I took small parts of his game and worked it into my game and we learned from each other.”
Patience paid off for senior defensive end Demonte Oliver, who sat behind stars like Darryll and Mandrell Desir, Tyclean and Tycoolhill Lumen.
Oliver is now a key cog of the Vikings’ defense with two sacks in Thursday’s game and eight overall for the season. Oliver (6-3, 205 pounds) nearly had a third sack and a possible safety, but Carol City quarterback Santiago Villaman slipped out of his grasp by the goal line in the third quarter.
Oliver is a three-sport standout, who has played center field in baseball and runs track in the 400 meters and competes in the long jump and triple jump as well.
That versatility has made him a threat to opposing quarterbacks over Norland’s first three games including its 30-30 preseason classic draw against Vero Beach two weeks ago.
“It shows that it paid off the way we paid attention and focused on getting better throughout the years,” Oliver said. “The (Desir) twins, I looked up to them and they were there all year, last year training with me and motivating me to get to where I am now.”
Patience also paid off on the Norland sideline.
Longtime head coach Daryle Heidelburg stepped down from that role in late July after accepting a long-awaited promotion to become Norland’s Assistant Principal.
It opened the door for athletic director Tyronn Johnson to return to the sideline as head coach of the Vikings after three years away from coaching.
Johnson’s young group is now aiming to achieve consistency after a topsy-turvy first two weeks.
Norland erased a large deficit to secure its aforementioned tie with Vero Beach and then let a 29-7 lead slip away against Lake Mary before losing 30-29.
The Vikings left no doubt who was the better team on Thursday, though, and will try to follow with a similar effort next Friday when they face South Dade at Harris Field.
“I told them before the game, let’s play a complete game,” Johnson said. “We’re close and things (like last week) can happen, but I was proud of the guys for achieving that. Being patient for your opportunity isn’t known nowadays. People take off quick. But it paid off for these kids.”
This story was originally published August 29, 2025 at 12:07 PM.
