It's nearly an hour before the annual blue-gold scrimmage at St. Thomas Aquinas and the new George Smith athletic facility is starting to fill up with familiar faces from schools that annually compete for that coveted national title.
If you've ever attended a Hialeah football game and scanned the crowd, it would be easy to spot Henry and Francoise Lemonier. They are the ones asking all the questions and following their son's every move.
As he rides around on his cart in every direction of the practice field, Donnell Bennett gets out and watches each station. Offering some coaching advice, he then gets back in and moves to another section of the field.
Patrick Burrows has a memory for life-changing moments. Like the time Hurricane Andrew moved he and his family south, leaving behind his friends he grew up with at Northwestern. He also recalled as a high school junior when his Killian football team played against a well-stocked Southridge team.
When Michaelee Harris was a freshman at Norland, he had big dreams of one day becoming a star on the football field. Most youngsters do. But if you would have told him that the very next year, he would be part of a national championship team, he would have laughed and told you to keep moving on down the line.
Rashad West has been around top level high school football talent all of his life. From his youth days growing up in the Bradenton area, to playing for one of Florida's best high school coaches (Paul Maechtle) at Southeast High, he has learned the sport of football from the best.
Having attended just about every University of Miami spring game for the past 20 plus years, I have had the opportunity to watch the way the Hurricanes have always commanded the respect of high school football players -- locally and throughout Florida.
Whether you chose to attend a Nike pre-combine qualifier event at Ted Hendricks Stadium in Hialeah or a Scout.com combine/camp outing at Dade Christian, last Saturday was certainly a sign of things to come over the next few months in South Florida.
For the past nine years, Charles Fishbein has organized and run football camps and combines all over the country. From California to Pennsylvania and every state in between, he has provided information to fan websites and other publications to help expose prospects.
For those who watched Teddy Bridgewater for the first time last year, as a sophomore quarterback at Northwestern, you were treated to quite a show. A 16-year-old taking the Bulls to the state title game in his first season at the high school level. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Not this fast.
Joe McNamara, Normando Harris, Alex Wethy, James White and Vinnie Mauro are the faces of the Class of 2010. All have been contacted by major colleges for football, but all have not taken part in the weekly combine sessions for good reason.
It's officially a little over three months before the first day of spring football practice, and while baseball and track seasons have just begun, much of the attention still revolves around football.
While many parts of the country attempted to recover from the National Signing Day hangover, South Florida found a way to deal with the letdown of the month-long frenzy by rolling out the next wave of talent for colleges and universities to feast their collective eyes on.
What began on high school campuses across South Florida early Wednesday morning ended with a Hollywood finish. Hollywood, Fla. -- that is.
In five days, high school football players from across the country will make the biggest decision of their young lives. They will sign on the dotted line and fax back a commitment to colleges and universities across the country that will change their lives forever.
Ryan Becker finished his high school career with a national championship win, completing 8 of 11 passes for three touchdowns. The 56-7 victory against Lakeland capped an impressive 29-1 record. In two years, the St. Thomas Aquinas quarterback completed 63 percent of his passes, totaling 3,747 yards and 56 touchdowns. Guess who is still looking for a college?
When the NCAA is starting to look at ways to make improvements in the way recruiting is handled, there are some sound suggestions, that in this current economy, that need a bit of an attention.
lblustein@MiamiHerald.com Frankie Telfort and his family have had quite a two years on the football field. As a junior at Coral Reef, where he was introduced to the nation, and this year as a member of the 2A state runner-up Gulliver Prep Raiders. But soon, this gifted athlete will have a decision to make. One that will be the most important of his young life.
On the way home from last Saturday's 24-17 loss to California in the Emerald Bowl, University of Miami coach Randy Shannon couldn't help but think of the future after his team finished 7-6 this season.
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