_{September 25th, 2025}
by Josh Zedner
Miami, Fla. | “Mavericks Race Past Vikings”

Florida Man Sports is back with Week 6 coverage of the South Florida High School football season! We’re moving along this season, getting past the halfway point. The matchups are heating up. Tonight we had a good one between the Archbishop McCarthy Mavericks and the Norland Vikings. The Mavericks came in at a 4-1 record, with their only loss coming in blowout fashion to True North a couple weeks back. It has been bumpy for the Vikings, as they have gotten off to a 2-3 start, with frustrating losses to Lake Mary, Northwestern, and Atlantic (all great programs).

Norland started this game with the ball, and they got off to a fast start. 2027 QB Kai Moore is the signal caller for the Vikings. He started the game off with a first down screen pass to 2028 RB Dorian Bentley. 2027 DB Jacarri Watson and 2028 DL Isaiah Cunningham made some nice defensive efforts to stifle Norland. But Moore got out of the pocket and dropped a dime to a wide open 2027 WR Marquis Siggers for the first score of the game.

But the Mavs had a response. On the kickoff. 2026 RB Jeremiah Alexandre got the rock, and sped past every possible defender to get into the endzone and even this game at 7. It seemed as if we were in for a shootout early. But then the defenses took over. 2026 DB Joey Shapiro had a TFL early on the next drive, and then 2026 DL Oliver Belizaire sacked Moore to force an eventual turnover on downs. 

2027 DB Tedrick Oatman got Norland’s defense going with a TFL to start the next drive. 2027 RB Damien Grant had a couple of first down totes, but the drive was stalled after a sack from 2026 DB Kevin Peeples and the Mavs were forced to punt. The defenses really thrived throughout the rest of the first half. Another Norland drive was stalled by Watson (with a booming hit on Siggers) and 2028 DB Justin Antenor. And the next Maverick drive was KO’d by the efforts of DE Demonta Oliver (TFL) and 2026 DB Xavier Baker.’

After a couple of first down runs by Bentley and Moore, the Vikings signal caller threw an interception into the waiting arms of 2026 ATH Makhi Vance. The opportunity was there for the taking in terms of Archbishop McCarthy taking a lead into the half. They got really close to scoring after 2026 QB Robert Kerns had a couple of first down connections with 2027 ATH Malik Denson and 2027 WR Ja’Kobi Williams. Kerns and Denson also had first down runs of their own. But on the last play of significance in the first half, Kerns tossed a jump ball that was picked clean out of the air by 2027 DB and Miami commit Kenton Dopson. So we were square at 7 at the half.

Norland’s defense picked up right where they left off. Oatman had a TFL to start the drive, then Baker stripped-sacked Kerns, and the ball was picked up by Peeples and returned for a touchdown. The momentum was with the Vikings. And after another TFL by Oatman, he then caught a pick, and the opportunity for Norland to take complete control was there. Moore connected with 2026 WR Damani Downs for a first down, but the drive stalled out. And 2027 DE Ji’Koi Highsmith blocked the field goal attempt. The Mavs weren’t dead yet.

They had a huge response drive with a lot of running from Kerns (3 first downs), and Grant (2 first downs). Grant then tied the game on a nice run where he cut through and found his way into the endzone. Peeples then had a huge return to get Norland set up in a fantastic position. But the drive was once again foiled by the likes of Watson, Cunningham and 2026 DL Kevin Campbell (TFL). Then Norland for some odd reason went for a fake punt, which was stuffed. 

Alexandre and Kerns continued to pound the rock for the Mavs, getting them into the redzone. There was a massive personal foul for unnecessary roughness on 3rd and long. And then Kerns handed the ball off to 2026 WR Kendall Brown who found the edge and powered his way into the endzone to give Archbishop their first lead of the game.

Once again Peeples had a huge return for Norland to put them in scoring position. But again, the Maverick defense stood up. Shapiro and Cunningham (TFL) made big plays to force a 4th down. And Moore threw a pass that sailed out of the reach of his intended receiver. But McCarthy couldn’t close the game, after an aborted snap led to a fumble recovery by 2027 DB Reginald Owens.

It was closing time. Norland needed a touchdown to tie this game. Moore connected with Downs for a huge first down. Siggers got open, but dropped a wide open touchdown to tie the game. It was an absolutely brutal moment. After a TFL by Shapiro, it was 4th down. And Moore had to throw a pass into double coverage, which was batted down. Grant then salted the game away for the Mavericks. Archbishop McCarthy wins, 21-14.

What a win for Archbishop McCarthy. The resilience of Kerns showed tonight. He had his struggles, throwing picks and losing a fumble, but let his running game take over when it mattered. Grant and Alexandre are two dynamic backs that will take this team far offensively. And that defense was massive tonight. Watson, Cunningham, Shapiro, and really the entire unit came up huge the whole game. A really well-coached team as well, not a lot of penalties. They will face off against Plantation in what is sure to be a great game in a few weeks.

And a huge loss for the Norland Vikings. They just couldn’t capitalize on great field position time and time again in this game. Peeples had them set up in great positions with his returns. The lack of a running game is hurting this team. It is putting a lot of pressure on Moore to continuously have to be Superman. The defense is pretty good as well. They were making plays, and turning the ball over, so it wasn’t their fault. This is a talented team, with a lot of talented players. They have another tough game at home against Cocoa next week.

FINAL SCORE:
Archbishop McCarthy beats Miami Norland 21-14

Florida Man Sports Player of the Game:

2026 QB Robert Kerns (A Bunch of First Down Runs)


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.