After winning nine straight games, Berkeley Prep entered Friday’s Class 2M state semifinal as an underdog.
The Buccaneers were playing Plantation American Heritage, a program steeped in championship tradition.
Few thought the Patriots could lose. American Heritage was too fast, the experts said. Too talented. Too much.
But Berkeley Prep did not listen – it believed – and the Buccaneers advanced to the title game for the second time in the past three seasons with a 17-14 victory.
Not only did Berkeley Prep believe, it attacked the Patriots with an opportunistic defense and an efficient offense.
The scoring started in the first quarter when the Buccaneers’ Dion Cooper returned an interception 55 yards for a touchdown. American Heritage answered with a touchdown of their own to tie the score.
Berkeley Prep was undeterred, recording a safety to retake the lead.
The Patriots took their first lead of the game, 14-9, on a rushing touchdown with four left in the half.
The score remained the same until early in the fourth quarter when Dallas Golden scored on a 30-yard run. Golden also ran in the 2-point conversion for a 17-14 lead.
Then the defense took, holding off American heritage and sealing the win with an interception in the final two minutes.
