Miami Northwestern looks to upend Venice in Week 2 showdown

Teddy Bridgewater’s Bulls look to make a statement when they face the Indians Friday night

Miami Northwestern takes on Coconut Creek in the season opener / The Portal 305/FootballHotbed.com

The last two times the Miami Northwestern Bulls and Venice Indians have met on the gridiron, it’s been an entertaining high school football game to say the least.

Now, under the new leadership of star alumnus Teddy Bridgewater at Miami Northwestern, the Bulls aim to change the outcome to a win.

Bridgewater’s debut as the Bulls’ lead man went better than ever could be expected, with the team soundly defeating a talented Coconut Creek team 45-0 in the Broward County Classic High School Football Showcase.

Now Miami Northwestern (1-0) takes on a familiar foe of the last two years in the Venice Indians, who won last year’s meeting.

Last year’s contest ended in a offensive shootout between the two squads, as the teams combined for 109 points in a wild 63-46 victory for Venice. The year before, the Bulls came out victorious at Powell-Davis Stadium, winning 32-26.

The rubber match between the two storied programs is turning into a must-see game on the South Suncoast.

Both offenses showed they have the ability to score a boatload of points in Week 1, with Venice (1-0) rolling up 63 against Tampa Bay Tech.

Venice head coach John Peacock will need his offensive star power to shine bright against Miami Northwestern, as the longtime Indians’ lead man has plenty of options offensively.

Venice's new starting quarterback Jayce Nixon (#2) finishing the night with 15-of-27 passes for a total of 177 yards, here as Naples Albertini Tenor (#40) tries to block. Spring football was back a Venice hosted the Naples Golden Eagles at Venice's Powell-Davis Stadium Tuesday evening May 21, 2024. / THOMAS BENDER/HERALD-TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK

Indians’ southpaw quarterback Jayce Nixon looked solid in his first official regular season start, completing 14-of-22 passes for 228 yards and four touchdowns.

Nixon’s main target was 4-star wide receiver dynamo Winston Watkins Jr., who hauled in 10 passes for 157 yards and three touchdowns. He’ll also look towards Ryan Matulevich and Noah Cheiffo as other targets through the air.

The strength of Venice’s offense has been the backfield and the pairing of Jamarice Wilder (James Madison commitment) and sophomore Dorien Irving-Jones were impressive against Tampa Bay Tech.

The pairing ended with a combined 239 yards on 30 attempts, showing Peacock’s commitment to being balanced on offense.

NFL Detroit Lions quarterback Teddy Bridgewater / Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

On the Miami Northwestern side of the spectrum, they counter with a 2-quarterback platoon system of juniors Leon Strawder (15-of-22, 231 yards) and Florentino Lopez (9-of-10, 166 yards).

Arguably one of the top players of the Class of 2026 is junior wide receiver Calvin Russell, who played quarterback most of last season. Now back at his natural position, Russell looked impressive and hauling in six passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns.

Don’t think that Bridgewater’s offense can’t run the ball, as they also showed a commitment to piling up yardage on the ground. The Bulls ran the rock 26 times for 190 yards against Coconut Creek.

Now the two teams will clash on Friday night, two offenses that have the capability of scoring well over 40 points on one another.

Buckle up because this game could very well combine for over 100 points and be Week 2’s most entertaining game.

SBLive/SI Top 25 national high school football rankings (8/26/2024)

Top 25 Florida high school football rankings (8/27/2024)

50 Week 2 Florida high school football games to watch

---

Follow SBLive Florida throughout the 2024 high school football season for Live Updates, the most up to date Schedules & Scores and complete coverage from the preseason through the state championships!

Be sure to Bookmark High School on SI for all of the latest high school football news.

Download the SBLive App

To get live updates on your phone - as well as follow your favorite teams and top games - you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App| Download Android App

-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl