Broward County showdown among the top matchups in South Florida this week
At the risk of tooting my horn for a minute, after a rough opening week (8-5 Top 20, 22-12 overall), I really got things cranked last week as I was a perfect 15-0 in picking top 20 games and 37-8 overall. As the season evolves, just how good or not-so-good these teams are comes more into focus, so hopefully I can keep things going.
After getting treated to and perhaps spoiled by a slew of marquee matchups during the first three weeks of the season including last week’s classic Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas-Plantation American Heritage matchup, we take a week off from too many real big local matchups, as No. 3 Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna and No. 1 Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons head out of town. No. 5 Heritage was also supposed to travel to New Orleans to take on Edna Karr, but the devastation caused by Hurricane Ida scrubbed those plans.
But many more big-time matchups are on the way including Miami Central-Northwestern and Heritage-Gibbons in the next two weeks.
THIS WEEK’S TOP 20
1. Cardinal Gibbons; 2. St. Thomas Aquinas; 3. Chaminade-Madonna; 4. Miami Central; 5. Plantation American Heritage; 6. Gulliver Prep. 7. Dillard; 8. Deerfield Beach; 9. Killian; 10. Western; 11. Northwestern; 12. Columbus; 13. Edison; 14. Champagnat; 15. Homestead; 16. Palmetto; 17. Plantation; 18. Douglas; 19. Doral Academy; 20. Booker T. Washington
Knocking on the door: South Broward, Coconut Creek; LaSalle, Dade Christian, North Miami Beach, Stranahan, Fort Lauderdale
THIS WEEK’S TOP GAMES
▪ No. 8 Deerfield Beach (2-1) at No. 18 Douglas (2-0), Friday, 7 p.m.: Douglas was on its way to a 3-0 start to the season last week when it took a 14-0 lead into halftime against West Broward before weather wiped the game out. The Bucks, after suffering a shutout loss to Dillard, got things cranked by dropping 70 points on rival Blanche Ely.
Now in his third season, coach Quentin Short has worked diligently at building the Douglas program back up, and Friday will be a golden opportunity for the Eagles to shine and show everyone just how far they’ve come.
But the Bucks have played in these big-stage games many times before, while it’s still very new to Douglas, which might prove to be the difference in what I anticipate will be a close, competitive game. BD’s Pick: Deerfield Beach 30-24
▪ No. 3 Chaminade-Madonna (2-1) at Buford (Georgia) (3-0), Friday, 7 p.m.: The Lions trailed Columbus at halftime last week before rallying in the second half to pull away to an impressive road win but things only get tougher this week as the team playing perhaps the toughest schedule in the country travels to Atlanta to take on the No. 15 ranked team in the nation.
I know very little about Buford other than its lofty national ranking. But I know plenty about the Lions and am confident they will head north and make another statement to the folks in Georgia just how much talent there is in South Florida. BD’s Pick: Chaminade: 27-20
▪ No. 1 Cardinal Gibbons (2-0) at Gainesville Buchholz (3-0), Friday, 7 p.m.: I’m not sure how good Dunnellon, Sandalwood or Eastside are, but Buchholz has outscored its first three opponents by a combined 105-14 and is ranked No. 20 in the state regardless of classification. That means the top-ranked Chiefs, with a huge game against American Heritage on deck next week, need to take this road game very seriously.
That’s where a well-schooled veteran coach like Matt DuBuc comes in to play as he will have his team prepped and ready to go. BD’s Pick: Cardinal Gibbons 31-17.
THE REST OF THE TOP 20
▪ 2. St. Thomas Aquinas (2-1) vs. Monsignor Pace (0-2), Friday, 7 p.m.: Aquinas bounced back from a bitter last-second loss to Tampa Jesuit with a huge road win over Heritage last week and a Pace team that continues to stack up talent but come up short on the field should offer little resistance. BD’s Pick: Aquinas 38-13.
▪ 4. Central (1-2) vs. Miami Springs (0-3), Thursday, 3:30 p.m. at Milander: Unfortunately because it’s a district game, this contest must be played but Springs has no business being on the same field with the Rockets who will score early and often to get the running clock going. BD’s Pick: Central 55-0.
▪ 5. Plantation American Heritage (1-2): Game vs. New Orleans Edna Karr canceled.
▪ 6. Gulliver Prep. (2-0) at Palm Beach Benjamin (3-0), Friday, 7 p.m.: Gulliver needs to keep an eye on this game as Raiders survived big-time scare from Tru Prep Academy last week and Benjamin is really good. BD’s Pick: Gulliver 28-23
▪ 7. Dillard (3-0) vs. Cooper City (2-1), Friday, 7 p.m.: Dillard got a quality win over Miramar last week and Panthers should keep it rolling here. BD’s Pick: Dillard 34-16
▪ 9. Killian (3-0) vs. Jackson (1-2), Friday, 7:30 p.m. at Curtis Park: Cougars got a signature win over rival Palmetto last week to move in to the top 10 and will keep things rolling here. BD’s Pick: Killian 41-9
▪ 10. Western (1-1) vs. Coral Glades (1-0), Friday, 7 p.m.: Glades could be a program on the rise, but not this week. Western should roll. BD’s Pick: Western 37-13
▪ 11. Northwestern (2-1) vs. Belen Jesuit (2-1), Friday, 7:30 p.m. at Traz Powell: Bulls are smarting from a lopsided road loss to IMG last week and will take it out on the outmatched Wolverines. BD’s Pick: NW 41-13
▪ 12. Columbus (1-2) at South Dade (1-2), Friday, 7:30 p.m. at Harris Field: Explorers have lost last two games to super tough opponents and will look to get the ship righted here. BD’s Pick: Columbus 34-18
▪ 13. Edison (2-1) vs. Miami High (2-1), Saturday, 7 p.m. at Curtis Park: With a big one against Booker T. on deck, Red Raiders can’t afford to let up here. BD’s Pick: Edison 40-16
▪ 14. Champagnat Catholic (2-1) at Fort Meade (2-0), Friday, 7:30 p.m.: The Lions picked this game up late and, with no home field, will do what they always do — gas up the busses and hit the road upstate. Champy needs to be careful here and not take this game for granted as Fort Meade isn’t bad, ranked No. 5 in the state in Class 1A. But look for the Lions to take care of their business and head home with another win. BD’s Pick: Champagnat 34-13
▪ 15. Homestead (2-1): Bye Week
▪ 16. Palmetto (1-1) vs. Coral Reef (3-0), Friday, 7:30 p.m. at Southridge: Reef’s 3-0 mark looks impressive until you see that the wins are against Sunset, Ferguson and Reagan. A new arena for the Cudas this week as Panthers will be looking to bounce back from tough loss to Killian. BD’s Pick: Palmetto 35-6
▪ 17. Plantation (1-0) vs. Coconut Creek (2-1), Friday, 7 p.m. at PAL Field: Seems like forever since Colonels last played a game, and they will be challenged here by a pretty good Creek team. BD’s Pick: Plantation 24-20
▪ 19. Doral Academy (3-0) vs. Mater Academy Charter (2-1), Thursday, 7 p.m. at Milander: Having outscored its opponents by a combined 113-26, it looks like former Belen coach Eddie Delgado is building Doral program back up again as Firebirds make their debut in the Top 20. Mater is not likely to derail the momentum. BD’s Pick: Doral 35-12
▪ 20. Booker T. Washington (1-2) vs. Coral Gables (0-2), Friday, 7:30 p.m. at Tropical Park: Tornadoes are smarting from back-to-back losses to NW and Central and a struggling Gables team is just what the doctor ordered. BD’s Pick: BTW 41-16
OTHER GAMES
▪ Thursday: Miami-Dade: Southwest at Florida Christian: FC 27-21; Hialeah at Southridge, 7: SR 30-9; Norland vs. South Miami (Tropical), 7: Norland 27-13
▪ Friday: Miami-Dade: Hialeah Gardens vs. Mourning (Ives), 3:30: HG 34-6; Coral Park at Ferguson, 3:30: Ferguson 24-16; Reagan at Varela, 3:30: Reagan 19-7; Westland Hialeah at Sunset, 3:30: WH 20-16; Dade Christian at Somerset Silver Palms, 4: DC 27-19; Archbishop Carroll at Marathon, 7: ABC 19-13; Everglades Prep. at LaSalle, 7: LaSalle 38-12; North Miami at McArthur, 7: McArthur 15-14; Palmer Trinity at Ransom Everglades, 7: RE 33-14; St. Brendan at Key West, 7: KW 21-16; Westminster Christian at Coral Shores, 7: WC 30-14; Goleman vs. American (Milander), 7:30: Goleman 32-14; Carol City at Ocala Vanguard, 7:30: Vanguard 28-20; North Miami Beach at Hialeah-Miami Lakes, 7:30: NMB 40-0; Broward: Avant Garde at Pembroke Pines Somerset, 3:30: Somerset 23-21; Boyd Anderson at Everglades, 7: BA 13-12; Calvary Christian at Clewiston, 7:30: Calvary 27-22; Coral Springs vs. Monarch (Coconut Creek), 7: Monarch 34-9; Cypress Bay vs. West Broward (Pines Charter), 7: CB 30-16; Flanagan vs. Taravella (Coral Springs), 7: Flanagan 28-6; Ft. Lauderdale at Boca Raton Olympic Heights, 7: FTL 27-9; Stranahan at Hallandale, 7: Stranahan 35-12; Spanish River at Pompano Beach, 7: Pompano 14-12; North Miami at McArthur, 7: McArthur 15-14; Miramar at South Broward, 7: Miramar 19-17; Nova at South Plantation, 7: Nova 21-17; Pembroke Pines Charter at Immokalee, 7: PC 30-20
▪ Saturday: Miami-Dade: True North Academy vs. Palm Glades Prep. (Tropical), 7: TN 27-6; Broward: Okeechobee at Archbishop McCarthy, 7: AM 20-18
This story was originally published September 14, 2021 at 5:42 PM.
