South Broward @ Doral Academy
WEEK 4 | 2025 SEASON
September 12th, 2025
by Josh Zedner
Miami, Fla. | “Firebirds Hold Down Bulldogs in Thriller”
Florida Man Sports is back with Week 4 coverage of the South Florida high school football season! It’s been an exciting season thus far and it’s only going to get better as the weeks go on. Tonight we had a matchup between the South Broward Bulldogs and the Doral Academy Firebirds. South Broward was coming in hot, with a 2-0 record and a blowout victory against Cooper City last week. Doral, looking to get their season on track after an 0-2 start, had two blowout losses to start the season.
The Firebirds have a run-heavy attack, with an Army-Navy style to it. They had a few early first down runs by 2026 RB Joel Miller. But once 2026 QB Jordan Lleo faked the run and tried to pass the ball, he was under immediate pressure and lofted a ball that was picked off out of the air by 2026 WR/DB Jamari Ritter.
South Broward’s first drive was foiled by a bad snap that resulted in a 26 yard loss. And Doral was about to go 3 and out, but a special teams mistake (running into the kicker) continued the drive. Lleo took a run up the middle to get the Firebirds on the goal line and 2026 RB Darreon Green, looking like a fullback barged his way into the endzone to give Doral the early lead.
The Bulldogs saw Doral’s run-heavy approach and said “Why not us?”. 2026 RBs Derrick Simmons and Javon Betts took over on the next drive. Simmons ran for a first down to start the drive, and then Betts ran for two that got the dawgs on the goal-line. Simmons then finished off the drive with a touchdown, but the extra point was blocked so the deficit was still 1.
South Broward’s defense stepped up in the 2nd quarter, with a TFL from 2026 OL/DL YanKarlos Blanco and a PBU by 2029 S Jacob Jean-Pierre forcing a 3 and out for Doral. The Bulldogs went right back to bully football, with a rushing attack headlined by Simmons and 2028 QB Steven Wright. Simmons started the drive with another first down run. Wright, an absolute bulldozer of a QB, brutalized his way for a few first down runs. He finished the drive with a QB sneak TD that gave South Broward a 6 point lead going into the half.
Both teams struggled to convert out of the gate in the second half. 2027 DE Matthew Vargas had a fumble on a bad exchange between Wright and Simmons. But Doral couldn’t capitalize, as 2026 DB Demarcus Green and 2028 DE Dewayne Davis combined on a sack to force Lleo and the offense to turn the ball over on downs.
When the Bulldogs got the ball back, it was time for some more smash-mouth football. Wright and Betts went to work, rushing for first downs. (1 for Wright, 2 for Betts) And then Simmons found the edge again for another touchdown. It appeared at this point that the Firebirds were about to be extinguished.
South Broward was on the verge of scoring yet again in the 3rd quarter after a couple of first down connections between Wright and 2028 RB/S Amari Parrish. But there were a couple of huge PBU’s by 2026 DB Karmelo McCrea and 2027 DB Luis Perez on successive downs. This energized the Firebird offense. Miller found a seam and cruised into the endzone. All of a sudden we had a 6 point game in the 4th quarter.
The Bulldogs looked for a response. 2026 LB Caleb Rivera had a huge play for no gain on 1st down. And then 2026 S Dominic Musella had a TFL that made it 3rd and long, and South Broward had to punt it away after getting nothing on 3rd down. Doral had a chance to win this game in the 4th quarter. Truly unbelievable.
Ritter (TFL) and 2026 ATH Eddie Donnell made some nice plays for the Bulldog defense to start the drive. But Doral was methodical. Earning first downs with little chunks each time. Green had a few first down short yardage runs. Miller added another. And Lleo finally found his passing. He connected with his brother, 2026 WR Joshua Lleo, twice for huge first downs. The second one was on a 4th down with less than 2 minutes left in the game.
After a huge penalty on Doral, it was 3rd and 16 inside of the 20. Lleo scrambled out of the pocket, heaved it into the endzone, where a wide open 2027 TE/DE Ryan Towne was standing, and he caught the ball for a touchdown. Incredible. With 19 seconds left in the game. The extra point went through, and Doral took an improbable 21-20 lead.
Closing time for South Broward. They were winning the entire game and needed a miracle to take the lead back. Wright lofted two deep passes, one that went in and out of the hands of Donnell and the other being thrown into double coverage and incomplete. What a win for Doral. What a collapse by the Bulldogs. And what a game.
A massive first win on the season for the Doral Academy Firebirds. They truly never gave in during this contest. Lleo made multiple gutsy plays to get the job done for his team tonight. Miller is certainly the engine for the offense. But let’s give credit to the defense. They made every stop that they needed to make in the big moments. They deserve a game ball for their efforts. This could be a win that gets Doral steered in the right direction. But they have a stiff test next week when they go on the road to face Southridge.
An absolute heartbreaker for the South Broward Bulldogs. They were winning for the majority of this game. This was one that will sting for a little bit. But I do believe that this team has the ingredients to have a successful season. They have a very good rushing attack led by Simmons and Betts. Wright is tough as a QB as well (but could definitely work on his passing accuracy). The defense has some really good players with Donnell and Ritter as well. The best way to bounce back is to scrap it from your memory and go get a win against a quality opponent in Plantation next Friday.
FINAL SCORE:
Doral Academy beats South Broward 21-20
Florida Man Sports Player of the Game:
2026 QB Jordan Lleo (Game-Winning TD with 19 seconds left)
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.
