Bolles @ Miami Norland
2M FINAL FOUR | 2023 SEASON
December 1, 2023
by Josh Zedner
Miami, Fla. | “Vikings Trounce Bulldogs, Norland Advances to State Championship”
Florida Man Sports is back with the State Semifinals! Tonight we had a matchup between the Bolles Bulldogs and the Norland Vikings. The Bulldogs (8-5) came in off of a blowout victory against Bishop Moore on the road in their last contest. Norland, still undefeated at 13-0, continued their magical run with a 31-28 victory against rival Miami Central in overtime last week.
The game was dominated by defense early. Off of a tipped pass by 2024 LB and Louisville commit Trent Carter, 2024 LB Noah Cole picked off 2025 QB Ennio “Ejay” Yapoor on the first play from scrimmage. After a pass breakup by 2024 DB and Maryland commit Larry Tarver and a sack by 2025 LB Mandrell Desir, Norland blocked a Bulldog field goal on the goal line. 2024 LB JD Matson, 2025 LB Troy Holloway, 2024 LB Anthony Mattison, and 2024 DL and Auburn commit Dimitry Nicolas all added defensive highlights in the first quarter.
After an electrifying return by 2024 ATH Isaiah Scott, Norland finally got their offense going. 2024 RB and Bethune Cookman commit Juan “Chino” Rodriguez got a first down chunk gain. Then Yapoor threw a bomb to 2024 WR and South Dakota commit Ivory Aikens to give Norland their first lead of the game.
After forcing another 3-and-out, the Vikings put together another drive. Yapoor had some tough running for a first. Then he found 2025 WR Jade Card for a dart across the middle. Rodriguez was a bell cow. He ran for another first, then with some excellent blocking found the hole and got Norland up 14-0 within the blink of an eye.
The Bulldog offense just couldn’t get anything going against this absolutely stacked defense. 2024 DB Gabriel Cash had a sack. 2024 DB and Florida State commit Jahmari Howard batted down a pass. Bolles’ 2024 QB and Coastal Carolina commit D.J. Moore got a few first downs to 2024 WR Max Lockett and 2026 TE Corbyn Fordham. But on a sloppy double pass trick play, the Dawgs threw a pick to the do-it-all Scott who closed the first half shutout.
After some more strong defense by 2024 DE and Rutgers commit Tycoolhill Luman, 2025 DE Darryll Desir, and 2024 DL and FIU commit Germaine Carter, Norland carried the shutout into the 4th quarter. After another great return by Scott, the Vikings had the opportunity to put this game away. Rodriguez had a mad dash to the 1 yard-line. Then Yapoor dove into the endzone to extend the lead out to 21-0.
Yapoor then tossed a late touchdown to 2025 FB Nathaniel Rosado after another great Rodriguez carry. Bolles avoided the shutout with a touchdown in the back of the endzone by 4-star 2026 WR Naeem Burroughs, thrown by Moore. Final score 28-7, in favor of Norland.
This game was just dominated by the Norland Vikings defense, which has been the team’s backbone through thick and thin all year. They played Michigan Wolverine football tonight. Defense and pounding the rock. The magical season continues. 14-0 now. Next? A date with Berkeley Prep (Tampa) for the State Championship. Berkeley is coming off of a 17-14 upset victory against American Heritage Plantation. Tallahassee will decide it all, Saturday, December 9th.
As for the Bolles Bulldogs, they were just outmatched and outwitted tonight. Mac Jones’ alma mater couldn’t get anything going at all tonight. Moore was under constant pressure. The running game struggled. The defense held their own, but ran out of gas by the end. Their star QB will be leaving, but the skill positions will return stocked up. Burroughs and Fordham should be back, as well as 2025 WR Chase Collier and 2025 RB Emmett Grzebin. And the backup quarterback who will be taking over next year, 2025 QB Ethan Drumm, is no slouch. That kid can throw it.
It has been a great ride these last couple of months. I can truly say that I have enjoyed this incredible season down in South Florida covering all of these outstanding programs. We’ve seen a lot of great football.
Florida Man Sports. We’re out for now. But we’ll be back soon. Stay tuned…
FINAL SCORE:
Miami Norland beats The Bolles School (Jacksonville) 28-7
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.
