Here Comes Da Ridge
By Rudy Rodriguez-Chomat
November 2, 2003

Just a year ago, Southridge was looking from the wrong side, one that was not familiar to the Spartans.

The wrong side being the side that did not make the playoffs. It was an abnormal feeling to the people down in the Cutler Ridge area, but the kids from Da Ridge had other things in mind when they started getting ready for the 2003 season.

"The kids took a lot of flack in the neighborhood," Southridge coach Stu Rodgers said after their district championship clinching win against South Dade. "They heard everyone tell them how sorry they were and what not. They have shown everyone now what they are about. I am just so proud of them."

When the Spartans opened up in the spring, they dedicated themselves to bringing Southridge back to respectability. Remember, this is the same Southridge that dominated South Florida football from the late 80s to the late 90s, winning 2 state championships and having a 29-game winning streak over the course of two seasons. This same program produced Troy Davis, Darren Davis, Sedrick Irvin and more. But who would have thought it would happen this fast after such a poor 2002 for by Southridge standards?

Another question, what the heck happened last season when Southridge had its worst season in over a decade?

"We were real young and had no real leadership, no one to look up to," Southridge junior running back Kevin Smith said. "This year we are still young with a lot of juniors, but we have learned to lead the younger guys and show them how to do it."

The biggest key of the season though has been the emergence of quarterback Phillip Simpson, one of the few seniors on the team.

He was a defensive tackle last season and will probably be a linebacker in college, but when Rodgers needed to find a new quarterback, he turned to Simpson. Why?

The answer is simple: Leadership.

The team looks up to Simpson, and they believe in him. They believe he will lead them to victory when the clock strikes zero. And he has done just that every single week, but one.

Since Southridge lost to Edison after leading 20-0 in the second quarter, the Spartans have not had any bumps on the road to the District 14-6A championship which they clinched last week in a convincing 28-7 win over rival South Dade. That includes a 24-13 win over rival Killian.

This leadership that Simpson has provided has helped Southridge get over the loss of starting running back Mike Walton who was lost in the Edison game with a broken leg and is out for the season. That could be used as an excuse for why the Spartans fell apart in the second half of that game, but Rodgers makes no excuses saying his team needs to play 48 minutes of football.

After that, Simpson took over and has not let up.

The only game that was ever really in any type of doubt was their 33-28 win over Homestead when they suffered a series of mental lapses, losing a 27-6 lead, only to come back behind Simpson to win in the final minutes.

As much as that could be looked to as a negative, it shows the maturity of the Spartans from game three to the present. Southridge did not make the comeback against Edison. This time the Spartans did which bodes well for them when the playoffs begin in two weeks.

Along with Simpson, the Southridge offense is keyed by a two-headed monster in the backfield, bruising back Smith and quick ultra-fast Dwight Lee. They are a combination of thunder and lightning. Although Smith can fly, he is the one who pounds it, while Lee is has great feet and is very tough to bring down. Not to mention a third option in the backfield, bulldozer-like Tony Richardson for short-yard situations.

The defense is led by Lorenzo Ferguson, Erick Jackson and Roosevelt  Lawson, a defense that has only allowed seven points over the past eight quarters.

With only Braddock left on the schedule before the playoffs being, Rodgers is looking for one thing from his team.

Perfection.

"That's my personality," Rodgers said. "People tell me I should lighten up a little, and they are right, but that's just my personality. I want my kids to strive for perfection and we will keep working at it every game."