Miramar @ Dillard
WEEK 5 | 2023 SEASON
September 23, 2023
by Josh Zedner
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. | “Panthers Slash Thru Patriots”
Florida Man Sports is back with some Saturday Night Football action! Tonight’s game featured the Miramar Patriots facing off against the Dillard Panthers. Dillard had won its last three matchups against Miramar, so the Patriots were certainly charged up going into this war. The game got off to a strong defensive start as Miramar 2024 DB Caleb Solomon picked off the Panthers, but after a slip up by a Patriots running back, the ball was handed right back to Dillard. 2025 QB Nylan Maine then drove the ball right down the field via passes to 2024 WR Brandon Pridgen and 2026 WR Cordell Coffey, and a couple of his own QB runs. Maine eventually handed the ball off to 2025 DB/RB Hammond Richemond, who pushed his way through a pile into the endzone to go up 6-0.
After a Patriots 3-and-out and a whole lot of smack talk by the Panthers defense, the offense backed it all up with another nice drive engineered by Maine. Maine displayed poise and elusiveness throughout the first half, getting in and out of the pocket with ease and delivering precision passes to his receivers. The lead was extended to 14-0 after a smooth catch-and-throw connection between Maine and 2024 WR Marcus Striggles (Western Carolina commit) and a 2-point bullet from Maine to Pridgen.
After a few more 3-and-outs, the Patriots finally gained some momentum after a great punt return by 2024 DB Jaheim Williams energized the Miramar crowd and sideline. The following play was a dime of a touchdown from 2024 QB Kael Alexander over to 2024 WR Eric Nelson (FIU commit), cutting the lead to a single score.
The Panthers couldn’t handle the pressure of 2024 DL Shamar Meikle, and they quickly went 3-and-out. The Patriots then drove right down the field through runs and catches by 2025 RB/WR Darrel Mitchell, but Alexander threw a crucial goal-line interception right at 2025 DB Javier Frazier, who took the ball deep into Patriots territory. This was followed by an excess of penalties committed by the Panthers, and eventually led to a strip-sack fumble caused by Meikle and recovered by 2024 DL Eric Etienne. Once again, in good field position, Alexander threw another INT in the endzone to 2026 CB Samuel Brown. The score was 14-7 at half.
As the second half was set to begin, down came the rain and out came the umbrellas. What resulted was essentially a slip-and-slide, with a litany of penalties and mistakes coming along with it. By the end of the game, there were nearly a combined 300 yards of penalties between the two teams. Many defensive plays were made by Dillard defenders, such as a recovery of a muffed punt by Pridgen, a second ridiculous interception by Frazier, and a basic fair catch-like interception by 2026 SS Zamir Marquez, who was hyped up and often the energy of the defense the entire night.
There was one last chance for the Patriots with about 2 minutes left in the 4th quarter. 2024 RB Jordan Jones found some holes and got Miramar down the field, but on 4th down, after finding some space along the sideline, Alexander unceremoniously stepped out-of-bounds about 4 yards from the first down marker. The final score remained 14-7 in favor of the Panthers. This game was a bit of a mess after the 1st quarter. Tensions were high all night. Some scuffles broke out. Emotions were on display. The bands were blaring. The Dillard Panthers have a very solid defense and an athletic quarterback who can inch them to wins as the year goes on. It was a nice win on their home field, on Homecoming Night, after two rather lopsided losses in previous weeks.
As for the Miramar Patriots, they now fall to 2-2, and took a few too many deep shots on a night where the surface was slick and the balls were soaked and slippery. They have an extremely high quality defense and a great rushing attack highlighted by Jones who needs to be used more as we carry on to the second half of the season.
FINAL SCORE:
Dillard beats Miramar 14-7
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.
