After an uneven start to the season, the Miramar Patriots
got back on the winning side of things, defeating West Broward 48-3 in the
first District game for both teams.
Without any further ado, let’s get to what happened
West Broward
It was clear from the start at the Bobcats were outmatched
in this game. The team, buoyed with hope after Miramar’s loss to Northeast,
came in with good intensity and hoped to pull off a major upset. Unfortunately
for them, that would not happen on this night.
It was clear early on that West Broward just didn’t have the
athletes to match up with the Patriots, and the hopes for a miracle upset were
quickly dashed. Miramar sprinted out to a big halftime lead, and never looked
back.
For the Bobcats, there were only a couple of players who
stood out as positives for coach Chris Wagner. First of all, Senior WR/DB
Keenan Thompson was clearly their best player. The 6’1” speedster wasn’t able
to get the ball when he was split wide, so Wagner moved him to QB in a sort of
Wildcat formation. It was here that Thompson found his success.
On his first snap at QB, Thompson found a seam on the right
side of the offensive line, and raced down the sideline for a 68 yard gain. He
showed vision, quickness, and speed, and would have scored if not for a great
effort by Darren Wilcox to track him down. Thompson fumbled on the next play,
and the one credible scoring chance went by the wayside for West Broward.
Junior K/P Anthony McGill was a busy man on this evening. He
punted 8 times, and made a 25 yard field goal, which proved to be the only
points the Bobcats would score. He has a decent leg, and very good technique.
He should be proud of his effort from this game.
Senior QB Brandan Stedfelt did not have the game he hoped
for. Completing less than 40% of his passes, Stedfelt was constantly harassed by
the Miramar defense. He did display a decent arm on a couple downfield throws,
but his accuracy (perhaps a result of the pressure he was facing) was less than
stellar.
The West Broward defense played hard, but they could not
stand up to the physicality, or speed, of the Patriots.
Overall, this team will have some hard times ahead as they
continue to build towards being a competitive team in a very tough district and
classification. Coach Wagner seems to have a plan, and hopefully he’ll have the
time needed to continue the slow ascent to respectability.
Miramar
Miramar, looking to rebound after a tough loss at Northeast,
came out with a vengeance, and left no doubt from the first snap of the game as
to who the better team was.
The Patriots started out by going back to basics: running
the ball with great success. The first 2 plays of the game were runs by Alex
Lee that went for 21 and 48 yards, the second of which went for a touchdown. Lee
would finish the game with 5 carries for 70 yards and a touchdown in just 1
half of work.
Adding in to the rushing attack were Cameron Rigby (20 yards
and a TD), Eric Pittman (44 yards and a TD), Nick Jeanty (25 yards and a TD),
Gernald Hawkins (14 yards and a TD), and Khalil Lewis (5 yards and a TD). All
told, Miramar rushed 27 times for 196 yards (7.26 per carry) and 6 touchdowns. Pretty efficient if you ask me.
The Quarterback play was solid complimenting the rushing attack.
Nick Jeanty was 11/14 for 139 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions, and
Gernald Hawkins was 2/3 for 35 yards. The overall numbers (combined QB
efficiency rating of 181.86) were decent, but there is still room for
improvement. The intermediate and vertical passing games are not fully polished
yet, but they should continue to improve over time.
8 players caught passes on the night. Delano Whitehead (2/47
yards) made a nice move up the sideline on a quick screen that went for a big
game, and Cameron Rigby (2/12 yards) had the only receiving touchdown, an 8
yarder midway through the 3rd quarter.
On defense, the Darkside continued their strong play that
has become standard operating procedure. Start players Jermain Grace and Telvin
Arnold played so few snaps on the night that their white #2 and #53 jerseys
were crisp and clean, even after a game played at the sloppy, muddy atrocity
known as Everglades field.
Leading the way in their place were Junior LBs Kaywon Davis and
Ryan Samuels, and Senior DL Ja’Quan Smith and Darius Young. Davis ended the
game with 7 tackles (4 solo, 3 assist), a forced fumble, and 2 fumble
recoveries. His best play was the defender trifecta: a solo tackle in space,
forced fumble on a strip, and fumble recovery. The only thing that could have
added to that play would have been a return for a touchdown, but it was still a
great effort.
Samuels, the starting Middle Linebacker, had 5 tackles (2
solo, 3 assist) along with 2 tackles for loss. His steady play against opposing
running games has been one of the keys to the success of the defense, and we
should continue to see good things from him as we continue through this season.
Smith dominated the line of scrimmage all game long. His
stats (6 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 QB pressures, and a forced fumble) are
even more impressive when you consider he played only a little more than 1 half
of football. He was an absolute terror on the interior of the defense, and his
continued dominance will be a key as the Patriots move towards the meat of
their schedule.
Teaming with Smith was Darius Young, whose stats (6 tackles,
2 tackles for loss, and 1 QB pressure) were nearly as impressive. He must have
taken a 5 hour energy before the game, because his motor was running on a level
that we haven’t seen before. He was motivated and disciplined, and played a
major role in stifling the West Broward offense. This performance is one he
should be proud of.
In the secondary, Darren Wilcox made the most out of the few
plays that he was involved with. He showed remarkable acceleration and recovery
speed in chasing down Keenan Thompson late in the 2nd quarter.
Needing to make up some 25 yards, Wilcox turned on the jets and chased him down
at the 4 yard line, saving a touchdown. Tackles aren’t ordinarily the highlight
plays for cornerbacks, but this was no ordinary tackle.
The G-Unit of DKambui Greaves and Andre Godfrey had another
strong game from their Safety positions. Greaves (3 tackles, 1 tackle for loss,
and a forced fumble) was disciplined in his pursuit, and consistent in his
tackling. It was he who forced Keenan Thompson to fumble on the play after
Wilcox ran him down at the 4. Very nice play from #11.
Godfrey was arguably the defensive MVP of this game. He had
7 tackles (3 solo, 4 assist), 1 tackle for loss, and a sack. He hit anything
that moved in his area, and hit it hard. After this performance, I think he’s
primed for a signature game. Outstanding job.
Special teams were solid all around. Kick and punt returners
seemed to find open lanes, and coverage units allowed minimum yardage against
them. Shawn Stephens added in the Special Teams play of the day: a blocked punt
that Kaywon Davis recovered and returned to the 5 yard line. It was a great move
for Stephens to get by his blocker and block the kick, and hopefully something
he, or another Patriot, can replicate in future games.
Overall, this was the most complete game that we have played
this year, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. On the heels of the loss
to Northeast, and before key games against Cypress Bay and St. Thomas Aquinas,
the Patriots needed an effort such as this to steady their season, and give us
momentum as we go to face our toughest opponents.
Co-Players of the Week
- Kaywon Davis - 7 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumbles recovered
- Ja'Quan Smith - 6 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, 3 QB pressures
Where do we go
from here? - Review
Let’s look at how we did with the issues to address for this
game.
Issues to address:
- Offensive gameplans and efficiency: Grade: A-. We controlled the game from the very outset, and had very few issues. There were a couple of things (missed receiver down the seam, false starts, holding penalties) that we could clean up to get an A or A+, but this was a much better showing from the offense.
- Quarterback-Center exchange. Grade: A. Only 1 bad exchange, and that was more on the QB missing the ball than on the Center not getting it there.
- Details. Grade: B+. While penalties remain our biggest issue, the majority of the other issues were effectively addressed.
- Protect the ball. Grade: B+. 1 turnover on the aforementioned QB-Center exchange. I would like to see 0 turnovers, but this was a great improvement.
Looking Ahead
Up next are 2 tough opponents: Cypress Bay and St. Thomas
Aquinas. These are teams with whom we have a long history, and who both have an
axe to grind after losing to the Patriots last season. There will be plenty of
time for analysis and previewing both games, but suffice it to say that the
next 2 weeks will go a long way to determining just how far this Miramar team
can go.
Those are my thoughts. What are yours?
Until Next Time,
Cameron J. Underwood
Miramar Sports
Miramar Sports
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