Teddy Bridgewater leads Miami Northwestern to state title game in 1st season as head coach

The former NFL signal caller has guided his alma mater to its first state championship berth since 2019

Aug 25, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (17) on the sidelines in the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Purchase your tickets, Miami Northwestern fans. The Bulls are headed back to the state championship game once again and this time right in the 305 backyard.

On Friday night, first-year head coach Teddy Bridgewater led his alma mater to a dominating 40-0 victory on the road against Eau Gallie in a Class 3A state semifinal. Miami Northwestern moves on to face Raines, a 28-23 winner over Sarasota Booker, for the 3A crown next Saturday.

The Bulls return to the state championship game for the first time since 2019, when Miami Northwestern defeated Jones, 34-17, for the Class 5A title.

Back in last December, Bridgewater had revealed plans to retire and eventually coach high school football, mentioning his dream to lead his alma mater, Miami Northwestern. Bridgewater has the Bulls in position as the front-runner to win the Class 3A state championship, recently defeating Barron Collier, Lely, Cypress Lake and Eau Gallie by a combined 221-12.

The former NFL veteran was officially named the head coach of the Bulls in early February, being back excitement to a Miami Northwestern program that had finished below the .500 mark in 2023. Now sitting with an 11-2 record, Bridgewater could have a fairy tale story by leading his former high school team to a state championship. 

Miami Northwestern was recently cleared of an allegation that the program had played a fifth-year player, which now paves the way for the Bulls to make a run at the 3A state championship next week in their own backyard. 

In what could be an epic send off if Bridgewater decided to return to the NFL, the FHSAA state championships concludes with the Class 3A title game as the grand finale down at Pitbull Stadium in Miami on December 14th, 7:30 p.m. If Northwestern wins Saturday night, it will cap what has been a roller coaster of a first season at the helm for Bridgewater.

It's been successful on the field, but the former NFL'er has seen the other side of high school football from a different lens as the Bulls' head coach. Bridgewater took to social media this past week regarding the limitations for media distribution when it came to Early National Signing Day.

Here is the transcript of what Bridgewater comments via his personal Facebook page.

“From 4-6 a year ago to one game away from the state championship. From 0 early signees a year ago to 7 this year, this season has more than exceeded expectations. It sucks that whoever runs the media/content distribution for Dade-County Public isn't allowing kids to film a once in a lifetime experience like signing day or even gather Gameday content. Thank God for my platform and bigger than Dade-County Schools networks like ESPN, The NFL, Maxpreps and 305sports who continue to post the greatness that happens at MNW and around Miami. Yall pathetic as adults and need to move out the way so these kids can truly prosper. I'm new to this and idk who in control for real but they can't be in favor of the kids. WHAT GOD HAS FOR HIS CHILDREN, NO MAN CAN BLOCK”

Teddy Bridgewater goes on another social media rant

With one more game left for the Bulls, Bridgewater will look to cap it with the program's eighth state championship.

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