In his final high school football game, Syracuse 2026 signee Calvin Russell lll was phenomenal, but his program's quest for a second straight state title in Florida fell just short.
On Friday night, Russell and Miami Northwestern Senior High School, the No. 1 seed, took on No. 2 seed Raines High School in Jacksonville, Fla., in the championship game of the Florida High School Athletic Association ("FHSAA") Class 3A state playoffs.
A season ago, Miami Northwestern throttled Raines in the Class 3A title contest, 41-0. However, in the 2025 version, Raines converted a 16-yard touchdown pass with 10 seconds left to come away with a stunning 23-22 victory.
Miami Northwestern, which entered this game ranked No. 20 around the country by MaxPreps, finishes its 2025 campaign at 13-1 overall.
Syracuse football 2026 commit Calvin Russell lll went off on Friday evening.
Northwestern (FL) five-star WR and Syracuse signee Calvin Russell makes an impressive one-handed grab. 🔥🏈 @14gump_ @mnw_fb
— MaxPreps (@MaxPreps) December 13, 2025
WATCH: https://t.co/kr0hw0SpZ0
MORE: https://t.co/DKjHQE6dr0 pic.twitter.com/r15MJ9VaVp
The 6-foot-5 Russell, a five-star wide receiver and top-25 national prospect in the 2026 class, is the highest-ranked signee for the Orange program in more than 20 years. Against Raines, Russell hauled in eight catches for 136 yards, and he also had a rushing touchdown, per si.com.
TD! @mnw_fb in the end zone. Calvin Russell on the direct snap. Bulls finally find end zone. Tough situation now for Raines.
— Clayton Freeman (@CFreemanJAX) December 13, 2025
Miami Northwestern 16, Raines 7, 10:24 4th. #flhsfb pic.twitter.com/VoOMjUCLCD
Another Miami Northwestern player is 2026 four-star defensive back Tedarius Hughes, who flipped from Florida State to the 'Cuse last month and signed with Syracuse in December amid the early signing period for high school seniors in football.
I’m locked in for the ALL-AMERICAN BOWL!
— Nicholas lennear (@_youngshiner_n1) November 22, 2025
Straight out of the 305 to the NATIONAL STAGE.
This is BIG… but trust me — I’m coming to make it even BIGGER.
🔥#AllAmericanBowl #NoHaircutNick #ClassOf27 #LockedIn #305miami #TopReceiver #NextUp #BuiltNotBought@AABonNBC pic.twitter.com/FvG7OeEVun
Additionally, a priority recruit for the Orange in the 2027 class is five-star wide receiver and top-20 national prospect Nick Lennear. In Friday night's contest, Lennear caught six passes for 135 yards and one touchdown. On defense, he also had an interception.
Many high school football observers expected Miami Northwestern to repeat as the Class 3A champs in Florida. And in the title game, Miami Northwestern had a huge edge over Raines in total yards, 452-296, according to si.com.
However, a key issue for Miami Northwestern in falling one point short is that the Bulls committed a whopping four turnovers. Even with this defeat, it was a wonderful season for Russell, Hughes, Lennear and the entire Miami Northwestern program.