Raines Stuns Northwestern, 23-22, on Touchdown Pass with 10 Seconds Left to Win Class 3A Title: Live Score Recap

Tadarius Washington's 17-yard catch-and-run caps wild finish, lifts Vikings to first championship since 2018

Raines' Tadarius Washington (5) scores a rushing touchdown during the third quarter of a Class 3A semifinal against Sarasota Booker on Dec. 5, 2025. Raines won that game, 28-8, and went on to beat Miami Northwestern, 23-22, for the title on a TD catch by Washington with 10 seconds left at FIU in Miami on Dec. 12, 2025. / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jacksonville Raines' Tadarius Washington scored on a 17-yard catch-and-run off a pass from TJ Cole with 10 seconds left to lift the Vikings past defending Class 3A state champ, Miami Northwestern, 23-22, in the 2025 title game on Friday night at FIU's Pitbull Stadium in Miami.

It is Raines' first title since 2018, fourth overall.

Washington's score capped a frenetic finish in which the two schools combined for 29 points and three lead changes in the fourth quarter. Northwestern (13-1) led just 3-0 at halftime and 9-7 after the third quarter after neither team could muster an offensive touchdown.

Alex Lima kicked three field goals for the Bulls, and Raines (14-0) got a wild defensive touchdown in the third quarter when Johdeem Jones returned an interception 86 yards before fumbling forward into the end zone, where teammate Makhel Smith-York recovered for a touchdown.

The schools combined for a whopping seven turnovers, with Northwestern committing four. But both teams' offense came alive in the fourth quarter.

With Northwestern holding a slim 9-7 lead heading into the final 12 minutes, star wide receiver Calvin Russell, Jr., ran 1 yard on a direct snap for a TD to give the Bulls a 16-7 advantage. Raines then countered with a 36-yard FG by Dan Duong to cut Northwest's lead to six, 16-10.

Following an interception, Raines got a nifty 9-yard TD run by Cole to push the Vikings out front, 17-16. But it only took Northwestern 40 seconds to retake the lead when Nicholas Lennear scored on a 62-yard catch-and-run for a 22-17 advantage with 1:53 left.

Raines then drove 79 yards for the winning score, highlighted by an 11-yard pass from Cole to Washington on a 4th-and-10 play. Cole then hit Washington for the game-winner on the next play, setting off a wild celebration in the stands and on the Raines sideline.

Statistically, Northwestern outgained Raines, 452-296. Lawrence completed 25 of 38 passes for 381 yards and one TD, but threw two interceptions. Lennear caught six passes for 135 yards and one TD, and Russell, eight catches for 136 yards and one rushing TD. Russell, a Syracuse signee, is rated as one of the top wide receivers in the country.

Lennear and Khavon Gipson had interceptions for the Bulls.

Raines was led by Cole, who passed for 149 yards and one TD, but threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. Washington caught two passes for 28 yards and one TD and rushed 13 times for 59 yards.

Geterius Brown and Jones each had an interception for the Vikings.

Live Updates

(Refresh this post repeated throughout the game to get continuous live updates and analysis)

Pre-game Notes:

Game time weather conditions: 69 and cloudy.

Miami Northwestern is wearing all gold uniforms. Raines is wearing white jerseys, red pants.

1st Quarter

Raines kicks off to Northwestern.

Back to back big passes from Neimann Lawrence to Calvin Russell Jr. for 10 and 17 yards!

Northwestern at Raines 4-yard line on big pass from Lawrence.

3rd down

Raines senior DE Cameron Washington sacks QB Neimann Lawence, forces 4th down.

Northwestern's Alex Lima kicks 24-yard FG with 6:14 left. Bulls lead 3-0.

Raines' Jy'Tye Flornoy Washington picks up kickoff on funny bounce and is tackled inside 5-yard line!

Short run and an incomplete pass for Raines. Now, 3rd down.

BIG FIRST DOWN PASS for Raines from TJ Cole to Kiran Jackson!

Raines now at 33-yard line.

Cole pass to Ziyon Butler. 3rd down and 4

Northwestern forces punt on Raines' first possession.

Bulls good field position at its 31.

Northwestern's Neimann Lawrence slinging the ball all over the field. Bulls now at Raines 24!

Bulls at Raines 14-yard line! 1:10 left. Timeout. NW leads 3-0.

False start on NW. Backed up to Raines 19.

NW Neimann Lawrence 7 yard pass to Nicholas Lennear! Bulls at 7 yard line.

Irwin James powers down to 4-yard line. First and goal.

Back to back incomplete passes. 3rd down

Northwestern calls another timeout with 19 seconds left in 1Q. Has used all 3 of its timeouts in the first quarter.

Raines calls timeout now.

Neiman Lawrence another INC pass. 4th down from the 4.

RAINES defense steps up!! Senior MLB Tony Williams slaps Northwestern QB Neimann Lawrence's arm into incomplete pass! Bulls turns the over on downs!

END OF FIRST QUARTER

2nd Quarter

FUMBLE! Northwestern defense forces punt but Marcus Dumont is hit hard and fumbles the ball away. Raines has ball at its 34.

Raines picks up first down and then QB TJ Cole looking like Kyler Murray, picks up 13 yards on big scramble for another 1st down.

INTERCEPTION! Northwestern DB Nicholas Lennear makes big pick!

Northwestern QB Neimann Lawrence makes big 19-yard run on read-option, first down for Bulls!

PASS INTERFERENCE on Raines gives NW 1st down at the 11.

Northwestern fumbles into end zone, Raines recovers. Touchback!

Raines drives inside Northwestern 25-yard line. Less than 1 minute left.

Defensive holding gives Raines 1st down at 12!

INTERCEPTION! NW middle linebacker Khavon Gipson intercepts pass by TJ Cole! Another turnover! 40 seconds left

Two turnovers by both schools in first 24 minutes!

HALFTIME: Northwestern 3, Raines 0

3rd Quarter

Kickoff to Raines

Vikings fumble away opening possession.

Northwestern drives inside the 10-yard line of Raines but can't get it in. Lima kicks 20 FG with 8:24 left. Bulls lead now 6-0.

Raines WR Ziyon Butler catches pass but is out of bounds. Vikings forced to punt.

Northwest's Marcus Dumont big 20-yard punt return! Sets up Bulls at Raines 35!

NW drives to Raines 24-yard line but then QB Neimann Lawrence is picked off by Johdeem Jones, who returns ball 86 yards to Bulls' 3-yard line and fumbles forward into the end zone, where teammate Makhel Smith-York recovers for touchdown! Dan Duong makes the PAT and Vikings lead 7-6!!

Both schools now with three turnovers!

HUGE PASS PLAY from NW quarterback Neimann Lawrence to Calvin Russell Jr. First down at Raines 24 yard line!

Bulls get to Raines 18-yard line but can't get into the end zone. Alex Lima comes on and hammers 35-yard FG with 3:04 left in 3Q! Northwestern retakes the lead, 9-7, on 3rd field goal of the night!

Raines QB TJ Cole takes off but stopped short of 1st down. NW defenses forces another punt! 34 seconds left in 3Q.

NW QB Neimann Lawrence pass to Nicholas Lennear, who picks up big yardage on short screen. 18 ticks left.

END OF THIRD QUARTER

4th Quarter

Ryan Mathis rumbles 11 yards on toss sweep to Raines 3-yard line. Three plays later, NW star receiver Calvin Russell Jr. takes direct snap and runs 1 yard off tackle into the end zone! TOUCHDOWN! PAT is good and Bulls stretch lead to nine points, 16-7, with 10:23 left.

Raines QB TJ Cole zips big pass to Kiran Jackson and Vikings then cross midfield.

Tadarius Washington running wild for Raines. Vikings at NW 21 yard line

Raines short pass does not pick up 1st down. Junior Dan Duong comes on and drills 36-yard FG with more than 7 minutes left. Northwestern still leads, 16-10.

Northwestern star WR Calvin Russell, Jr. makes spectacular 1-handed catch, takes ball near midfield.

NW timeout with 5:22 left 4th and 1

Northwest QB Neimann Lawrence intercepted by Raines massive DT Geterius Brown! Returns ball to Northwestern 30-yard line. A little more than 5 minutes left. 4 turnovers now for NW.

Raines QB TJ Cole zips pass to Zion Green on 3rd-and-12 from 32-yard line. Vikings at 9-yard line.

Raines QB TJ Cole scores on 9-yard TD run up the middle! PAT is good. Vikings lead defending state champ Northwestern, 17-16, with 2:33 left!

NW big pass play from Neimann Lawrence to Charles Russell, Jr.! Ball at its 38 yard line.

Bulls get huge TD pass from Neimann Lawrence to a wide-open Nicholas Lennear, who scores on catch-and-run to put Bulls back out front, 22-17, with 1:53 left! Two penalties on Raines on PAT. NW then goes for 2-point conversion and fails on Calvin Russell Jr. run.

Raines takes over needing a TD for the lead. 1:47 left.

Vikings at its 48-yard line. 3rd down. 47 seconds left.

Raines gets big 1st down on 24-yard pass from TJ Cole to Kelvin Brown Jr.! Vikings at NW 28-yard line.

Raines 4th and 10 from NW 28 yard line. Timeout 23 seconds left.

Raines QB TJ Cole throws pass to Tadarius Washington to get 1st down.

Tadarius Washington scores and 17-yard catch-and-run, powering the last yard past 2 defenders into the end zone to give Raines a 23-22 lead with 10 seconds left. Vikings get penalized twice on 2-pt conversion, then fails on 2-point run.

Northwestern Hail Mary pass from Calvin Russell, Jr., is tipped incomplete! RAINES wins state title, 23-22!

	1	2	3	4	F
Raines	0	0	7	16	23
Miami NW	3	0	6	13	22

Game Preview

Raines, Northwestern bring 13-0 records, big-time history to title game

As far as rematches go, Friday’s Class 3A state title game between Jacksonville Raines and Miami Northwestern may be the most intriguing for high school football fans.

Both schools enter the game undefeated with 13-0 records and bring powerful offenses and defenses to the field. Defending state champ Northwestern has won seven overall titles, while Raines will be seeking its fourth championship. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m., Friday, Dec. 12, at FIU’s Pitbull Stadium in Miami.

Last year, Northwestern rolled to a 41-0 victory against Raines. But the Bulls know not to take any game for granted.

“The key to winning tonight will be us being more disciplined, executing the plays that are called, and playing as one,” said Northwestern edge rusher Demarcus King, Jr. “Also, believing in the man above, all glory to God.”

Vikings have scored 48 or more points 10 times this season

The Bulls face a Raines team that has been a wrecking ball all season. The North Florida power opened the season with a 77-0 victory against Jacksonville Sandalwood – one of 10 games that the Vikings have scored 48 or more points.

Raines’ defense has been equally as impressive, holding 10 opponents to eight points or less. The Vikings defeated Sarasota Booker, 28-8, in the state semifinals.

Quarterback TJ Cole has more than 3,000 total yards for Raines

Leading Raines on offense are senior quarterback Timothy “TJ” Cole II, who has passed for 2,609 yards and a whopping 39 touchdowns with just three interceptions, and rushed for 407 and three scores; senior wide receiver/Middle Tennessee signee Ziyon Butler, 45 catches, 1,020 yards, 17 TDs; and senior running back Tadarius Washington, 842 yards rushing, 13 TDs.

Defensively, senior linebacker Travis Williams, has made 64 tackles, including 27 solo and 11 for loss; junior defensive end Troy Butler, 64 tackles, including 34 solo and 23 for loss, and nine sacks. Troy Butler has an offer from Liberty.

Cole, who has multiple offers, has compiled an impressive 26-1 as Raines quarterback. Washington also has multiple offers.

Northwestern is on 23-game win streak dating to 2024 season

Raines faces a Northwestern team that has won 23 consecutive games dating to last season. The Bulls have been on a rampage in the playoffs, outscoring opponents, 228-56. Northwestern defeated Bishop Moore, 52-21, in the state semifinals.

Leading Northwestern, offensively, are sophomore quarterback Neiman Lawrence, who has passed for 2,221 yards and 34 TDs with only three interceptions; senior wide receiver/quarterback and Syracuse signee Calvin Russell, Jr., 32 catches, 517 yards, seven TDs, and 368 yards passing, four scores; and senior running back Irwin Jame, 366 yards rushing and three TDs.

Tennessee State commit Demarcus King leads tough Bulls defense

Defensively for the Bulls, senior defensive end and Tennessee State commit Demarcus King has 66 tackles, including 57 solo and 33 for loss, and 13 sacks; and senior defensive back Keondre Ponton, 26 tackles, including 17 solo, and two interceptions.

Ponton has multiple offers, including Texas State and Fresno State.

"We need to come out dominating and get that win," he said.

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Jeff Gardenour can be reached via email at jgardenour1962@gmail.com or X @JMarkG1962