The secret to success all year for the undefeated Miami Warriors has been a punishing ground game complimented by an efficient air attack.
That success isn’t much of a secret to opponents by now as that was the exact formula Miami used to register a 68-34 win over Paducah Thursday night in a UIL Class 1A Division II bi-district game at Mustangs Stadium in Claude.
The Warriors remain undefeated on the season at 11-0 and will move on to the regional semifinals to face the winner between Whitharral and Sands.
The win was a battle for Miami all night and head coach Paul Hale felt like that was the difference.
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“We consider ourselves battle tested,” Hale said. “We had some adversity and players go down but the kids dug deep and overcame”.
Despite rushing for over 3,000 yards on the season, it was the passing game that got things started for the Warriors.
After falling behind 6-0 in the first quarter, Jack Kotara rolled out to his right and threw a strike to the left side of the field to a wide-open Noah Homfeld for a 33-yard touchdown toss as Miami took an early 8-6 lead.
That was the first of two scoring strikes in the opening quarter from the diminutive signal caller as he found the 6-foot-6 Tyler Anderson on the next possession from 28-yards out to build a ten-point lead at 16-6.
With the offense starting to roll the defense pitched a shutout for the remainder of the quarter as Homfeld gave the Warriors a 24-6 lead with thirty-one seconds remaining in the first quarter when he outraced the Dragons defense 65-yards to paydirt.
Momentum was on the Miami sidelines but Paducah wasn’t quite ready to roll over to their opponent from the north. Forty-five seconds into the second quarter, Ethan Garibaldi scored his second of three rushing touchdowns to pull the Dragons within striking distance at 24-12.
Both teams found the endzone twice more in the half as Miami held a 40-26 lead going into intermission. The Warriors deferred the opening coin toss to the second half and that decision proved spot on as Homfeld took the opening play after the kickoff 42-yards to the endzone for a quick 48-26 lead in the opening nine seconds of the quarter.
Garibaldi, shouldering the load for a Dragons offense missing All-State candidate Darren Mackey to a season ending injury, showed off his passing prowess midway through the third stanza. The southpaw tossed a 13-yard scoring strike to Ben Cruz which cut the lead back down to twelve.
With the Dragons clawing to stay in this game, the turning point arose on the ensuing drive by the Warriors. A Paducah defense, led by Garibaldi and freshman Braylon Wright, forced Miami into a fourth and four at the Dragons 20-yard line.
A sea of momentum was rolling through the orange and white sidelines when Kotara rolled to his right and, under immense pressure, dropped a pass over the outstretched arms of two defenders and into the waiting arms of Homfeld.
Just as he had done all night long, the senior runner proved hard to catch as he raced down the right sidelines into the endzone for a backbreaking score and a 56-34 for the Warriors.
Kotara, who tossed two of his three touchdowns on the night to Homfeld, was 5-for-5 for 142 yards.
The Miami quarterback, who plays much bigger than his size, likes their ability to attack defenses through the air with Homfeld.
“Any time we can put the ball in the air towards him Noah (Homfeld) we feel confident,” Kotara said. “Noah is a fantastic player and I’m he’s a tremendous player for us.”
That score and a tough nosed defense shut out the Dragons offense the rest of the way as Miami scored twice in the final quarter to put the final score out of reach for the runner-up’s out of District 2-1A Division II.
Kris Gorecki, a returning All-State center, was the catalyst up front for the Warriors rushing attack that pounded the Dragons defense for 326 yards.
“Our goal up front is mass on mass,” Gorecki said. “We have to get a body on a body and drive our feet. We work on blocking a ton and that constant work pays off in the game.”
That blocking was key for Homfeld as he registered 203 yards on the night on 14 carries and four touchdowns while Chance White tacked on 91 yards on nine chances and a score.
The Dragons finished the year at 8-2 and Garibaldi was everything for the Dragons offense. The bowling ball runner carried the rock 26 times for 130 yards while going 8-of-14 passing for 97 yards and a touchdown.