SOUTHWEST RANCHES, Fla. – Back to back.
Sophomore running back Jacob Baptiste rushed for 277 yards and four touchdowns to help Archbishop McCarthy clinch their second consecutive Gold Coast Conference championship with a 51-23 win over visiting North Broward Prep.
Archbishop McCarthy (10-1) beat North Broward Prep (9-3) for the second time this season and is undefeated in Gold Coast conference play the last two seasons.
“Well, it’s hard enough to win something once,” Archbishop McCarthy head coach Byron Walker said after the game. “To repeat it is double as hard. This is probably the toughest matchup for us all year – North Broward, and they were hurt by injuries in this game – but we came in here and competed hard.”
Baptiste – the leading rusher in Broward and Miami-Dade counties – entered play with 1,690 yards, and was on his game Thursday from start to finish. Baptiste rushed in for a one-yard score in the first half and then exploded for three touchdowns in the second half of 79, 26, and 55 yards to help the Mavericks pull away.
“Well, wasn’t that our good luck getting him in here,” Walker said of Baptiste, who transferred to Archbishop McCarthy from Dr. Krop. “I mean 277 yards and the way we luck to play offense, there’s no substitute for that. Our good luck getting him here.”
Junior quarterback Logan Shooster – who did not play in the two teams’ first meeting – found senior slot receiver Anthony Gomez for a 47-yard touchdown pass to cut North Broward Prep’s deficit to just 14-9 at halftime, but that’s as close as it would get.
Archbishop McCarthy came out of the second half locker room and scored three unanswered touchdowns to open up a 28-9 lead in the third quarter on scores by junior Denzel Simmon, a 40-yard pass from junior quarterback Quinn Dempsey to Jonathan Salaya, and Baptiste.
Dempsey, who also did not play earlier in the season when these teams met, had two touchdown passes, and Simmon had two total scores himself. Dempsey had split time with sophomore Jesse Rivera since returning, but handled almost all the snaps tonight and shined in the title game.
“It feels great,” Dempsey said. “It was all for the seniors. My offensive line did a great job, and I have a great receiving core surrounding me.”
Since losing to Key West in the conference semifinals in 2014, the Mavericks have won 20 out of their last 21 games, with the only loss coming to Barron Collier in Naples in the season opener this year.
“It’s amazing,” junior defensive end Eric Scott said of winning two straight championships. “It’s a great team, a whole bunch of great players, it really feels great to do this back to back.”
Archbishop McCarthy – up 7-3 at the time – blocked the North Broward Prep punt in the second quarter, which would eventually lead to a Baptiste touchdown to put the Mavericks up 11, and shift the momentum in the game.
After taking a 3-0 lead early in the second quarter, North Broward Prep was outscored 51-20 the rest of the way by the Mavericks.
Archbishop McCarthy’s 51 points scored is their highest total of the season, and they did not punt once the entire game. What has been a dominant offensive line all season for the Mavericks didn’t let up a sack all game, opened up various holes for Baptiste and the run game, and it seemed Dempsey had all day to throw, and lots of room to run if he wanted to take off, as well.
“We got some great field position, first of all,” Walker said of his team’s offensive success Thursday night. “We got some turnovers, just situations in the game, particularly in the first half. And then we came out in the second half and had some good drives. Once we go up a couple scores, we go to that tackle-to-tackle running game, and eat that clock and just frustrate their defense.”
The Archbishop McCarthy defensive line, too, outmatched North Broward’s offensive line, as Shooster didn’t have much time to throw the entire game and the Eagles only had one rush for over eight yards.
“Yes,” North Broward Prep head coach Rex Nottage said about whether he thought the size up front was a big difference in this one.
Gomez, who had a phenomenal season for North Broward, had two touchdowns – one rushing, one receiving – and played lockdown corner, allowing Mavericks’ top wideout Logan Giordano to just a few grabs.
North Broward Prep was without senior running back Dymitri McKenzie, who was only able to play a portion of the second half on defense, due to an ongoing ankle injury.
After Shooster had rushed in for a one-yard touchdown and did the same for the two-point conversion, North Broward Prep had cut the lead to two scores late in the third quarter. However, just two plays later, Baptiste ran right up to the gut for a 79-yard score to stretch it back to 20.
Baptiste finishes his sophomore campaign with 1,967 yards in 25 touchdowns in eleven games.
“There isn’t anything to say,” Baptiste said with a smile. “Just got to have faith. I got to give it to my offensive line. I just see green grass and run.”
Despite the loss, it was North Broward’s first championship appearance since 2008, and the Eagles finished with their best record since that year, as well.
