CORAL SPRINGS, Fla.— After picking up an offer from Notre Dame earlier in the week, Kevin Austin had to keep the momentum rolling on Friday night.
The North Broward Prep four-star receiver had five catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns as he helped the Eagles cruise to a 33-0 victory over Coral Springs Charter on the road. North Broward picks up their second district victory, improving to 2-0 on the early campaign.
“Kevin is a special young man,” North Broward Prep head coach Rex Nottage said after the game. “He’s a playmaker, that’s why he’s got all these offers because he definitely sets the tone for us. He is a very, very special young man, and he is humble. He is a great kid.”
With just over three minutes left in the half, the Eagles faced a crucial third-and-10 from the Coral Springs Charter 43-yard line. But North Broward came through. Shooster hit Kevin Austin on a crossing route and Austin blew by Panthers’ defenders for a touchdown that put the Eagles up 12-0 late in the first half. The play not only made it a two score game, but also was a big momentum booster for North Broward heading into halftime.
“Offense was a big issue for us tonight,” Nottage said. “It’s the momentum that carried us into the second half that last touchdown before the half was big for us, especially going into the break. We were feeling more confident in what we can possibly do.”
North Broward’s defense wasn’t its strong suit in 2015, but so far in 2016 the unit has been dominant. Following a dominant effort in which they held Pembroke Pines Charter to just 18 points last week, the Eagles defense held Coral Springs Charter scoreless, picked off two passes, and forced three turnovers in the victory.
“Awesome. Awesome! That’s all I can say,” Nottage said about the defense’s performance. “They kept us in the game. I think we caused four or five turnovers that gave us great field position, and I tip my hat off to Coach Sedeno who did a great job calling the defensive plays tonight. The boys really played their hearts out on defense. I’m really proud of the young men.”
Although the Eagles came home victorious comfortably, it sure wasn’t as pretty as they hoped. North Broward’s usually electric offense was held to just twelve points in the first half. The Eagles also committed nine penalties for 100 yards, eight of which were committed by the offensive line. Furthermore, North Broward started four drives inside the Coral Springs Charter 40-yard line and capitalized on just one of them. It could’ve been a case of playing down to your opponent.
“We left quite a few points on the board tonight,” Nottage said. “We got to go back to the drawing board on Monday and get prepared for Inlet Grove. We made a lot of mistakes tonight.”
Austin now has a total of 272 receiving yards on the season after 140 yards in last week’s win. That leads the Gold Coast conference for the junior wide out that has offers from Notre Dame, Miami (FL), Michigan State, North Carolina, and Tennessee among 19 others.
After an Anthony Gomez interception early in the third quarter, Dymitri McKenzie caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Logan Shooster to give North Broward a 20-0 lead as the Eagles began to pull away. Senior running back Dorian Cole would later dash in for a 20-yard score to push the lead to 26-0 heading into the fourth. North Broward would add another score on a Jason Vest one-yard plunge en route to victory.
North Broward’s special teams will have to improve if they hope to reach their goal of a championship this season. The Eagles were 1-for-4 on extra point attempts, botched a snap on a punt, and led up close to 100 yards in kickoff returns.
“I really concerned with our special teams,” Nottage said. “We need to be better in that are and that’s something we’re going to work on.”
Logan Shooster played well in his second career start at quarterback for North Broward. Shooster was 9-for-19 for 190 yards and three touchdowns. Shooster – who also plays cornerback for the Eagles – also had two interceptions on defense.
Senior WR/CB Anthony Gomez also had himself a nice game with four receptions for 47 receiving yards, and added an interception on defense for the Eagles. Senior running back Dymitri McKenzie also pitched 45 rushing yards, 11 receiving yards and a touchdown.
WHAT’S NEXT: North Broward Prep will hit the road again next week for a district clash with Inlet Grove next Friday night at 7:00 P.M. E.T. Coral Springs Charter will host Pembroke Pines Charter next Friday at home, with both teams seeking for their first win of the season.
