MIAMI —TJ Cole wanted the chance to put Raines’ offense on his shoulders and lead them to a game-winning touchdown.
He couldn’t have picked a better stage to play the hero.
Cole rushed for a touchdown and threw a touchdown pass in the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds to lead Raines to a shocking 23-22 win against Miami Northwestern 23-22 on Dec. 12 at Pitbull Stadium.
“I believe it was about Week 3 of Week 4, I challenged myself,” Cole said. “I said, ‘Coach, hey, I want to go down there and get a game-winning drive.’ What bigger moment could we have done it? In the state championship, 1 minute, 55 seconds left. That moment came and it came true. We did it.”
Cole’s 17-yard touchdown pass to Ta’darius Washington with 10 seconds remaining proved to the be the game-winner. It’s a score that will etch the duo’s name in Raines’ history books as heroes.
Raines (14-0) trailed, 22-17, with 1:55 remaining following Northwestern’s 62-yard touchdown pass. And the Vikings, which were shut out by Northwestern 41-0 in the Class 3A state championship, drove right down the field.
“When they scored, it was just a little bit of adversity,” Cole said. “Coach Mas (head coach Donovan Masline) puts us in situations all the time where we have to come down in sudden change and come out and make a play after a touchdown. We wanted to come out there and go win the game.”
On the game-winning score, Raines called a play that it hadn’t called all season. Masline said the play, a rollout throwback, is something the team works on every day and “kept in its back pocket.”
“After we called the play, I walked away with my hands up because i knew it was going to be a touchdown,” Masline said. “I had no doubt. I had 100 percent faith.”
Cole sprinted to his right, then looked back and lofted a pass to Washington along the left sideline. Washington caught the ball at the Northwestern 7, knocked over Lennear over with his shoulder, then drove through FAU signee Nicsaint Joseph Jr. to get into the end zone.
“They told me to run the wheel,” Washington said. “Just throw it down a little bit. Just thrown it down a little bit. Came down with it and scored it. I’m like that. I’m like that. I’m telling you, I’m like that.”
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Raines QB TJ Cole comes through in clutch to win Class 3A state title
Reporting by Jon Santucci, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
