ORLANDO – In the final quarter of the 2016 FHSAA football season, Miami Southridge High came back from a 10-0 deficit to become state champions for the first time since 1993.
The Spartans (12-2) and Dr. Phillips (12-3) were locked in a defensive battle throughout the first half, something eerily familiar from the 6A game that had wrapped up a few hours prior.
Both teams traded three-and-outs, both teams traded punts, and it looked like it would take a major defensive mistake in order to break the scoreless tie. Dr. Phillips led by over nine minutes in time of possession over Southridge, as the Panthers flexed their muscles until the end of the game.
Sterling Stockwell booted a 44-yard field goal for the first points to go on the board for Dr. Phillips, which would be a career long for the kicker.
The next Dr. Phillips drive was nothing short of methodical and long, melting 6:30 off the clock through 14-plays, ending off in an Emare Hogan 5-yard touchdown run for the Panthers. Southridge was forced to try and put a drive together in 48 seconds, but it wasn’t to be, and Dr. Phillips would take a 10-0 lead into halftime.
The Spartans were held to 55 total yards of offense through the first two quarters – a complete opposite of their second half totals of 230.
It didn’t come easy for them, especially when Michael Cox threw an interception to Albert Gilreath while Southridge was driving towards the red zone in the third quarter.
In the fourth, Southridge took the ball for the first three minutes of the quarter, and finally started to move the ball towards the Dr. Phillips end zone once again. On fourth-and-goal, Cox threw a ball into the corner of the end zone which turned into a jump ball between the two squads. Jordan Dillard pulled it down for Southridge, which trimmed the lead to four after the PAT was missed.
Dr. Phillips would have to punt on the next drive, giving Southridge possession close to their end zone. A pass interference call against DP drove the ball to the Southridge 28, and then Cox and Mark Pope would do the rest.
Pope took it 73 yards to the end zone, which put Southridge up 14-10 after Antoine Collier passed to Dillard for the 2-point conversion.
On the next Dr. Phillips possession, Southridge forced Dr. Phillips to punt after a 4th down pass from Marvin Washington fell incomplete. The Spartans would kneed it down a couple more times before they were state champions for the first time since 1993.
Dr. Phillips controlled time of possession 30:27 to Southridge’s 17:33. Even so, the come-from-behind win wasn’t immune to that stat. Cox threw for 9-for-20 for 155 yards and 2 TDs for the Spartans while Washington added 62 rushing yards and 75 passing yards for the Panthers.