As the combine season comes to an end, giving way to spring football and then to the very popular summer camps and 7-on-7 leagues/tournaments, many new stars have popped up since the end of the 2007 season.

One of the players who has made the most of the recent combine season is Palmetto running back Jaamal Berry. When the 2007 season finished, Berry (5-11, 185) was considered a top-flight talent who was just coming into his own on the football field.

Having watched him several times this past year, Berry is a tremendous prospect, who made the most of a very aggressive combine season that saw him clock a 4.41 (40) and excel in a 7-on-7 tournament at the University of South Florida.

His running style is explosive; he is quick to hit the holes and knows how to find daylight. There is a reason why schools such as Clemson, West Virginia, Florida, South Carolina, FSU, Ohio St., LSU, Michigan, Mississippi and Minnesota will continue to follow his every move.

If Berry is to become the No. 1 running back prospect in the state, he will have to first prove that he is the top back in his own county.

While Lamar Miller didn't attend offseason combines, mainly because he is still recovering from a long, tough season at Killian, the 5-11, 205-pounder was the No. 1 prospect in the state as a junior.

Miller is one of those quality runners, who combines speed, strength, power and the knack of knowing where and when to run. He is as good as you get at any level of high school football.

Having watched Miller for two consecutive years, there is plenty to like about him. He ran for 1,200 yards a year ago, and coaches who tried to stop him, were all impressed by his running style, which has also impressed schools like West Virginia, Texas, Florida, LSU, Rutgers and Miami have all offered -- and dozens more will follow this spring and summer.

The Miller-Berry debate has been the rage on message boards as well as a topic at the combines. While many didn't pay a lot of attention to Berry during the 2007 season, his combine numbers and on-line game films have given the country a glimpse of yet another impressive South Florida back. Some have gone as far to say that he is the best back in the state.

At a time when many can judge players from every corner of the state from the comforts of their home computer, those who have watched both play -- over the past two years -- can see the difference.

Miller or Berry? That answer might not come until next February -- or beyond.

MANY TOP BACKS

As we get ready for this month-long spring practice, Miller and Berry aren't the only Class of 2009 running backs to watch. Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach is loaded with quality runners.

In the Miami area, Northwestern boasts a pair of game breakers in Daquan Hargrett (5-9, 180) and Tyresse Jones (5-9, 185). Branden Oliver (5-7, 185) out of Southridge and Darian Mallery (5-8, 170) from Gulliver are also rising athletes.

In Broward, Deshaun Sands (5-9 175), the son of former St. Thomas and University of Kansas standout, ''Tuxedo'' Tony Sands, is one of the area's best at Monarch. The other prospect is Dillard's Trabis Ward, a 5-9, 200-pounder, who has also been tremendous during the combine season.

Ward is yet another runner who has proven that he can get it done against top-flight competition. As a sophomore, he was voted as one of the top backs at an elite Coconut Creek combine.

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