PLANTATION — American Heritage capitalized on two early blocked punts, an interception, and a fumble recovery to build a 31-3 halftime lead and coasted to a 38-17 homecoming win over visiting Naples on Friday night.
American Heritage (6-1) ranked No. 21 in the country by MaxPreps, seized a 7-0 lead with 8:48 left in the first quarter when senior linebacker Omar Thornton broke through to block a punt by Tyler Troxell and junior defensive lineman Omarion Abraham recovered in the end zone for the score.
“I think it was huge to get the (punt) blocks on back-to-back series,” Thornton said. “We are trying to score ourselves, instead of the offense scoring all the time. There are still a whole lot of things we have to work on.”
The Patriots capitalized on another blocked punt, this time by senior defensive back Semaj Jackson, on Naples’ next series. American Heritage needed just 3 plays to move 21 yards to up the margin to 14-0 with 3:51 left in the first quarter. Patriots junior running back Byron Louis capped the drive with a 4-yard scoring run for his eighth rushing TD of the year.
Louis, who ran for 118 yards and a TD in the second half, totaled 170 yards on 17 carries for the contest. The Patriots ran for 251 yards against the Golden Eagles.
“I was just running the ball with every opportunity I could get,” Louis said. “Playing in a high-level offense like this, anyone has the opportunity to score. I just took it one play at a time to get what I could get and that was the game plan.
“Having a high caliber running back next to me like Deandre Desinor (6 carries, 61 yards) is a blessing,” Louis added. “He’s my brother. He’s my best friend and I don’t have to worry about him doing what he has to do.”
Naples (7-2), which entered the game on a four-game winning streak, took the ensuing kickoff and cut into the lead on a 25-yard field goal by Troxell. Golden Eagles running back Shawn Simeon had a 67-yard run to help set up the score. Simeon finished the game with 24 carries for 180 yards and two TDs.
American Heritage found the end zone twice late in the first half as they drove 89 yards in 10 plays to extend the lead to 21-3 on an 8-yard scoring throw from sophomore QB Dia Bell to sophomore WR Jamar Denson with 3:08 left.
Less than a minute later, senior DB Xavier Lucas intercepted a Jack Melton pass on the Naples’ 30, and on the next play from scrimmage, Bell hit sophomore WR Brandon Bennett for a TD and a 28-3 lead.
The Patriots’ sophomore DL Rodarion Tellez recovered a fumble on the Naples’ 17 to set up a 32-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Gavin Harvey for a 31-3 halftime cushion.
“It is still a work in progress,” said Patriots coach Mike Smith, whose team has won four straight since a 28-16 loss to Chaminade-Madonna, ranked No. 2 in the country. “We are getting better in spots, and you see some other sports where we can improve.
“Honestly, it is not about what has been working, it’s been about our level of maturity,” Louis said. “I feel like we have grown up after Chaminade and are aging. Future teams are going to have to worry about us because we are getting better and better every game we play.”
Naples cut the lead to 31-10 on a 1-yard plunge by Simeon with 7:26 left in the game, however, the Patriots wasted little time in answering as Louis scored on a 63-yard run with 6:29 left in the game to extend the lead to 38-10. Simeon closed out the scoring with a 23-yard run in the closing minutes.
American Heritage, the top-ranked team in the 2M division, is hopeful of making it back to the state championship game. The Patriots finished 13-2 last year and fell 38-31 to Miami Central 38-31 in the Class 2M state championship game. It was Miami Central’s fourth straight state title. The Patriots won state championships in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2020.
“Now we are getting around the playoffs, they are right around the corner,” Smith added. “We kind of stalled out in the second half tonight and could have done a better job of finishing. Naples is a good team and has been a good team for a long time. We know we have a lot to work on, but everything we want is still ahead of us. It’s an eye-opener that our best football is still ahead of us.”
