Class 6A football: Northwestern's Taron Dickens too much for Naples as Golden Eagles fall
South Florida prevailed over Southwest Florida yet again Friday night.
In a game with little defense until the final few minutes of the game, Northwestern (9-3) entered Staver Field and came away with a 49-35 win over Naples (10-1) in the Class 6A-Region 4 semifinals. Southwest Florida teams are now 29-79 all-time in the playoffs against teams from Broward, Miami-Dade, or Palm Beach County.
The 49 are the most points Naples has surrendered in over two years when Central won 56-23 in what would be Bill Kramer’s final game as the Golden Eagles coach in 2019.
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“Two things: first of all, I want to give a shoutout to Miami Northwestern,” Naples coach Rick Martin said. “I respect their coaching staff and their players. They have a heck of a football team over there, so I give them all the credit. For our guys, I’ve been saying this all year. I know who I have. I know my guys. That’s the best group I’ve ever coached. I know what fight is in them.
“I knew what we were going to come out and do. Unfortunately, we came up short. I’m proud of who we are. I’m holding my head up, they’re holding their heads up, and we’re going to walk out of here.”
The Bulls went three-and-out to start the game, thanks in part to a delay of game penalty that put them behind the sticks before they snapped the ball. From there, Northwestern scored on seven straight possessions, as quarterback Taron Dickens asserted his will against a Naples defense without Notre Dame commit Devin Moore to go up 28-7 at the half.
That was in part due to three Naples miscues in the opening 24 minutes. It started with a fumbled snap on a field goal try with 4:13 to play in the first quarter, which turned into six points on a Jamari Ford 68-yard catch-and-run.
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On the ensuing drive, Naples running back Kendrick Raphael fumbled, setting up Northwestern with excellent field position. Ford ran it in from 10 yards out to stretch the lead.
With less than a minute left in the first half, the Naples punter bobbled the ball and was tackled in the red zone. Northwestern capitalized, as Ford scored his third touchdown of the game to go up three scores at halftime.
Dickens, a junior, completed 14-of-18 passes for 331 yards with four touchdowns while adding 30 rushing yards and two more scores on the ground. In two playoff games this year against Fort Myers and Naples, he’s had just eight incompletions.
Dickens attributed the game against Miami Central, a 49-6 loss on Oct. 28, as a motivating factor. In two playoff games so far, the Bulls have scored 120 points, the most points during a two-game stretch this season.
“My coaches told me to play with a chip on my shoulder,” Dickens said. “Everybody’s thinking I lost it after the Central game. I got into the film room, I got into the lab, and have been perfecting my craft.”
The Golden Eagles didn’t quit though. The two different offensive styles had little issues scoring as the trio of Stanley Bryant, Raphael, and Isaiah Augustave combined for 370 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Bryant also lobbed a 44-yard touchdown pass to Jackson Reis with two minutes left in the third quarter.
Up 49-35 with six and a half minutes remaining in the fourth, Naples got their first turnover of the game, as Dickens fumbled trying to extend a play. Dearis Thomas returned the ball all the way to the Northwestern 5-yard line, but the Golden Eagles came away with zero points on the drive after the Bulls defense picked up a huge stop on fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line.
From there, Northwestern would go three-and-out after being pinned deep in their own territory. Sophomore Felix Ward picked off Bryant with just over two minutes left, denying Naples of any comeback on their home turf.
“What people don’t realize, is that none of those guys have ever started,” Northwestern coach Max Edwards said of his defense. “All of them are first-year starters. In those situations, it was big for them. I appreciate them because they’re really playing above their heads. They did a great job, and came out with a victory.”
Ford was a nightmare out of the backfield for Edwards and the Bulls, rushing for 52 yards, while adding 106 receiving yards on four receptions. Adrian Harris had 118 yards receiving and a score, while Arkansas State commit Daverrick Jenkins had 65 yards on three catches. Punchie Davis caught a 17-yard touchdown to begin the fourth quarter, stretching Northwestern’s lead to 21 points at the time.
The Bulls will go to a regional final, with a game against Plantation slated for next week at Traz Powell. Naples will close the season with a 10-1 record in Martin's second season as head coach.
Follow Southwest Florida Sports Writer Alex Martin on Twitter: @NP_AlexMartin. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Naples can't slow down Miami Northwestern's Taron Dickens to lose Class 6A regional semifinal
