_{September 19th, 2025}
by Josh Zedner
Miami, Fla. | “Dreadnaughts Sink Tornadoes”

Florida Man Sports is back with Week 5 coverage of the South Florida high school football season! As the season continues to move along, teams are beginning to settle in, show some chemistry and play hard each and every week. This week we had a matchup between the Lakeland Dreadnaughts and the Booker T. Washington Tornadoes. Lakeland comes in with a 2-1 record, and as one of the top ranked teams in the state of Florida after making it to the state finals last year. Booker T, after the departure of coach Tim “Ice” Harris, and a lot of transfers out of the school, has floundered to an 0-4 start, all blowout losses.

Right away, it appeared as if the Tornadoes were overmatched. 2026 LB Ziggy Riley made a great tackle early on the drive to eventually force the punt. And the punt was POOR. Lakeland started their drive inside the Booker T. 30 yard line. On the first play from scrimmage, 2026 RB Kevin Hendrix took a complex handoff, made some moves, had a couple of guys whiff on tackles and cruised into the endzone.

After another 3 and out, Hendrix got the next drive started with another first down. 2026 ATH Kelin Hendrix then found 2028 WR Cameron Fuse for a first down on a screen. But after 2027 DB Michael Grant sacked Hendrix and forced a fumble, the Dreadnaughts were forced to kick a field goal. 2026 K Brysen Fischer sunk it to get the lead to 10-0.

There was a lot of punting done after this. Riley and 2027 DL Jave Jean-Louis had a combined TFL for Lakeland. 2026 DE Siah Hayward had one of his own for Booker T. 2026 LB and Florida commit Malik Morris had a sack for Lakeland. Followed by a PBU by 2026 LB Zephaniah Rogers. Grant and 2026 LB Ty’rel Snelling made a couple of nice tackles for the Tornadoes. Then there was a masterful defensive drive by Lakeland, in which 2027 DL Santana Harvey batted a ball down, Riley had another TFL, and then 2026 DB and USF commit Christopher Cresser broke up a pass in succession.

After another poor punt by Booker T, Lakeland were set up inside the 30 once again. Hendrix (QB) showed his athletic ability and rushed for a TD that essentially put this game out of reach for the Tornadoes. But that didn’t stop their fight. With under 2 minutes left, they attempted to put together a drive to get some momentum going into the half. 2028 QB Wryan Jenkins found 2026 WR Darnell Wesby 3 times on the drive for first downs, and he also connected with 2029 WR Tyrell Johnson for another on the drive. But the drive was stalled after Jenkins threw an interception, with the nice pick being made by 2027 DB Deonte Fielder. 17-0, Lakeland at the half.

The Dreadnaughts got the ball to start the second half. There was a great return made by 2026 WR Zyuan Dukes to get the ball over the 50. Then 2028 RB Ahnarri Cooper took off and booked a trip for 6 into the endzone to put the tally at 24-0.

Besides the fact that the game was pretty much over at this point, let’s get some important stats out of the way for bookkeeping purposes. Harvey had a TFL for Lakeland. Morris had another sack and a forced fumble. Hendrix (RB) scored another short rushing touchdown to make the game 31-0. On a fake field goal attempt, 2027 DB Ahmaad Watts picked off a pass from Jenkins that would’ve went to the crib if he hadn’t stepped out. Hendrix (QB) threw a touchdown to 2026 WR Jerry Thomas to make it 38-0. There was an interception by 2027 DB Travoris Black. And 2027 QB Caleb McFarlane came in late for Lakeland to throw a touchdown to Dukes to make the final score 44-0.

A dominant performance for Lakeland in this game. They did struggle at times to put away Booker T. early in this contest, but they did way more than enough to salt it away late and make it into a no-contest. The running game is the highlight on the offensive end of the ball.Hendrix and Cooper look like a quality RB duo that can make moves with the best of them. And the defense may be the teams greatest strength. Riley and Rogers were making plays all night long. You have a monster d-lineman in Harvey. A masterclass linebacker with Morris. And the defensive backfield with Fielder and Cresser leading the way is pretty lockdown. Great win for the Dreadnaughts.

I’m not sure what to say about Booker T. They looked outmatched the entire night to be honest. They’ve honestly looked outmatched the entire season to this point. They don’t look like their hearts are in it enough at this point. Not enough effort is being displayed on the field. Things seem to be too lax over on that sideline. 0-5 is an embarrassing start for this program. The best thing for them is that they have so many young guys on this team, that these brutal experiences will only help them learn and get better in the future. They will look to get back on track next week when they face Miami Springs on the road.

FINAL SCORE:
Lakeland beats Booker T. Washington 44-0

Florida Man Sports Player of the Game:

2026 RB Kevin Hendrix (2 Rush TDs)


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.