Florida High School Football: Raines upsets Northwestern for 3A title

MIAMI, Fla.- What looked like an impossible feat after last season’s drubbing by Miami Northwestern, the Raines Vikings are taking a title back to the 904.

The Vikings needed clutch playmaking down the stretch this time around as they upset the defending champion Bulls, 23-22, Friday night in the Florida High School Athletic Association’s (FHSAA) Class 3A state championship game. It’s the fourth state championship in program history for Raines.

Raines quarterback Timothy Cole was named the game’s Most Valuable Player after totaling 199 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. Cole engineered the game-winning touchdown with 10 seconds remaining to take a 23-22.

A year ago, Miami Northwestern blanked Raines, 41-0, for the program’s seventh title. Winning No. 8 was nowhere near as easy with a Raines Vikings group looking to prove they were much better than last year’s performance.

Missed opportunities filled up the first half of play as both teams turned over the football and couldn’t take advantage. Miami Northwestern was able to get an Alex Lima field goal early in the opening quarter, but that would be all the scoring they’d be able to muster up in the first two quarters.

The game went back and forth through the final two quarters, with Miami Northwestern at one point owning a 16-7 lead in the fourth.

Raines tacked on a field goal and then took the lead on a Cole touchdown run to go up 17-16. On the very next Northwestern possession, Neimann Lawrence connected on a 62-yard touchdown pass to Nicholas Lennear to retake the lead at 22-16.

With 1:55 remaining, Raines to work as Cole directed the offense down the field, setting up the game-winning touchdown, a pass to Ta’darius Washington with 10 seconds remaining.

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