Big time showdown looms between North Broward Prep and Key West

North Broward Prep (3-0, 3-0 in conference) at Key West (3-0, 3-0)

When: Friday, September 16th, 7:00 P.M. E.T.

Where: Key West High School

North Broward Prep faces their first big test of the season Friday as the Eagles head to the Southernmost Point in the United States for a clash with conference foe Key West. The Conchs and Eagles have developed a rivalry between each other over the years, facing off in the playoffs last season, and each of the last two seasons. North Broward has come up short against Key West in all three of the last three showdowns between the two, falling 54-15, 44-30, and 55-28, respectively.

Key West, North Broward Prep, and Archbishop McCarthy are all tied atop the Gold Coast Conference standings entering Friday.

LAST TIME OUT: North Broward Prep cruised through their first two games and continued that trend last Friday night, crushing Inlet Grove, 63-0, on the road. The game – as expected – was not a contest from the start, with the Eagles jumping out to a 42-0 lead early in the second quarter. Key West also pulled off a victory easily on the road last Friday against Pompano Beach, 43-13.

North Broward Prep

WHAT TO KNOW: There’s no other way to say it: North Broward is off to a historically hot start. The Eagles are 3-0 for the first time since back in 2009 when Jeff Dellanbach was the head coach, and current Dolphins quarterback Brandon Doughty was leading the offense. The Eagles have outscored opponents 152-18 this season, but will try to get over the hump that past teams haven’t been able to do: Beating Key West. North Broward has been 2-0 entering play against Key West each of the last two seasons but have failed to leave the game undefeated. Eagles’ fullback and linebacker Kirby Burns is expected to return Friday, but defensive and offensive lineman Ted Arthur will miss this week, and possibly multiple weeks, with a knee injury.

A win Friday would be the first time North Broward has started 4-0 since 2008 when the Eagles went 10-1 with wins over powerhouse American Heritage-Plantation and Chaminade-Madonna.

OFFENSE: North Broward Prep’s offense is off to a historic start. The Eagles’ 152 points scored in the first three weeks is the most in program history. After putting up 56 on Pines Charter in their opener, North Broward’s offense struggled in the second game against Coral Springs Charter, but still managed to put 33 on the board away from home. Last week’s 63 against Inlet Grove – 49 at the half – is flat-out impressive, no matter who the opponent. The Eagles already have 1,362 total yards, with four-star receiver Kevin Austin leading the pack with 319 total yards and five touchdowns. The Eagles rely on a strong passing game headlined by an array of athletes for junior quarterback Logan Shooster to choose from—6’3” Austin, 6’4” tight end Kenny Henningsen, speedy receiver Anthony Gomez, and excellent pass catching running back Dymitri McKenzie. North Broward should look to get the ground game – which too, is very productive – going Friday also with McKenzie and senior Dorian Cole. McKenzie has 152 rushing yards and three touchdowns through three games.

DEFENSE: This unit has been the key to success for the Eagles this season. Defensive Coordinator Akeem Sedeno’s group has conducted two shutouts in a row, as the only 18 points allowed this year were in the first game against Pembroke Pines Charter. Those 18 points North Broward allowed is the least through the first three games since all the way back in 2004, when they gave up just 14. North Broward’s defensive line is much improved from last season, and the linebacker mix of Cole Cavaline, Kallen Jennings, and Christian Paillet has been strong. Adding Burns to that group this week will add even more depth to a group that has been very good. And the secondary? Lockdown so far. Anthony Gomez and Logan Shooster have combined to be shutdown corners, and having an athlete like Kevin Austin at safety is extremely beneficial. Of course, the focus for North Broward’s ‘D’ will be stopping the run, where Key West gets almost all of its offensive production.

Key West

OFFENSE: Key West runs the ball a lot more than the average team, but for good reason. The Conchs rank first in the state of Florida with 1,166 rushing yards. Last season, Key West head coach John Hughes instituted the triple-option running game. The Conchs will run that option every play, with a lot of tosses from a wing coming across the backfield, and inside handoffs. Their running game is led by Alvin Howard, a junior tailback that has rushed for 314 yards and five touchdowns so far this season. Howard is replacing last year’s running back Mekhi Sargent, who graduated as the Conchs’ all-time rushing leader and is missed by the offense this season. Senior fullback Kolby Kelleher has rushed for 242 yards and three touchdowns so far this year. The Key West quarterback is junior Michael Cleaver – his second season at the helm, but the Conchs have thrown the ball just 16 times, averaging only 5.3 attempts per game.

DEFENSE: Key West’s defense lost some key contributors from last season on the defensive line, and that could have aided to a slow start. The Conchs’ offense had to pick up the slack after its defense omitted 40 points in the opener at home to Westminster Academy. However, the unit bounced back. Key West held Pembroke Pines Charter to just 12 points the following week and Pompano to only 13 last week, and both games were on the road. The group has been rugged against the run – with a larger sized defensive line to outmatch most times – but more vulnerable in the passing game. Westminster Academy threw for 379 yards and three touchdowns, but also threw three interceptions, depicting that the Conchs have the ability to cause turnovers. Last season in both games, Key West found it hard to match up with North Broward’s big receivers, 6’4” C.J. Riley and Austin.

GAME OUTLOOK: This showdown is sure to be a close, exciting conference game. North Broward Prep is much improved from last season, while Key West did lose a couple of very valuable seniors without bringing in any replacements. However, the Conchs – led by Howard – still have a variety of skilled athletes that will get their running game going. Key West will seek to play their game. To run the ball down the Eagles’ throats, cause turnovers, and limit the North Broward passing game. Ultimately, this game will come down to how the North Broward defense plays. If it performs how it did the first three games, the Eagles should leave the Southernmost Point 4-0. But if North Broward reverts back to how its defense played in Key West last season, it could be in for a long night. I’d expect the Eagles’ offense to be efficient, with Shooster finding Austin a lot, and McKenzie to have a nice game on the rushing attack. North Broward’s key will not be stopping, but limiting the Conchs’ triple-option rushing attack because it is sure to put up its fair share of points. I’ll put my faith in that North Broward’s revamped, much-improved defense outperforms Key West’s unit. Either way, it should be a good one Friday night.

PREDICTION: North Broward Prep 41, Key West 34