PREVIEW: 2016 Gold Coast Football Conference Championship

Do or die.

The Gold Coast Football Conference championship will be on the line Thursday night when North Broward Prep (9-2) travels to take on Archbishop McCarthy (9-1).

The Mavericks beat North Broward, 29-20, at North Broward Prep when the two teams met back on October 14th. Both teams were without their starting quarterbacks – Quinn Dempsey and Logan Shooster – that game but both have returned and are healthy for Thursday.

Shooster returned last week for the Eagles and was a huge boost, passing for 135 yards and a touchdown, and rushing for another 43 yards in a game where North Broward didn’t even score in regulation.

Dempsey has been healthy since Archbishop McCarthy faced Calvary Christian a few weeks back, but has since split time with sophomore Jessie Rivera, and it’s unsure who will start under center for the Mavericks on Thursday.

North Broward Prep took down Calvary Christian, 14-7, in double overtime in the GCFC semifinals to set up a rematch with Archbishop McCarthy, who defeated Key West, 49-20, in the championship.

Thursday would be the first time in school history North Broward Prep has beaten Archbishop McCarthy, who has been beating North Broward dating all the way back to the 90s.

The Mavericks – seeking their second consecutive Gold Coast title – have lost just one game since November 7th, 2014. Archbishop McCarthy went 11-0 last season and has rattled off nine straight this year since losing a tough road game to Barron Collier in their opener.

Jacob Baptiste, Broward County’s leading rusher, leads the Archbishop McCarthy to smash mouth offensive rushing attack. It’s been the identity for mostly all of legendary head coach Byron Walker’s teams, and it works. Baptiste has rushed for 1,690 yards and 21 touchdowns this year, including 117 yards and three scores against Key West in the semifinals last week. Baptiste – just a sophomore – is a transfer from Dr. Krop.

North Broward Prep is 7-0 with Logan Shooster at quarterback this season and is undefeated (6-0) on the road this season.

Shooster left the game against Archbishop on October 14th in the first quarter with a handle injury while North Broward was up 6-0, and went on to miss three games afterward. To his disposal, he was of the top groups of athletes in Broward County on offense with four-star receiver Kevin Austin – who recently picked up offers from Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Notre Dame – slot receiver Anthony Gomez, running back Dymitri McKenzie, 6’3” tight end Kenny Henningsen, among others.

North Broward Prep leads the Gold Coast Conference in scoring, averaging 37 points per game, a number that is deflated by the games Shooster missed. The Eagles’ defense has allowed an average of just eight points per game on the road this season and caused three turnovers last week against Calvary Christian.

Archbishop McCarthy has omitted over 19 points just three times this season and has allowed seven or less in three out of the last four weeks. Opposing teams are averaging just 11.9 points against the Mavericks this year.

North Broward Prep football is seeking its first championship since 2008, which was a district title. The Eagles have never reached their ultimate goal: in FHSAA classification a state title and in the GCFC conference, the championship.

The title would be North Broward Prep head coach Rex Nottage’s first. The Eagles had fallen in the semifinals in each of their first two seasons in the Gold Coast conference.

The Mavericks are looking to finish undefeated in the Gold Coast Conference for the second straight season.

Kickoff is set for 7:00 P.M. on Thursday night from Archbishop McCarthy.