There's a new nationally-ranked Miami-Dade County football team this week. And in its opinion, it should have been so from the start.

Booker T. Washington cracked the national polls for the first time this year, following its eye-opening victory against three-time defending Class 6A state finalist Northwestern on Saturday. Northwestern and Central had previously been the only two nationally-ranked Dade teams.

The Tornadoes (5-0) surpassed both in the USA Today Super 25, earning a spot at No. 16. Booker T. also is ranked No. 16 by the National Prep Poll, and No. 24 by ESPN, trailing only Central among Dade teams.

``I wouldn't say we feel like a forgotten team, but not being considered with the other top teams has definitely been a motivation for our players,'' Booker T. coach Earl Tillman said. ``If you look at the history of our program, no other team in the county other than [Northwestern] has beaten us in the past six years. We've been blessed to be in a good situation, and to be able to overcome some difficult obstacles during that time.''

PREVIOUS TEAMS

Only two years ago, Booker T. won its first state championship since the school reopened in 1999, and finished that season ranked No. 4 nationally with a squad that included University of Miami sophomores Brandon Harris, Thearon Collier and Davon Johnson.

This year's squad, which also claimed the No. 1 ranking in the state in Class 3A for the first time this season, has the look of the most successful Booker T. teams of the past decade.

The defense is very fast and led by an aggressive front that has helped to force 18 turnovers in the first five games. Senior defensive end Lyndon Trail, who committed to Florida after Saturday's game, leads the team with seven sacks. Junior Elkino Watson and senior Gerald Taylor have anchored a stingy run defense, and senior linebacker Michael Ross is the team's leading tackler with 43.

The offense has a mobile quarterback with a solid grasp on how to run the team's signature spread formation. Junior Jeremiah Hay has thrown for 829 yards and nine touchdowns so far.

`LEAD BY EXAMPLE'

But Tillman said the biggest difference from last year's squad, which finished short of the state semifinals for the first time since 2003, is team leadership. And much of it has been provided by senior running back Eduardo Clements, the MVP of the 2007 state championship game who has eight overall touchdowns this season.

``This year, we have guys that lead by example,'' Tillman said. ``We were missing that a lot last year. Eduardo and Lyndon are good examples. They don't need to say much, but when they do, or go out and make a big play, every one follows their lead. That's why this team has responded.''

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