_{August 25, 2023}
by Josh Zedner
Doral, Fla. | “Bulldogs Beat Down on Flamed-Out Firebirds”

Friday Night Lights ARE BACK, and the Florida Man Sports team was there to catch the Week 1 showdown between the Doral Academy Firebirds and the South Broward Bulldogs. Doral was completely out-classed in front of their home crowd in their season-opening loss (at least the student section had a “Barbie” theme going on, with most of the bleachers decked out in pink cowboy hats).

From the get-go, South Broward’s plethora of offensive weapons showed out and the game had the feeling of a good old-fashioned shellacking. Doral’s efforts weren’t “Kenough,” slacking in the trenches early on. The Bulldogs defense took full advantage, capitalizing on the Firebirds’ whopping 5 turnovers, highlighted by a 2027 DB Leondre Strawder pick-6.

The Bulldogs offense was led by the explosive and shifty Miami Hurricanes commit, 2024 RB Chris “Hellcat” Wheatley-Humphrey. Wheatley-Humphrey had 3 rushing TDs, the last coming from the Wildcat formation. 2027 RB Jayden Johnson also showed similar shiftiness and speed throughout the night, and will definitely be a player to monitor closely throughout the season.

In terms of the passing game, 2025 QB Randy Phillips finished with 2 TDs. Phillips showed great poise in the pocket, serviceable mobility, and a great command of the offense at the line of scrimmage. His stable of wideouts looked extremely impressive, as seniors (2024) Aaron Benoit and Charles “Hollywood” Ross each caught a TD. Chaminade-Madonna transfer 2027 WR Sean Thompson almost added another score through the air but was called out-of-bounds on a close toe-tap in the corner of the endzone — a highlight play nonetheless.

South Broward’s defense was nails as well. Nothing really got going for Doral tonight besides a semi-decent rushing attack led by 2024 RB/LB Dariel Rodriguez, who had multiple chunk gains up the gut. South Broward 2025 DB/WR Simor Price looked good securing the edge, coming up with multiple TFLs and an INT. 2026 DB Demarcus Greene secured an INT, and 2025 TE/DE Sean Burke added a FR TD on a blocked punt.

South Broward looks set for a much improved season. The Dawgs were impressive on both sides of the ball and should be a huge problem for opposing defenses on their schedule given their abundance of young talent. As for the Firebirds of Doral, their work needs to start in the trenches. To execute their power run scheme, the Firebirds offensive line will be key to them having success this season.

FINAL SCORE:
South Broward beats Doral Academy 46-0

About Josh Zedner:
Joshua Zedner is a beat writer covering high school football for Florida Man Sports. A native of Miami Beach, he attended Florida International University before finishing his undergraduate Business Administration degree at the University of Florida. Josh is an avid Miami sports fan, and he also writes a music review blog as a passion project under the @AlbumAnalysisWithZ handle on Instagram.