West Broward football ends historical season at the Florida State Championship

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Gotcha: Sophomore defensive back Larry Freelove goes in for the tackle against West Boca running back as sophomore linebacker Tyler Tindel and sophomore defensive line Saban McCloud run in for support. Photo Courtesy of Jaliyah Young

By: Victoria Carmona

For the first time in program history, West Broward’s football team made the state championship game. After losing the first two matchups of the season to nationally ranked teams, the Bobcats responded with a major turnaround, winning 12 consecutive games, including the program’s first regional final and state semifinal victories. They went on to compete against West Boca Raton High School for the 6A state title.

West Broward’s run followed early-season losses to nationally recognized programs Corner Canyon of Utah and Camden County of Georgia. Corner Canyon is now competing for the Overtime High School National Championship. The Bobcats believe those games shaped the rest of their season and served as a revelation that propelled them forward.

“We played a nationally ranked powerhouse team that is competing for the high school national

championship. We were able to bounce back from that. Those two games set the tone for our season in terms of what we were capable of and how we executed it. At that point, it gave us a wake-up call.,” said Assistant Football Coach Nicholas Cozatti.

For the remainder of the season, the Bobcats focused on discipline and evaluating every phase of their game. That work led them to an undefeated record against Florida opponents. The team collected several critical victories, including wins over Flanagan in the district championship, Miami Southridge in the regional finals and Buchholz in the state semifinals.

“Winning districts was the minimum expectation. We already knew we were going to be district champions with Flanagan, Miami Beach, and Dr. Krop in the district. Those are decent teams, but not great teams,” said Head Football Coach Bryan McCartney.

“The Miami Southridge game was eye-opening because they were the team to beat and the number one seed in our region. They believed they were going to win the state title, and we went up there and got the victory. After that, knocking off Buchholz, a team that had been to the state semifinals five times, was also incredible,”

A defining moment came in the state semifinals midway through the third quarter, when senior running back Daquan Adderley, who rushed for a total of 121 yards, broke off a 70-yard touchdown run. The play shifted the game’s momentum and energized the entire roster, helping push the Bobcats to a 24-17 win against Buchholz.

“The turning point was Daquan Adderley’s big run that made the score ten to seven. Once that happened, our players knew we were going to win. It completely changed the mindset,” said McCartney.

Entering the state championship, West Broward aimed for a faster start while maintaining its strong second-half performances. However, the returning State Champions West Boca High School came out with high intensity, and the Bobcats fell 31-0, ending West Broward’s historic season. Coach McCartney believes the score does not reflect the season or the future of the program.

“Colleges, players, people know about West Broward and want to come to school here. It is kind of exciting. But coming on other sides of the football, it helps out, but in all reality, it is more of as long as our coaches still work together and compete at a state championship level, our team will be good,” said McCartney.