Booker T. Washington @ Miami Norland
WEEK 7 | 2023 SEASON
October 5, 2023
by Josh Zedner
Miami, Fla. | “Vikings Squeak Past Tornadoes”
Florida Man Sports is back with a huge Week 7 showdown between the Booker T. Washington Tornadoes and the Miami Norland Vikings. Booker T. came in at a 3-1 record after a 28-0 thrashing of Miami Jackson (who forfeited in the 1st quarter), while the Vikings have breezed to a 5-0 record with a combined victory margin of 208 points coming into this game. Nathaniel “Traz” Powell Stadium was LIT, thousands of fans filled the stands and the teams got set for a fantastic battle.
Booker T. set the tone right away, as 2024 QB Claudell “Fetty” Sherman made some ridiculous plays with his legs to get the Tornadoes near the goal line. Mixed in was a poor snap that was converted into an outstanding 1-handed catch by 2024 WR Elijah Henton. Sherman then tossed a perfect touchdown strike to 2026 WR Anton Smith that got the game started ideally for Booker T. Well, almost ideally. The extra point was doinked, and the F-5 lead was only 6-0.
Norland responded with a solid drive of their own, led by a chunk gain from 2024 RB Marquise Blocker and a completion from 2025 QB Ennio “EJay” Yapoor to 2024 WR Joaquin Reid. The drive stalled after a pass breakup by 2024 ATH Leroy Lee Jr, and the Vikings failed to cash in after a missed field goal wide left. The Tornadoes once again stormed down the field through Sherman’s highlight reel moves, but in this case 2024 LB and Pittsburgh commit Jeremiah Marcelin dropped Sherman with a sack, and after a tipped ball, 2024 DB Jahmari Howard picked off a ball that ignited the Norland crowd.
After a couple of 3-and-outs by each team and a turnover on downs by the Tornadoes, forced by 2024 DE and Rutgers commit Tycoolhill Luman, Norland looked to take the lead going into the half. They began to incorporate more QB-designed runs into their offense, and Yapoor ran right into a defender to get a first down. Right when everything seemed to be going right, Yapoor delivered a pass to a Vikings receiver who was popped by 2024 DB Ronald Beliard and the ball flew into the hands of 2025 DB Ben Hanks Jr., who stole all of the momentum from Norland and took it to the house for an incredible pick-6. A simply astounding play by the Booker T. defense to make it 12-0.
Right as the momentum was all on the Tornadoes’ side, 2024 WR Ivory Aikens caught the ball and flew past the Booker T. special teams unit as the half came to a close for a massive kick return touchdown. Shades of Tyreek Hill. The score was now 12-7 in favor of Booker T. at halftime.
Norland had some questions as to how to get their offense going. Luckily for them, they had the opportunity to do so right out of the half. But that Tornadoes defense just continued to impress. 2024 LB Eldreen Terma, 2026 DE Jemel Bonica, and 2024 LB Tristan Ramsey all made HUGE plays to begin the half. There was a bad snap on the punt, the punter got down on a knee to recover it, but as the rule goes, you’re down as soon as the knee hits the ground. Right away, Sherman got on the loose again, cruising into the endzone on a read option play to extend the lead to 12 points.
The Vikings’ ship looked to be sinking after Lee Jr. hit Yapoor, forcing an airmailed pass that was picked off by 2025 DB Antonio Branch Jr. Sherman used his legs again to get the Tornadoes to the redzone, but was then knocked out of the game after Howard hit him on another designed run. This was a game changer. A couple plays after that, Booker T. fumbled and down stormed Norland.
Yapoor and 2024 RB Juan Rodriguez gashed the defense with runs that eventually resulted into a touchdown pass from Yapoor to Reid in which Reid squirmed open, got some good blocking, and breezed in. The lead was back down to 5 with nearly the whole quarter to go. With a chance to take the lead, Yapoor got sacked by Terma, who I’d have to add is undersized, but at the same time, extremely fearless and showed some resemblance to the “Honey Badger” Tyrann Mathieu. 2024 DL and Florida State commit Jamorie Flagg came up huge on a 4th and short, stuffing Yapoor in the backfield on a QB draw.
There was a quick 3-and-out by Booker T with 2026 QB Anthony McQueen now in the game, which then led to another bad snap on a punt, setting up Norland nicely in an attempt to take their first lead. Yapoor then threw a pass that was miraculously caught by 2024 WR Isaiah Scott for a first down on the goal line. Yapoor then took another draw and rushed into the endzone for a 20-19 lead. The stands went ballistic after these two plays. Stupendous crowd on hand tonight.
Booker T.’s last chance came with about 3:30 left. McQueen was thrown into the fire after a masterful performance by Sherman. The moment was too bright, however, as 2024 DE and Rutgers commit Tyclean Luman crashed into the backfield for a massive sack. McQueen then went for it all and threw a shot to the endzone that was picked off by a rather familiar name who had just made another huge play, Isaiah Scott. Playing both ends. A true athlete. Rodriguez then salted away the game with a run that bled the game clock. The final score was 20-19 in favor of Norland.
What a great game. What an excellent environment. The Norland Vikings look like they escaped with this one. They didn’t play their best ball tonight and faced an extremely difficult challenge in containing dual-threat QB Sherman. Luckily for them, their backbone is that bona fide Division 1 defense. Time and time again, when they needed a stop to keep them alive, they did the job. Outstanding work from the Luman twins, Howard, Marcelin, and the rest of the guys. They will need to play much better next week in a challenging game vs. Miami Central. The Booker T. Washington Tornadoes had this one in their hands. They held a near two-touchdown lead at the beginning of the 4th.
Sherman went down and everything changed. Kudos to their defense for doing all it could to keep them alive. Ramsey, Terma, Lee Jr., and the entire defense as a whole played a great game that should have been enough to get the W. We may be talking about a different result here if Sherman stays in, but injuries happen. This is football. It’s part of the game. You have to applaud their effort tonight as not many people gave them a chance to win against this stacked Norland squad. Kudos to them.
FINAL SCORE:
Miami Norland beats Booker T. Washington 20-19
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.
