Katz’s 6 TDs power True North past St. Andrews and into regional finals
Miami True North’s football team believes it finally has all the ingredients it needs to win a state championship.
Led by junior quarterback Zac Katz, an FIU commit who completed 20 of 25 passes for 354 yards and five touchdowns, and ran for another score, the Titans (10-2) routed Boca Raton St. Andrew’s, 62-28, on Thursday night in a Region 4-1A semifinal at Tropical Park.
True North advanced to the regional finals for the first time since 2022.
Their opponent won’t be determined until late Friday night, but a showdown with four-time defending state champion Hollywood Chaminade looms if the Lions beat Miami Edison in their semifinal.
True North would either travel to Chaminade or host Edison next Friday in the next round.
“I’ve been waiting for this for a really long time and I think we have a real shot at this,” Katz said. “The passion these guys have. We really want to win and I’m blessed to be on this team. The connection we have on offense is elite and all the pieces are falling into place.”
Katz’s effort spearheaded a prolific offensive performance for True North, which amassed nearly 600 yards against the Scots (10-2), who were eliminated in this round for the second consecutive season.
The Titans outscored St. Andrews, 41-14, in the second half after St. Andrew’s kept the game close thanks largely to long kickoff returns from Notre Dame commit Dylan Faison and Boston College commit Wesley Winn, which set up touchdown drives.
Running back Remi DeOrsey ran for over 100 yards and scored from 2 yards out with two seconds left in the first half.
True North answered with 27 unanswered points to open the second half as Katz ran for a 1-yard touchdown and then threw touchdown passes to three different receivers - Kemari Morrison, Kamari Bailey and Gregory Florence.
Katz and Bailey hooked up for an earlier 9-yard score to open the scoring in the first quarter and Katz also tossed a 26-yard touchdown to Jaron Harvey in the second quarter.
“Zac’s been great for us since he first started for us in the eighth grade,” True North coach Greg Laffere said. “I feel like when evaluating quarterbacks, you sometimes need to be a bit of a sicko competitively. Zac has always had that in him. Whether it’s pickup basketball in gym class or just racing down hallways, he’s got that in him.
“We’ve just put him in a vehicle he can drive. It’s taken a little bit to get there, but now we’re here and he’s comfortable. He’s got all the pieces to get it done and he works hard all week to make sure he’s ready on Fridays to put his best foot forward.”
The Titans wouldn’t feel as confident as they do without having a running game to complement the pass or a capable defense.
Cecil Smith led True North on the ground with 93 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries and caught four passes for 125 yards. Morrison totaled 80 yards rushing and a touchdown while Florence racked up over 50 yards and a touchdown.
The Titans’ defense, led by Miguel Martinez, who had a key fumble recovery early in the second half, and Zach Eguizabal up front, and George Harris’ two interceptions, held St. Andrew’s to only 14 points while their starters were in the game.
“We finally have a group of guys up front that are deep and we control the line of scrimmage and give him time to throw and we’ve run the ball better than we ever have,” Laffere said. “We played Cardinal Mooney in week 1 and those guys had four “war daddies” up front and I felt like if we could block those guys, we could block anybody. Those horses up front are carrying us on offense.”
Should True North get a matchup with Chaminade, it will mean a little bit more for Katz, who transferred there to open his sophomore year. The Titans would also face one of their former standouts in senior receiver Jasen “J-Roc” Lopez, who also transferred to Chaminade when Katz did, but stayed and became the Lions’ top receiver.
“I think next week I have to bring the dog out in everyone,” Katz said. “These guys all want it bad, but for me, you know it’s personal.”
