Miami Springs football coach T.Y. Hilton talks to his players after the Golden Hawks beat Miami Edison 49-0 on Friday at Ives Estates Park.
Bill Daley
Special to the Miami Herald
Battling like crazy to get whatever playing time he could at a talent factory like Miami Central, but ultimately not enough, Marcus Smith knew that he had to make the move.
So when he learned that former NFL star T.Y. Hilton was going to become the new head coach at Miami Springs, he knew, with only one year of eligibility left, he had found his final destination.
That move began to pay dividends on Friday night as Smith enjoyed a huge night, completing 12-of-15 passes for 238 yards, throwing for four touchdowns and even running for one himself to lead the Golden Hawks to a 49-0 rout of Miami Edison in the official season-opener for both teams at Ives Estates Park.
Smith has been part of a mass exodus of players from the likes of Central, Booker T. Washington, Northwestern and Edison that came to play for Hilton. With over 70 players in uniform (and just six returners from last year’s team) the Miami Springs program has transformed itself from near bottom-feeder status in recent years to perhaps one of the premier teams in Miami-Dade County.
“I was getting on the field a little bit over there (Central) but not enough and I really appreciate the opportunity Coach T.Y. has given me over here and I’m excited for what’s ahead for us this season,” Smith said. “Tonight, I just came out here with my head on straight and just wanted to play well and not make mistakes and managed to do that. Certainly this was a great start for us.”
Smith’s favorite target was receiver Victwon Miller Jr., who reeled in six of those 12 completions for 101 yards and two touchdowns. Tyrell Johnson Jr. caught three balls for 70 yards including a 45 yard touchdown in the second quarter and Derrick Bloodsaw had a 44-yard score as the Hawks built up a 35-0 lead at the break leading to a running clock in the second half.
Miller Jr. was one of a dozen Hawks on the field Friday night who went up against their old teammates as he played at Edison under former coach Luther Campbell, who stepped down at the end of last season. Even his father, Victwon Sr. came over from Edison as he was part of Campbell’s coaching staff and now coaches under Hilton.
“I knew what I had to do tonight and just came out and took care of my business and couldn’t really get caught up in going up against who was on the other side of the ball,” Miller Jr. said “I knew some of them but they have a lot of new guys as well so I didn’t really get too caught up in all of that. It just felt good to get out of the gate the way we did tonight and I know we’ve got a lot of great things in store for us up ahead. Right now it’s the old one week at a time thing and just try and build some momentum.”
On the other side of the ball, the Springs defense was just as dominant as the Hawks held the Red Raiders to 78 yards of total offense and recorded six sacks, three of them coming from Anthony Crumbley.
And just when it looked like Edison might crack the end zone having reached the Springs 10-yard line in the final minutes, defensive end Xavier Smith, only an eighth-grader, reached up and picked off a low pass. He then got behind a row of blockers and rambled down the sidelines for a 95-yard pick-six touchdown to complete the scoring.
For Hilton, it was a successful night in his debut as a high school head coach at his alma mater. He starred for Springs and was a multiple Miami Herald All County athlete in both football and basketball from 2004-07 before moving on to play for Mario Cristobal at FIU and then 10 years in the NFL (including four Pro Bowls) with the Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys.
“I liked the energy that we came out and played with for sure but too many penalties including some stupid stuff which we’ll have to get cleaned up,” said Hilton, whose team was flagged 13 times for 110 yards. “All in all though, a good night with a lot of good stuff to build on.”
Hilton was then asked about the challenge of trying to mesh so many players from so many different programs to try and make things come together.
“It’s about none of them being selfish and learning to compete as a team,” Hilton said. “We’re not about individual glory around here. If we play selfishly, play for I, I, I rather than us, us, us, then we’re not going to go far at all. I think we’ve got a great group of kids, a lot of them seniors who are leaders and they understand that. It starts from the top down, them believing in me and trusting me and so far, I like what I see.”
West Boca Raton 24, Plantation American Heritage 7: The battle of two-time defending state champions did not go well for the host Patriots (0-1), who were shorthanded especially up front with three starting offensive linemen injured.
Heritage did not pick up a first down until 5:47 remained in the third quarter. The Patriots used that momentum to score its only points after taking advantage of a short field. Junior Tremaine Mullen capped the drive with a two-yard touchdown to cut West Boca’s lead to 21-7.
After a defensive stop, Heritage had a chance to cut the deficit further, but a fumble in its own territory led to another time-consuming drive by West Boca (1-0), capped by a field goal early in the fourth quarter.
Trey Moran threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half to Lorontae “Nomo” Davis to put the Bulls ahead 14-0. Moran scored on a 1-yard touchdown keeper to cap West Boca’s opening drive of the second half after some strong running by senior Jacorrion McCrary.
Heritage will continue its challenging start to the season next Friday at 7 when it takes on East St. Louis at home as part of the Broward Football Showcase. The Patriots have games against Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna and Jacksonville Trinity Christian the following two weeks.
ANDRE C. FERNANDEZ
Pompano Beach 41, Coral Springs Parkridge Christian 0: Junior quarterback CJ Knight threw three touchdown passes and ran for another and senior running back Virgil Lemons ran for two touchdowns and over 125 yards to lead the Golden Tornadoes (1-0). Pompano ran the ball and passed effectively as it debuted its new home field. Seniors Matthew Haydar and Chase Raynor and Junior James Lefrancois all had touchdown receptions and Brennan Dorval ran for a 2-yard touchdown.
Nicco Humes led the defense with two sacks and junior James Lefrancois and senior Chase Raynor each had an interception.
MORE SCORES
Friday: 1. St. Thomas Aquinas 42, Western 0; 4. Central 23, Orange Lutheran (CA) 22; 5. Carol City 38, Daytona Mainland 3; 6. Palmetto 35, 17. Killian 0; 8. Northwestern 20, St. Pete Lakewood 18; 12. Coconut Creek 48, Plantation 0; 13. Cardinal Gibbons 14, Miramar 7; 19. Mater Academy 66, Hialeah 0; Archbishop Carroll 14, Coral Reef 0; American 29, Homestead 0; Belen 21, Boca St. John Paul II 20; Blanche Ely 38, Coral Glades 10; Boyd Anderson 33, Hollywood Hills 12; Clearwater Calvary Christian 36, North Miami 9; Cooper City 48, North Broward Prep 21; Coral Gables 26, Miami High 14; Doral 41, Naples Golden Gate 20; Florida Christian 42, Braddock 0; Southwest 38, Coral Park 0; South Broward d. Everglades (forfeit); Gulliver 21, Ferguson 14 (2nd, susp); La Salle 33, Booker T. 14; Miami Beach 41, Tavernier Coral Shores 0; Mount Dora Christian 49, NSU University 35; Naples St. John Neumann 24, Monsignor Pace 14; Nova 49, Hallandale 0; Palmer Trinity 7, SmartEn Sports 0; Ransom Everglades 13, Somerset Silver Palms 7; Reagan 13, Varela 6 (susp., 2nd); Westminster Academy 55, Somerset Prep 28.
Thursday: 2. Chaminade 49, 15. Monarch 22; 7. Columbus 45, 11. Southridge 7; 16. Dillard 44, Piper 21; 18. Cypress Bay 28, South Plantation 21; 20. Norland 20, South Dade 0; Calvary Christian 66, Northeast 0; Deerfield Beach 49, Pembroke Pines Charter 7; Delray American Heritage 49, Somerset Academy 12; Fort Lauderdale 30, Taravella 12; North Miami Beach 61, Goleman 3; South Miami 12, Sunset 6; Westminster Christian 49, St. Brendan 7.