Christian Higgins is primarily a wide receiver and defensive back, but he doubles as the Stoneman Douglas holder for field goal attempts.
His role never loomed larger than at the end of Thursday’s game against Monarch, when he had the chance to hold the game-winning field goal attempt with his team down two points and only a couple ticks left on the clock.
Then, disaster.
The snap bounced to him as the Monarch field-goal block unit sprinted toward him. One tripped him up, but he kept his feet. He sprinted to his right when he spotted Douglas running Brian Smith sprinting toward the end-zone pylon.
“My first reaction was, ‘Get out of there,'” Higgins said. “Look for the first open man.”
Higgins did the only thing he could do: heave the ball to the running back.
Smith caught the pass and dove toward the end zone, scoring the game-winning touchdown as the Eagles came back to beat the Knights 30-26 in Parkland.
“Not how we drew it up, but hey, we’ll take it,” Stoneman Douglas coach Quentin Short said. “We’re not going to complain. What a game.”
Thursday’s matchup between two unbeaten teams went back and forth all night, featuring six lead changes.
Monarch got out to a quick start, as quarterback Pete Zamora found wide receiver Jaden Alexis on a screen, and Alexis took it 91 yards for a score.
The Eagles (3-0) stuck with the Knights, even as Monarch (3-1) threatened to break the game open.
Douglas turned the ball over on the Monarch 5-yard line, but the Eagles quickly forced a safety. Monarch jumped ahead 14-9 on the first of three rushing touchdowns by Jerrell Mash, but Douglas came back and kicked a field goal as time expired in the first half to keep it a one-score game.
“What a great game,” Short said. “Both teams played unbelievable.”
The teams traded scores in the second half. Monarch got out to an eight-point lead on Mash’s second touchdown, but Douglas came back with a 2-yard touchdown run by quarterback Matthew O’Dowd.
The Eagles got ahead of the Knights on a touchdown pass from O’Dowd to senior Jaxon Green, who was left wide open for a 71-yard touchdown reception with 8:31 left in the fourth.
Monarch responded by driving down the field and taking the lead on Mash’s third score of the night, but Douglas responded yet again, driving down the field and scoring the game-winning touchdown.
“The reason we love this game is remembering our why,” Higgins said, remembering those killed in last year’s shooting. “It’s our 17 right here. That’s why I rep it. It’s the 17. That’s what keeps us going, and we got the win.”
