Manny Navarro's Spring Tour, Part 2

By MANNY NAVARROmnavarro@MiamiHerald.com

MANNY NAVARRO | MIAMI HERALD STAFF Pace receiver Sterling Griffin (6-2, 177) makes a leaping catch during spring practice. Griffin, a 2009 recruit, has offers from FIU and South Florida. » More Photos

Monsignor Pace has traditionally been a hot spot in South Florida for college recruiters in search of speed in the secondary.

The University of Miami got plenty of production from Maurice Sikes earlier this decade. But in the past five years alone, Pace has upped its output, churning out six speedsters from its defensive backfield that have found their way onto College Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) rosters.

Three -- Western Michigan cornerback Tommy Mama (2005), West Virginia free safety Quinton Andrews (2006) and East Carolina strong safety J.J. Milbrook (2003) -- are expected to be starters next season. Two of the other three, cornerbacks DeMarcus VanDyke (2007) and safety Lovon Ponder (2004), have been starters for the Canes. Cornerback Tervaris Johnson (2006) has been a reserve.

Second-year coach Alvin Slaughter has plenty more speed to offer with his 2009 class at Pace -- including three members of the state's fastest high school 400-meter relay team.

The relay's anchor, Kayvon Webster (6-0, 175), already has 10 scholarship offers and was under the watchful eye of West Virginia assistant Doc Holliday on Thursday afternoon. Slaughter said he will start Webster, who runs a legit 4.4 in the 40-yard dash, at free safety and receiver this season.

The All-Dade first-team selection caught 18 passes for 404 yards and five touchdowns in Pace's new spread offense a year ago. But Slaughter still isn't sure where Webster will end up at the next level. Slaughter said Florida and Vanderbilt want Webster as a receiver, and Alabama, Syracuse, Kansas State, West Virginia and Auburn like him as a defensive back.

Sterling Griffin, a 6-2, 177-pound receiver, has no such worries. The state runner-up in Class 2A in the 400 meters and the second leg of the 400-meter relay squad is going to catch passes at the next level. He hauled in 25 passes for 807 yards and nine touchdowns last season. South Florida and FIU were the first two schools to scout Griffin. But he could expect more with a strong senior season.

No college program has offered 5-6, 178-pound return man Derrick Hopkins a football scholarship yet. But if they watch film of Hopkins in 2007, they might confuse him for a smaller version of Pro Bowl return man Devin Hester. Last season, Hopkins flashed his 4.38 speed and returned four punts and two kickoffs for touchdowns before finishing as the state runner-up in the 100 meters (10.83 seconds) last month. Slaughter thinks someone will jump on Hopkins soon enough. But if it doesn't work out, Slaughter said UM and Tennessee are both considering taking Hopkins on a track scholarship.

Pace has one other senior-to-be who could see a college offer soon -- 6-2, 235-pound defensive tackle/fullback John Sennett, the team's strongest player. Sennett, who according to Slaughter benched 315 pounds eight times, has I-AA schools looking at him. Slaughter said 6-6, 280-pound right tackle Vincent Brown, a senior playing his first season of varsity football, could be a sleeper by season's end.

The 2010 and 2011 classes at Pace are filled with nice prospects too, none bigger than 2010 left tackle John Ragoo. The 6-7, 310-pound sophomore didn't play football in 2007, but has the frame to develop into a big-time prospect by the end of this season.

Charles Fashaw (6-5, 200) was a hero on Pace's state championship basketball team in March. But he caught every ball thrown his way Thursday and looked like a 2010 tight end to watch.

Running back DeAndre Johnson (5-8, 200), linebacker Isaac Dixon (6-1, 190) and quarterback Stephon Morris (6-3, 200) are other 2010 recruits to watch. Johnson recently was tabbed the best running back at a national underclassmen camp in Boca Raton in February. Keep an eye on freshman safety Jabari Gorman (6-0, 180). He earned honorable mention this past season and was a rotation player at point guard on Pace's basketball team.

DADE CHRISTIAN

While Pace has produced plenty of recruits and won more games than any private school in Miami over the past 15 years, Dade Christian has begun to enjoy similar success under coach Mike Sonneborn. The Crusaders have gone a combined 23-3 in their past two seasons and sent a handful of players onto the next level.

The most highly recruited, though, will be a part of Dade Christian's 2009 class in linebacker/running back Daniel Mack. The 6-foot, 195-pound prospect has upward of a dozen offers. Clemson, South Carolina, UCF, Auburn, Rutgers, South Florida and Iowa State all like what they saw from Mack as a linebacker when he racked up 109 tackles, 2 INTs and six sacks en route to All-Dade first-team honors. This season, with the loss of its starting backfield -- including leading rusher Kenny McKenzie (Colgate signee) -- Mack will see playing time both ways.

Sonneborn said DB/RB Omar Auais (5-9, 190) and lineman John Inoa (6-2, 273) are other 2009 members he expects to find their way into colleges. Defensive end Victor Habditch, a 6-4, 215-pound defensive end, could be a sleeper to watch. He was a standout on the basketball team this past season and is trying his hand at football for the first time since his freshman year.

Sonneborn has a few underclassmen he's excited about, including a pair of receivers in his 2010 class -- 6-2, 180-pound Jordan Inoa and 6-1, 185-pound Armani Martin. Quarterback Brandon Lombard (5-11, 180) started as a true freshman and is the team's top prospect in 2011.

The Crusaders, who return six starters on offense and seven on offense, will be well tested this coming season. The schedule features a trip to Jacksonville Trinity Christian and other showdowns with other small school playoff regulars Belen, Archbishop Carroll, Chaminade and Curley.

HIALEAH-MIAMI LAKES

With guys like quarterback Thaddeus Lewis (Duke) and running back Armando Allen (Notre Dame), it wasn't long ago that the answering machine inside the Trojans' football office was often filled with call-me back requests from colleges.

But a lot has changed at HML since Allen left for South Bend in December 2006. Football became flat out ugly to watch for Trojans fans, who endured a 1-9 season without an injured Allen in 2006 and followed it up with another 1-9 season a year ago in which HML was outscored 376-18 in its nine losses. Yikes!

Veteran coach Jerry Hughes had enough and has stepped aside to give 26-year-old former All-Dade running back Kenan Lawhorne the reins. Lawhorne, who played at Coral Park under Joe Montoya and whose career continued at Western Michigan, has one of the toughest coaching jobs in Miami-Dade this season. HML finished last season with only 20 players -- most from the junior varsity, which had to forfeit its season so the school could finish its varsity season.

The Trojans aren't going to give their District 13-6A rivals -- including two-time defending state champion Northwestern -- a run for its money just yet. But when I visited the school Tuesday, there was plenty of optimism in the air -- and more than 50 kids in uniform for practice.

Lawhorne doesn't have any Allen- or Lewis-type kids in his arsenal just yet, but with Miami-Lakes Optimist nearby as well as plenty of kids from the Opa-locka area, it might not be long before HML starts having college coaches beat down its door again.

Lawhorne, though, believes he has about a handful of players in the '09 class who could be worthy of a college offer by the end of the season. At the top of the list, 5-10, 190-pound running back Aaron Marsh, a regional qualifier in the long jump and 300-meter hurdles.

''He's got some of the moves, speed Armando had when he was here,'' assistant Pete Basnuevo told me. ``But he's real raw.''

Other '09ers to watch include quarterback Njuguna Njore (6-0, 180), safety Larry Reid (6-0, 180), linebacker Calvin Darling (5-11, 175) and lineman Craig Jackson (6-2, 280). The 2010 and 2011 classes, though, could have better overall prospects. Defensive end Manny Diaz (6-2, 200) and guard Benny Thesen (5-11, 250) were standouts on a 2006 JV team that finished 5-0.

And then there is freshman linebacker Rakim Carter (6-1, 190), who could potentially be the next star at HML. Carter made several punishing hits in Tuesday's practice and looks like he'll be starting at middle linebacker next season as a sophomore.

''The biggest challenge for me is getting some of our best players, which are walking the hallways, eligible and motivated to get back on the field,'' said Lawhorne, who at least can be happy he'll have 11 starters on offense and nine on defense from a year ago.

``Kids are a lot different than when I was playing in high school just eight years ago. It's a new-age athlete.''