KEY WEST, Fla.— North Broward Prep head coach Rex Nottage had two messages for his team coming into Friday night’s game at Key West: Business and Revenge.
The business part of it was the Eagles’ being 3-0, tied with Key West for first place in the Gold Coast Conference standings. Many viewed this game as “program changing,” for North Broward, which has yet to get over the hump these last few years.
The revenge part of it? Key West has beaten North Broward in three consecutive showdowns, one of which in the playoffs, ending their season. In both regular season games, the Eagles failed to leave undefeated after being 2-0 entering both.
But on Friday night, North Broward got their revenge, took care of their business, and left the Southernmost point 4-0 for the first time since 2008 with a 49-14 win over Key West.
“I think it’s a huge win,” Nottage said after the game. “I’m so proud we finally got the monkey off our back. We’ve been going down here, they’ve been giving it to us, and we had an opportunity this year, and our kids played great football. It was due to great leadership by our seniors.”
Senior running back Dymitri McKenzie – a four-year starter who was around for all of the beat downs by Key West – anchored North Broward (4-0). McKenzie had five total touchdowns on the night, three rushing, one off a fumble recovery scooped up and ran in, and one kickoff return.
North Broward opened the game with a 100-yard kickoff return by McKenzie to take an early 7-0 lead. It was the first opening kickoff return by the Eagles since 2012. Key West (3-1) would answer with an Alvin Howard touchdown run, but after McKenzie dashed in for a touchdown, the Eagles had all the momentum heading into recess up 14-7.
The Eagles’ defense – which entered having allowed the fewest amount of points, 18, through three games since 2004 – was absolutely stellar. North Broward held Key West’s offense, which had put up 127 points through three games – to just 14, and its rushing game, which had posted 1,166 yards entering Friday, was totally shut down. The Conchs’ only touchdowns came after a big kickoff return set up a drive starting at the Eagles’ 25, and a big passing play from Cleaver to Spence Vinson to set up Key West at the two. It was truly another dominating effort by this North Broward unit.
“I’ll tell you what, I ask a lot out of these guys and they’ve been doing everything we ask of them,” Defensive Coordinator Akeem Cedeño said about his unit after the game. “We challenge them on a weekly basis to get better and that’s no more evident than tonight. You see what happens when we follow our assignments and get the job done.”
North Broward put this one away early in the third quarter. McKenzie picked up a fumble and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown and then rushed in for a 24-yard score to push the Eagle lead to 20-7 less than five minutes into the second half. A Kevin Austin 60-yard rush to the outside, which displayed his blazing speed, put North Broward up 28-7.
“Like I said, it was the week of preparation this week,” Nottage said. “We were really focused and we wanted this game badly, the kids wanted this game badly, the seniors wanted it badly – because they’ve been on the other end – and we came out and got this win.”
The Eagles opened the floodgates from there, outscoring the Conchs, 35-7, in the second half.
North Broward’s passing game wasn’t needed much because of how great its rushing attack was. McKenzie, Anthony Gomez, and Dorian Cole were all tremendous, combining for a three-headed monster that was just too much for the Conchs’ defense.
“We saw it earlier in the game film,” Nottage said about his offensive approach. “We knew we can run against them. Myself and Coach Mays knew we could run on them, and I don’t think they could stop our run. We controlled the ball, and we were able to get a big gain each time we touched the ball.”
In a game that was expected to be a dogfight until the end, there was a running clock for the last eight minutes, as North Broward held a 35-point lead. The Eagles didn’t punt once the entire game, while Key West punted seven times.
The Eagles have now outscored opponents 201-34 this season, with their shortest winning margin being 33.
“It’s the best birthday gift I could ask for,” Nottage said, whose birthday is Monday.
