_{November 13th, 2025}
by Josh Zedner
Hollywood, Fla. | “Panthers Claw Past Patriots”

Florida Man Sports is back with coverage of the 2025 South Florida high school football season! It is time for the playoffs. Tonight we had a matchup between the Westwood Panthers, hailing from Fort Pierce, and the Miramar Patriots. Westwood has been up and down this season, coming in at an even 5-5 record. Miramar has been uneven, with a 4-6 record, and coming off of a close loss against Cardinal Gibbons last week. This matchup took place in the FIT 2A bracket.

After Westwood punted to start the game, the Patriots took over on their first possession. 2027 RB and Pitt commit Tyler Reid boosted for a first down run right away. He then followed that run with a mad dash around the corner to give Miramar an early 6-0 lead. They failed on a 2-pt conversion to keep the lead at 6.

On Westwood’s first drive, 2026 QB Joseph Weathers Jr. connected with 2026 ATH Jabari Monds (Eastern Michigan commit) for a first down on the sideline. 2026 ATH Jalen Ford then took a carry, but the ball was popped out by 2026 DB Ricky Williams Jr. and recovered by 2027 DB Samuel Sinquefield to put Miramar in great position to strike again. After Reid rumbled for a few more first downs, the Panther defense stood up to force a turnover on downs. Credit to 2027 DL Amar Greene on a TFL that forced the stalling.

Westwood had a touchdown response. Weathers Jr. and Monds connected for another first down, then the signal caller used his legs to scramble for a long first down run. 2026 RB Travis Townsend Jr. then gashed up the middle to get the Panthers on the goal-line. And the drive was culminated by yet another connection between Weathers Jr. and Monds for a touchdown that evened the game at 6.

Both teams played great defense after the game evened up. 2026 LB Keondre Ward made an incredible individual play on Reid where he punched the ball out and then recovered it on the same play. Westwood got another drive going through Weathers Jr.. He ran for another first down, then found Monds and Townsend Jr. for first down catches. But the nearly sole effort by 2027 DE Jonathan Plaisir (2 TFLs and 0.5 sacks) led to another turnover on downs.

Miramar looked to run the clock out to end the half. 2027 QB Jamal Rivas ran up the middle for a QB sneak, but the ball was stripped by 2026 DB Jamario Moody, and on the 1 yard line fell into the endzone to give Westwood a shocking lead at the end of the half. Ford ran into the endzone to make the lead 8 at the half. 14-6 Westwood at the half.

The Patriots needed a response out of the half. 2027 WR Tuwan Grant gave them good field position with a quality return. Reid then had another first down run to get them into the redzone. But the drive once again stalled out after a TFL by 2026 LB Sincer Bowman. Reid fumbled once again, this time on a punt return and it was recovered by 2027 DB Jakeim Ellison. Westwood was not able to capitalize though, after a PBU by Sinquefield.

The Westwood defense put the team on its back. Forcing turnovers at any given moment. Ellison forced another fumble, which was recovered by Ward. The Panthers milked the clock when they got the ball back, with first down conversions twice by Ford. On what was Miramar’s final realistic chance, 2027 QB Jayvin Smart connected with Grant and 2027 WR Taron Nicks for first downs. Greene and 2026 LB Lorenzo Edmond combined for a sack on Smart, and on 3rd and long, Smart threw a deep ball that was picked out of the air by 2026 DB Mylic Bradley.

The game essentially ended once Weathers Jr. ran out of the endzone for a safety with about 3 seconds left, and after the ensuing kickoff the clock ran out. Final score, Westwood 14, Miramar 8.

Very gritty performance by Westwood. The defense forced 6 turnovers tonight. 3 on the stud running back Reid. They are truly an opportunistic bunch. Plus they were the underdogs in this contest. Coming in on the road is never easy. They just grinded their way through this game and found away, by any means possible. After all, a win is a win. Ward, Monds and Moody all made big time winning plays to get the job done for the Panthers. They will continue their road trek as underdogs into their next contest against Palm Beach Gardens next Thursday.

Quite a lot of mistakes for Miramar in their season ending loss. It is just never possible to win a game when you turn the ball over 6 times. Heck, I don’t even think it’s possible when you have half of that number. Reid is a stud for them, and despite the tough night at the office, it can be believed that he is one of the best RBs in South Florida going into next season given how good he is in open space. The defense did their job as well. They held Westwood to just the one touchdown, and it’s definitely not their fault they didn’t come out on top in this contest. We’ll see how they bounce back next season.

FINAL SCORE:
Westwood beats Miramar 14-6

Florida Man Sports Player of the Game:

The Westwood Defense led by 2026 DB Jamario Moody (2 FF, 1 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.