Somerset Academy @ Mater Academy
WEEK 1 | 2025 SEASON
August 21st, 2025
by Josh Zedner
Miami, Fla. | “Lions Tear Panthers Apart”
Florida Man Sports is now officially back! We are here with Week 1 of the South Florida high school football season. And boy does it feel great. It is going to be a truly incredible season. Our first official matchup of the year was a season-opening battle between the Somerset Academy Panthers and the Mater Academy Lions. Somerset is coming off of a solid season, where they finished 7-4, with quality wins against Westminster Academy and Stranahan. They bring back 2026 ATH and UCF commit Kaj “Nitro” Baker, who is the focal point on both sides of the ball for them. Mater underwent a full rebuild this offseason, led by new coach Tim “Ice” Harris, coming over from Booker T, with a lot of the coaches and players coming along with him.
After the Panther defense got off to a great start, forcing the Lions to have a long 3rd down, an early facemask penalty got the ball rolling for Mater. 2027 RB Rahdel Jean-Baptiste had a couple of nice runs up the middle to get the ball past the 50. 2028 QB Kayne Garbutt then found a wide open 2027 WR Jamal Robinson streaking to the endzone to give Mater an early 7-0 lead.
The Lions defense was ferocious early and often, with 2026 DL Taishaun Williams leading the charge. He was a massive presence in the Panther backfield, making play after play all night long. 2027 DB Jarmarr Marshall picked off 2030 QB Tyson Baier and took it to the house to give Mater a 14-0 lead within minutes. It appeared as if this game was over just moments after it had kicked off.
After a poor punt, Mater had a short field near the end of the first quarter. 2028 QB Dontavious Kinchens (brother of NFL player Kamren) was then entered into the game and showed off his versatile athleticism. This kid has got some wheels on him. On a long 3rd down Kinchens booked it up the middle and got his squad near the goal line. 2027 RB Kimbriq Minnis finished off the drive with a nice touchdown that made the lead insurmountable.
Somerset actually had something going to start the 2nd quarter. Baier got a couple of first down completions to Baker and 2028 WR Braylan Cannon. But after a great tackle by 2027 DB Trezavant Boyd, disaster struck in the form of Williams. Baier rolled out under pressure and was met by a pack of Lions, and Williams using his big-man strength, punched the ball out, picked it up, and was scot-free to the pylon. A truly incredible one-man wrecking crew. One of the better plays I have seen in all of the games I’ve been to. 27-0, Mater at the half.
There wasn’t a whole lot that happened over the rest of the game, but let’s give some credit for some of the defenders on both teams. 2027 DE Eduardo Thompson had a pair of TFL’s on Panther running backs. There were a few Lion errors, fumbles recovered by 2027 OL/DL Joshua Gabriel and 2026 OL/DL Aden Champagne. 2026 DB Ariel Martinez had a nice pass breakup in the endzone that nearly ended in an interception. Baker and 2028 ATH Mason Mora each had late touchdowns, and Minnis punched another late one in for Mater. Final score was 34-12, a win by Mater Academy.
Mater Academy moves to 1-0 to start the season after a relatively easy win against what was an inferior opponent from the beginning. Their Booker T imports showed that despite the school change, the skill hasn’t changed. It’s only gotten better for some of them. On the defensive end, Boyd, Thompson, Marshall and Wiiliams all looked really good. But there is a little uncertainty about this offense. While it appears that the rushing attack will be strong and the receiving core looks about as solid as can be being led by Robinson, the quarterback situation appears to be a bit shaky. There were some errant passes, some fumbled snaps and some undisciplined flags. My gut tells me that Kinchens athleticism and pedigree gives him the edge, but time will tell if the athlete can become the passer. They will see Doral on the road next week.
The Somerset Panthers looked out of their ecosystem tonight. From the beginning, it was apparent that this game would not be much of a contest. Baker is an absolute stud, and was doing it on both ends for them in this game. The rushing attack did look pretty solid between Baker and Mora at times. The defense even played a pretty great second half, forcing some turnovers on a heavily favored Mater team. But the passing attack is a clear work in progress, with an 8th grader in Baier at the helm. The best outcome for a rebuilding squad like this is playing to get experience, and whether its rocky or not, the Panthers can only go up after hapless performances like this.
FINAL SCORE:
Mater Academy beats Somerset Academy 34-12
Florida Man Sports Player of the Game:
2026 DL/LB Taishaun Williams (TFL, FF, FR for TD)
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.
