The game of the week in Florida pitted one of the most well-known high school football programs in the nation against an up-and-coming power from Southwest Florida. Miami Northwestern hosted Venice at Traz Powell Stadium in Miami on Friday night.
The Indians, the No. 2-ranked 8A team in the state, rolled past the Bulls 56-34. The winners were led by two of the most underrated 2022 prospects in the country. Running back Damarion “DJ” Escort ran for 236 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries. Escort is big (6-2, 215) and powerful and displayed outstanding speed on Friday night scoring twice on long touchdown runs.
Thus far, Escort has just one FBS offer and that is from Army. He also has offers from Yale and Culver-Stockton, an NAIA school in Missouri. Should he continue his dominance in the Venice running game, you can bet FBS schools will be lining up to offer the Southwest Florida Player of the Week.
The other sleeper prospect in the Venice victory on Friday night is QB Ryan Browne. The 6-5, 210-pound Browne is one of Florida’s most intriguing quarterback prospects. He is as talented as they come. Browne possesses the arm strength you see in elite Power 5 quarterbacks and he is also an outstanding athlete. He runs the 40-yard dash consistently in the low 4.5 range and has one of the top pro shuttle times in the Class of 2022 in the nation.
Browne threw one touchdown and used that outstanding speed to run for two more. He ended up completing 11-of-18 passes for 167 yards and the touchdown. Browne ran for 76 yards on nine carries. He spent the early summer working out for some of the nation’s top programs – Florida, Clemson, Auburn, Nebraska, and Stanford were among them. After four or five games this season, Browne should be on the radar of many Power 5 programs.
