Miramar vs. Cypress Bay - A Series History

The playoffs usually match teams from opposing districts who, while close in proximity, usually aren’t very familiar with their opponent. In this case, the bracket has yielded 2 teams who are very familiar with each other.

Miramar and Cypress Bay have been in the same District 3 out of the last 5 years, and have won District Championships in each of those seasons, whether they were together or apart. These are 2 of the top teams in Broward County, and they have treated us to some great games in recent history.

As these teams prepare to meet once again in the Regional Semifinals on Friday, let’s look back on the series history between these 2 teams:

Regular Season game: October 5, 2007 – Cypress Bay 21 – Miramar 7

This was the first time that the teams played each other. Miramar, coming off a strong season, and returning a Junior at Quarterback named Eugene Smith (you may have heard of him by now) was looking to take the next step by defeating a talented and disciplined Cypress Bay. The Lightning were also returning a large amount of players with Varsity experience, and Coach Mark Guandolo was excited about the prospects for his team this season.

Unfortunately, this game failed to live up to the pre-season expectations. Facing massive suspensions after a bench clearing brawl vs. Flanagan, an undermanned Miramar team that started 10 JV players fought valiantly, but was unable to put together a winning offensive performance, or stop the powerful Wing-T running game employed by Cypress Bay. The Lightning controlled the clock, rushing for over 200 yards while holding the ball for nearly 35 minutes in the game, and cruising to a relatively easy win.

Miramar would recover from the suspensions to go 7-3 and earn a trip to the playoffs as District Runner-up. The Patriots could not continue their season once the playoffs started, and losing in the 1^st round to North Miami Beach 30-13.

Cypress Bay would go on to win the District Championship and go 9-3 on the year. They advanced to the 2^nd round of the playoffs, before losing to the very same NMB team that ended Miramar’s season, falling by a score of 32-20.

Regular Season game: October 11, 2008 –  Cypress Bay 41 – Miramar 40

This was a game for the ages. Both teams were strong, returning many starters from the previous season. Both teams had this game circled on their schedule, and it was clear from the start that this was going to be one of the best games of the season.

Cypress Bay entered the game at 3-1. After defeating Dillard, Boyd Anderson, and Western, the Lightning traveled to Texas to take on 5A Powerhouse Katy. While the Lightning lost that game 31-6, the score did not reflect how close the game really was.

Miramar, looking to knock off the reigning District Champion Lightning, entered the game at 4-0. Wins over Monsignor Pace, Plantation, Piper, and Flanagan set this team up to potentially win the District, and compete for the first State Championship in school history.

This game was an absolute thriller. Cypress Bay, led by their explosive Senior running back Jason Douglas struck early on a kickoff return, and a few quality possessions to go out to a touchdown lead. Junior David McKnight also contributed to the rushing attack, keeping speed on the field even when Douglas was on the sidelines getting a breather. Quarterback Zach Green did not pass often, but when they coaches ask him to employ play action passes to take advantage of an overly aggressive Miramar Defense, the left handed Junior made solid plays, and kept the chains moving.

For their part, the Miramar Patriots stayed in the game, coming back from a 2 touchdown deficit in the second half to take the lead late in the ballgame. Geno Smith used his vast array of weapons to propel the Patriots towards a victory. With Orwin Etkins at Running Back, and the talented group of Stedman Bailey, Terrance Gourdine, Ivan McCartney, and Derius Silas at Wide Receiver, Miramar used their spread offense to keep the scoreboard full of scoring activity.

After Cypress Bay drove for a touchdown that put them ahead 41-34, Miramar would have one last chance to drive the length of the field in the hopes of tying, or winning, the game. As fate would have it, neither of those things happened.

After a touchdown pass to Terrance Gourdine, Coach Damon Cogdell called timeout and brought his team together on the sideline. After considering kicking the tying extra point with Junior Julian Garcia, Cogdell was persuaded by this All-American quarterback, Geno Smith, to instead go for a 2pt conversion and the win. Miramar came out in a 4 wide set, and challenged the Cypress Bay defense to make one last play to seal the victory, with mere seconds remaining on the clock.

Cypress Bay’s Defense was stocked with talent this season. All-State players Shane Gordon and Phil Walker were incredibly athletic Linebackers, and Coach Guandolo leaned on his seniors on this last play to save the game.

Walker, a 6’2’’ 220lb powerhouse, was assigned to “spy” Geno Smith on the final play, following the quarterback’s every move. As Smith saw his receivers covered, he decided to try to run for the last 3 yards, and 2 points, to give his team the victory. However, Walker made a remarkable play to shed his blockers, and tackle Smith out of bounds at the 1 inch line, short of the end zone. With this, the Cypress Bay sideline erupted in celebration. The Lightning had survived to win a thriller, and Miramar had shown that they had what was needed to compete with the very best teams in the state.

This game also set the stage for a potential re-match in the playoffs. After both teams earned victories in the first round of the playoffs, the re-match was no longer a possibility. It became a reality, and the next chapter of the story between these 2 teams.

Playoff game: Regional Semifinal: November 28, 2008 – Miramar 34 – Cypress Bay 29

After the first game these teams played a mere 6 weeks earlier, the re-match between these teams, the day after Thanksgiving, was as anticipated a game as you would find. Both teams were coming off strong performances in the Regional Quarterfinal round, with Cypress Bay defeating North Miami Beach 29-20, and Miramar defeating Carol City 28-26.

This was an ultimate chess match. Both teams looked to play to their strengths, and add timely wrinkles to their schemes to surprise their worthy opponent. Cypress Bay gave a large dose of their famous Wing-T running attack, but added a few more counters and tosses to try to get Jason Douglas and David McKnight on the edge of the defense. Miramar ran the ball more than they had in any game this season, with the exception of the Taravella game when Orwin Etkins carried the ball 37 times for 295 yards.

Miramar took control of the game early. A methodical offensive attack, coupled with a steady, gap control defense had the Patriots in front 14-3 midway through the 2^nd quarter. Cypress Bay would not go quietly, however, and jumped in front 17-14 early in the 3^rd quarter.

After a back and forth struggle through the middle parts of the game, Cypress bay went back in front 29-28 midway through the 4^th quarter. Geno Smith, looking to cement his legacy as one of the top players in Miramar history, refused to let his team go down without a fight. Smith led a 77 yard touchdown drive to put his team up 34-29. After failing to convert the 2pt conversion attempt to give the Patriots a 7 point lead, the game now came down to 1 simple task: Stop Cypress Bay from reaching the end zone.

Initially, the Lightning had success with quick passes and outside runs, gaining yards and stopping the clock. With only seconds left in the game, Cypress Bay Quarterback Zach Green looked toward the end zone, trying to pull out a thrilling victory for his team. However, this fairytale did not have the ending he was looking for.

Senior Miramar Cornerback Josh Nelson, a new starter in the last 3 games of the season after Maxwell Gibson tore his ACL, made an amazing leaping interception in end zone. His play gave Miramar the ball with only seconds remaining, and also sealed the first victory for the Patriots over the Lightning.

Cypress Bay’s season ended with a record of 10-2. The Lightning had never advanced this far in the playoffs, and while that is a remarkable accomplishment, I’m sure they wanted to continue deeper into the playoffs.

Miramar would continue a deep run in the playoffs. After defeating Denard Robinson’s Deerfield Beach team in the regional finals, the Patriots fell to the 2 time defending State Champion Miami Northwestern Bulls 42-27. Ending the season at 11-3, this was by far the best season in school history to this point.

And even more than that, the Miramar-Cypress Bay rivalry had provided us with 2 instant classic games, and promised to provide more riveting match-ups in the future.

2009 and 2010 Seasons – no games

With District realignment, these teams did not meet in the regular season or playoffs  during 2009 or 2010. While apart, Miramar went 14-1 and won the 2009 6A State Championship, defeating DeLand 42-20 in the Title Game. Cypress Bay advanced to the 2010 6A State Semifinal, where they lost to eventual State Champion Miami Central 30-27.

With a combined record of 34-14 (70.8% winning percentage) in those 2 years, including Miramar’s State Championship, it’s safe to say that these teams have cemented themselves among the top level of the state’s elite programs.

Regular Season game: September 30, 2011 – Miramar 20 – Cypress Bay 0

With reclassification changing Districts and levels across the state, the Patriots and Lightning ended up back where they started 3 years ago: in the same district and fighting for supremacy at the top. Both teams were looking at this game to prove that they were the team to beat, and bring new life to this budding rivalry.

Cypress Bay entered the game at 3-1, having defeated Deerfield Beach, South Broward and Flanagan, while losing to St. Thomas in week 2.The Lightning were trying to recover from injuries to key players on offense, including RBs Matt Dayes and Giscard Philizaire, and were just getting those key players back on the field.

Miramar entered the game at 3-0 following wins over Ely, Northeast, and West Broward by a combined score of 126-15. The team was clicking on all cylinders, having only surrendered 2 touchdowns (1 on special teams vs Northeast), and lighting the scoreboard up like a pinball machine.

While many saw this game as a run away victory for Miramar, I thought this would be closer than the experts. My reasons were these: Coach Guandolo always has his team prepared and disciplined, this is a rivalry game where pride is on the line as much as anything else, and the Wing-T offense, while not able to score quickly, has the ability to drain the clock, and make points and possessions come at a premium for the opponent.

Miramar was able to move the ball in the early going, but fumbles and penalties kept them from putting points on the board. 2 Field Goals by Freshman Kicker Malik Wisdom were the only points the Patriots were able to muster in the first half.

Cypress Bay, for their part, played very strong in the beginning of the game. The offense was able to move 

deep into Miramar territory following both fumbles, but were ultimately unable to put points on the board. The Lightning went for touchdowns twice on 4^th down inside the Miramar 3 yard line, and both times the Darkside defense was able to turn them away.

As the game wore on, Miramar was able to extend their lead. A touchdown run by D’Vontis Arnold made the score 13-0, and things seemed to unravel for Cypress Bay after that. Forced to pass the ball, something that is not their strong suit, the Lightning were intercepted by Marrell Jackson and Tracy Howard on consecutive possessions. Miramar marched a short field for the final score, pushing the lead to 20-0. No more offense would be needed for the Patriots on this night, and the final score would stay the same.

Overall, this game showcased high level talent on both sides, and great coaching. It also added another chapter to this series, and gives a great backdrop for the Regional Semifinal game that will be played the day after Thanksgiving.

That’s it for the history of the past games. Be sure you check back tomorrow for the Game Preview.

Until Next time,

Cameron J. Underwood
Miramar Sports