Class 6A Final Game Day Blog: Final - Northwestern 41, Boone 0

Hello everybody. This is Frank DeMarzo and I will be posting updates and observations on this blog throughout the game. First off, the place is packed, easily the biggest crowd of the weekend. And they're all here to see the top team in the country. Unfortunately, Pahokee played last week (just kidding Bulls fans).

The Bulls are the home team dressed in black and instead of running through the tunnel as the team was announced, they all walked slowly up to the banner with 305 written across it before rushing through. We're getting ready to kickoff so here we go.

FIRST QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS

First NW Drive - Northwestern forced a quick three-and-out by Boone and moved close to midfield thanks to a screen pass to Kendal Thompkins, and run by Jacory Harris. 

Following a holding call, Harris throws deep to Brandon Drayton, who went way up for the catch. Next play, Harris throws a 31-yard touchdown pass to Tommy Streeter. Right out of the gate, the Bulls flex their offensive muscle. The drive took just 1:17.

Second Boone Drive - Boone's Danny Williams appeared to fumble the kickoff, and on the television replays it looks like he did. But there are no replays in high school, so the call stays. Boone will start the drive at the 31-yard line.

Again, three straight runs by Boone and a punt. A personal foul call and a delay of game on the Braves will push Boone back to the 18-yard line.

Wow, another Boone penalty. That is five in a row for the Braves, who call a much needed timeout. Not a good thing when you are already in a hole against a team like NW.

Well, they finally got the punt off and it was a 68-yarder.

Second NW Drive - Harris throws to Aldarius Johnson on third down and is a yard short at the 34-yard line. NW calls a timeout, probably to discus whether to go for it. They choose to punt. That has to give Boone some confidence.

Third Boone Drive - And on the first play of the drive, Sam Hutsell throws a 9-yard pass to Williams. That was followed by an encroachment penalty on the Bulls, giving Boone a first down. Trying to build on the momentum, they follow it up with a fumbled snap, a sack and a horribly overthrown pass. Another punt, which so far has been the best part of their game. This one is down at the 1-yard line.

Third NW Drive - Give what happened last week, a 99-yard drive is not an impossibility for these guys. Two short passes and a run by Daquan Hargrett moved NW out of the shadow of the endzone.

Just heard the stats, Harris is 7-9 passing for 113 yards. He just ran for five, and followed that up with a pass to Thompkins for a first down. And that will do it for the first quarter.

SECOND QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS

Ah, a wedding proposal on the field during the break. And she said yes!

NW Drive Continued - Another stalled drive by NW as a holding call and two consecutive incomplete passes will force the punt.

Fourth Boone Drive - Another rush by James Washington for Boone. He had 291 carries this year so I can imagine he will be getting the ball quite a bit today. So far, he has five rushes for just eight yards.

Wow, Sean Spence just came up with the hit of the game, drilling Washington immediately after he caught a short pass. That'll force another Boone punt.

Fourth NW Drive -  NW will start at the 38-yard line, and the Bulls are keeping it on the ground as Tyresse Jones runs for a first down on three carries. A face mask penalty will add 15 yards.

A bad snap and NW loses 21 yards on the play. After Harris overthrows a wide open Robert Demps, he is almost picked off. It's a third straight punt for NW and the Boone sideline is going crazy right now.

Fifth Boone Drive - Well that will change the momentum. Pinned down near the goal line, Washington fumbles and Khalid Marshal scoops up the ball and runs it in for the touchdown. Harris hits Thompkins for the 2-pointer. 14-0 NW.

Sixth Boone Drive - The Braves fans have understandably quieted down a bit. After two runs by Washington, Boone finally attempts a pass, but Hutsell is sacked. Boone lines up for a punt, and its blocked! Wow, the punt, the one thing Boone had going for it, turns into a disaster for the Braves as Tevin McCaskill comes through with the block, and Spence returns it for a touchdown. 21-0 NW.

Seventh Boone Drive - Hutsell completes his second pass of the game, hitting - who else - Washington for a first down. But the Braves just keep killing themselves as Washington fumbles again and Levonte David recovers for the Bulls.

Fifth NW Drive - There's less than three minutes before the half so I imagine NW will go for the quick score. Again Harris tries to go deep, but the ball is just off the fingertips of Thompkins to bring up 3rd-and-22. And it's another fumbled snap, this one is recovered by Boone at the NW 33-yard line. It looked like Harris was trying to call a timeout when the ball was snapped.

Eighth Boone Drive - The Braves are close to scoring after a 10-yard run by Jeremy Brown. On the next play, Washington runs for 19-yards to get down to the 3-yard line. On the next play, Washington fumbles again. NW will get the ball their own 10-yard line.

Sixth NW Drive - Harris is sacked for a loss of five, and his next pass is incomplete. It's 3rd-and-15 from the five.  Harris hits Hargrett, who runs down to midfield. There's 1:04 left in the half.

Harris' next pass is picked off by Harrison Hodges with :27 left. Boone lines up with four wide, looking like they're going to go deep, but Hutsell is sacked by Marcus Forston. Boone calls a timeout with :12 left, and the Braves will take a knee to run out the clock. It's 21-0 NW at the half. I'll be back with halftime stats and observations shortly.

HALFTIME OBSERVATIONS

Before I get to the game, the FHSAA, as part of its celebration of 100 years of football, honored the 1967 Coral Gables team as its team of the century.

The Bulls defense was on during the first half, holding the Braves to just 68 total yards. But since the first quarter, the offense has not been the explosive juggernaut it was during the season. Harris has 176 yards, one touchdown and one pick, but the running game has just three yards. If not for the turnovers by Boone, NW does not lead 21-0. But then again, if not for the defense scoring off of turnovers, NW would have had more than just three possessions in the second quarter. We'll see how it goes when they get the ball to start the second half.

THIRD QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS

NW First Drive - After missing on two passes, Harris hits Streeter for a first down. Two plays later, Harris finds Johnson in the endzone, but he is called for pass interference. Next play, Harris hits Thompkins for a 24-yard touchdown. There's the offense. That drive took less than two minutes. 28-0 NW.

Boone First Drive - A few runs gave the Braves a first down, but an incompletion brings up 3rd-and-10 as the 48. Hutsell hits Jeremy Brown, but it was for a loss. Another Boone punt, and this one was more bad news for the Braves. Thomkison picks the ball up off a bounce and runs 69-yards for the touchdown.
Just like that, its 35-0 NW. The NW crowd is already chanting "Hey Hey Hey, Goodbye". There is 7:00 left in the third quarter.

Boone Second Drive - I turned away for a moment to work on something else, but it appears to me more of the same for the Braves offense. The running game cannot get through, and we have another third down. This time Hutsell runs, and he gets the first.

The t.v. just showed a shot of the Boone fans and they aren't making too much noise right about now, which is understandable given the score. Hutsell drops back and is sacked again. It's third-and-long from the Boone 40. Hutsell tries to throw but is brought down again. He may just start to drop back three yards and fall down. It'll save him the physical pain of Marcus Forston crashing into him.

On fourth down, the Boone punting game returned to being the lifeblood of the team as a roughing the kicker call gave Boone a first down.

It's fourth down again, and they finally get an event-free punt off, although there is a penalty on NW. I think Boone will take that.

NW Second Drive - It seems like it's been ages since the Bulls had the ball. They start at their own 6-yard line. On second down, Harris finds Johnson for a 20-yard gain. Two plays later, Harris shows off his running skills, racing down to the Boone 25 before making a few defenders look foolish as he gained a few more. It was a 51-yard run, and that will end the third quarter. Its NW 35-0.

FOURTH QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS

NW Drive Continued - Harris is sacked to start the quarter, and the entire NW sideline just fell completely silent as Harris stayed on the field. He needed help to walk to the sidelines.

On the next play, backup QB Wayne Times hits Johnson for the touchdown. A failed 2-pointer makes it 41-0 NW.

UPDATE - Manny Navarro said that Harris told him he is okay.

Boone Third Drive - It's official, there is a running clock. In a state title game. We also have the attendance. The paid attendance is 21,235 short of the record by 1,800. The announced attendance is 22,752.

While I was listening to that, Spence, returned a punt for a touchdown but it was called back on a penalty. NW will have the ball at the 27-yard line.

NW Third Drive - Times is still in and he hits Tyrell Lewis for a first down pass. The Bulls appear to have most of their starters out of the game at this point. On second down, there was another bad snap, as the ball travels past the 30-yard line. Times picks it up and manages to keep it just a 6-yard loss. NW gets stopped on 4th down to end the drive.

Boone Forth Drive - We're just watching the clock tick down at this point, although Boone is doing whatever they can to avoid the shutout. Speaking of shutouts, the record for biggest shutout victory in an FHSAA state title game was 39-0 set in 1965 by Bradford, unless somebody tells me differently. In case your wondering, the record margin of victory is 63 points. That was set in 2000 by Venice.

And that is it. NW wins 41-0 for their second straight 6A state title. South Florida goes 3-for-3 at the state finals and the Bulls finish as the National Champions. Congratulations Northwestern on another amazing season.

I'll be back with some stats and post game observations shortly.

POST GAME OBSERVATIONS

So here are the final stats - Harris was 17-32-1 with 281 yards and 2 TD's. He also ran for 51 yards. Johnson had 7 catches for 84 yards, Steeter had 4 for 91, and Thompkins had 3-41. All three had touchdown catches.

On defense, Forston had 6 tackles, including three for loss, while Spence had six tackles, three for loss. Quavon Taylor led the team with 8 tackles.

This was my first time covering NW and I was very impressed. In fact, today was the first time I saw either them or Booker T. Washington. I work out of Broward so I did not get a chance to see them at all this year, but I did get to cover Pahokee earlier this year, and I saw St. Thomas a few times, so I was lucky to have covered such great teams this year.

Congratulations to St. Thomas, Booker T. Washington, and Northwestern for bringing titles home to South Florida. Thank you to all the readers out there, I hope you guys enjoyed this live blog as well as all of our coverage this football season. Check back to the Miami Herald's site later on for all the stories from tonight's game.

Comments

[Joe]

does northwestern really deserve a #1 national ranking? what other teams out of state have they beat besides a mediocore texas team who lost in the playoffs! st.x beat the state champ from indiana, kentucky, and d.c. while winning their own state championship. just a question!

[grichards]

nice job Frankie...keep up the good work...

[grichards]

A dude proposed at a high school football game? I cannot believe she said yes...

[grichards]

A dude proposed at a high school football game? I cannot believe she said yes...

[LakerGurl]

This team is no match for northwestern they have no offense...if deerfield had gotten this far they would have won too...any team represented from the south would win against this team.

[DMQ]

Orlando Boone is jus awful. They don't deserve to be live-blogged. They're too busy getting live-FLOGGED! Ah, aha, hahahaha!

That's what she said.

Harris with the pick!

[John Hutchinson]

Joe...get a clue. These guys would PASTE any team from KY, IN or even OH or CA. They are the best team from the best state when it comes to talent. There may be better coaches than those in Florida, but don't disillusion yourself: the best players BAR NONE reside in FL. Get used to it.

[DMQ]

Hey joe, some people like cucumbers better pickled.

[MRA]

Yep, before we played TX they said they were the best. If they played CA, they'd say the same.

NW, looks pumped. Sean Spence and Marcus Forston are beasts. Looking good at the half.

[John Hutchinson]

Joe, I was strong(but not wrong) in my prior comment. Let me ask... who do you think would beat this team? You are entitled to an opinion, and I would be curious, with all the info that goes into evaluating the teams USA TODAY picks as the best, who would beat this team? Please, enlighten me.

[MRA]

Thompkins a great route, 28-0!

[Franco Lolan]

When will the game be broadcast on TV? Is it replayed Sunday? I want to tape it when I find out.

[RT6]

There goes Breakaway....

[IndianapolisCane]

The Indiana champion Joe is referring to is an all-white 3A school

[johnnycat20]

i watched the gables team of 67 play and i really believe this northwestern team is better. this is one of the best teams ever. if you can find another team on the verge of losing in semi finals stpos the team and goes 99 yeard with two minutes to go id like to know who they are. no this team is special. cc class of 66 go chiefs

[CanezNC]

Joe's not real smart - or a Canes hater that realizes these studs will soon be in Orange & Green...

[Denise McKenzie]

MNW IS the best team in the nation. You still questioning that. Why? After this "whupping" on Orlando Boone, the Bulls will be the #1 high school football team in the nation. Then, off to the U. Sit back, relax, take a load off and enjoy yourself. You may not like 'em but you sho can't stop him. GO BULLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ATL Bull and Cane 4 Life.

[Franco Lolan]

Does anyone know when will the game be broadcast on TV? Is it replayed Sunday? I want to tape it when I find out.

[Canesjunkie]

OMG...Boone is getting a beatdown!!! Its not the score as much as the disparity in talent. Sean Spence and Marcus Forston are beasts...if I had a kid on Boone I would've made sure he stayed away from those guys.

Aldarius Johnson makes everything look so easy. Skills!!! Why doesn't Tommy Streeter want to go to the U?

[Canesjunkie]

I think MNW can beat the Dolphins.

[Jose]

If every high school football player went to UM, they would win the national title every year

[Jose]

Every Miami player

[Canesjunkie]

Hope Jacory Harris is OK. Those don't sound like serious injuries. Maybe good opportunity to hit the weight room.

[Joe K]

John Hutchinson,
To answer your question, Deerfield demonstrated last week that they could very possibly beat "the best team in the nation." Luckily on the last drive MNW came from behind to preserve their #1 nation status. Deerfield should be declared "one drive from being the best team in the nation."

Two other teams (Anderson and South Plantation) beat Deerfield in arguably a more decisive manner than MNW.

Props are certainly due to MNW for an AWESOME season. But within Florida there are many who think the Northwestern is NOT even the best team in the state.

[VaCanesFan]

I want to congratulate all of the Miami Northwestern players and their fans. I think these players epitomize what being a champion on and off the field is all about. On the filed, it was all heart, guts and determination all year. Off the field, they excelled in their schoolwork and showed extreme class in their comments to the media. Whatever the future may hold for these fine young men, they will always have this night, and this season of being champions together. Congratulations on representing yourself, tour school and you city with pride. You are very deserving national champions!

[Daniel Rivera]

Is Northwestern coming back to Miami tonight or in the morning?

[VaCanesFan]

Here are Harris game stats
I got from the Orlando Sentinel site:

"Harris lay on the ground for a while before he limped off the field. When he left, Harris had completed 17 of 32 passes for 281 yards with two touchdowns and an interception."

[LakerGurl]

NW jv team could have certainly beat that sorry Boone team...though nw is an outstanding team that score reflected more of how awful Boone was moreso than how good NW is.

[Denise Bethel-McKenzie]

Who cares what MANY THINK. The proof is in the pudding. Possibly is not close to getting the job done and Deerfield Beach DID NOT get the job done. End of story. CONGRATS to my school, Miami Northwestern Sr. High, Home of the Bulls. From Frank DeMarzo's stats, there has not been a team shut out since 1965. This is what is being sung tonight: Northwestern High, we pledge our loyalty. Thy walls of learning filled with dignity. Thy guiding hand has shaped our destiny, where 'ere we roam we'll call this home, Northwestern our own! Class of 1972. ATL Bull and Cane 4 Life. NEXT!!!!!!

[Frank DeMarzo]

It's not the first shutout since 1965 (there's about one of those a year), but it is the biggest shutout since then.

[mr troutman]

jOE ,

iT'S OK DUDE , REALLY IT'S OK. U SEEM LIKE A GATOR KNOWING THESE GUYS HAVE A GREAT CHANCE ON BECOMING FUTURE CANES I BET IF THEY WERE COMMITTED TO YOUR SCHOOL OF CHOICE YOU WILL LAY OFF THEM. If you know some teas that can beat them, put up their #s against NW. Better yet put up the # of DIV. ONE SCHOLARSHIP OFFERS THEIR PLAYERS HAVE.Man there isn't a team in the country that has more then them. Stop your hating and BIAS opinion and give props when they are needed.

[mr troutman]

Teams I mean.

[mr troutman]

By the way Joe ,

Every so called # 1 team in the country whether HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE, OR NFL HAVE A CLOSE GAME OR Two. yOUR STATEMENT IS NOT UNUSUAL. A quote from a future CANE, "Great teams finish games, good teams fold"!

[BrandonB84]

Manny,

Any preliminary news on Harris' knee? I saw him flash the U on his SunSports interview.

[Joe K]

Denise,
I see your point about who cares what 'many' think. So, you must be a numbers person.

Well, then which nationally rated teams did MNW beat? Not Southlake Carol who suffered 2 other losses. Not Deerfield who also suffered 2 other losses. Columbus is not nationally rated. Central neither. To confidently say that you're the best (in the nation), you should at beat the best (in the nation).

So, what 'nationally rated' teams did MNW beat? I can show you a handful of teams that actually did play-- and beat-- nationally rated teams.

[Cane-ster Nip]

Joe K, U R forgeting your other 2 K's!

[Franco Lolan]

Great coverage sportswriter.

Congratulations Bulls from an Aquinas alum!

[Franco Lolan]

Great coverage sportswriter.

Congratulations Bulls from an Aquinas alum!

[RICK]

CONGRATULATIONS MIAMI MIGHTY NORTHWESTEN BULLS. THANK GOD FOR THE VICTORY. YOU FOUGHT A LONG HARD FIGHT AND WAS VICTORIUS. YOU ARE INDEED NOT ONLY THE BEST IN THE NATION, BUT IN MY OPI NION THE BEST HIGH SCHOOL TEAM EVER ASSEMBLED. MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS YOU'LL IN YOUR ENDEAVOR. COACH ROLLE. CONGRATULATIONS. WHOM GOD BLESS NO MAN CAN CURSE. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. I FEEL A THREE PEAT IN THE HORIZON. THANKS FOR ALL THE GREAT MEMORIES THAT I WILL NEVER, EVER FORGET. YES, WE LOVE OUR BULLS. THIS I DECLARE.

EPHESIAN 6:10 DEUTERONMY 28:7 JEREMIAH 29:11

[Bullof99]

It never ceases to amaze me at how many people talk down about a group of young men who arent doing anything more than living out their high school days. What kind of adult takes constant digs at a child? Harris, Forston, Spence, Johnson, Streeter, & the entire squad at Miami Northwestern are the perfect example of what haters mean to us real Bulls. The more you hate, the more they dominate! So you haters can chew and suck on that championship til next year.

[Canesjunkie]

I don't see how or why anyone can hate on these kids. They finished an undefeated season against a lot of great competition. These guys play great football, they are disiplined and talented. The thing you really have to admire about them is their attitude. What a team. Same goes for all of the South Florida teams.

[Rudy Nelson ATL]

I think MNW is A great school and deserve to be the Number 1 football team . LOVE ALWAYS MIAMI RUDY LIVING IN THE ATL

[Joe K]

Cane-ster Nip wrote, "Joe K, U R forgeting your other 2 K's!"

You racist comment does absolutely nothing to answer my 12:43 question. Still waiting.

I would hope that some other MNW fans would rebuke Cane-ster, otherwise it truly does make the kids look bad.

[Football Guy]

Yes they are #1 in the Nation! It is not the Bulls fault the team in Texas was overrated. That team was ranked higher than the Bulls and had a impressive win record. Any team in Ohio or Cali can get it to.

[Anthony]

You kno why they don't play any "nationally" rated teams? That's because Dade county doesn't get any respect for some odd reason. Half the teams NW or BTW played would beat your nationally rated teams. I kno. I grew up in miami, played ball in miami, and now I live in ohio and I've seen what football looks like up here. I've seen st x and they ain't nothin. Central could beat those guys.

[cc zuu 2000]

congrtats nw and btw and sta.boone looked sorry.

[Michael Ford]

Arthur Brown selects Miami

The Wichita Eagle

Arthur Brown is headed to Miami.

Brown, rated the No. 1 prospect in the country all season by Scout.com until new rankings released earlier today dropped him to fourth, will attend the University of Miami (Fla.).

Brown announced his decision this afternoon at the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.

The East senior linebacker chose the Hurricanes over LSU, North Carolina, Southern Cal and Florida.

[BROWARDSBEST]

WAY TO GO MNW......PAT BONNER FOR HEAD COCH @ BOYD ANDERSON THE MISSING KEY TO WINNING A STATE TITLE!

[GABBY]

YES EVERYBODY MARCUS IS MY UNCLE N I LOVE DAT DUDE MORE THAN ANYTHING....HE A BEAST ON DAT FEILD...I LOVE MY BIG BRO TJ CANT NOBODY STOP HIM...

[edward wilder]

Contgraulations to the entire football team coaches, trainers, water boys, cheerleaders, band mbrs, javee team and last but not least the entire student body job well done. Class of 1963 keep up the good work. Continue to make me proud to be a graduate Miami Nortswestern Senior High.