Top 20 picks: Booker T.’s rapid rise continues; district title picture comes into focus
The clashes between several of South Florida’s best this past Friday had the expected results as Miami Central, Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas and Plantation American Heritage all held serve at the top.
Perhaps the most intriguing development came a day earlier though.
Miami Booker T. Washington continues to show how quickly it has returned to the company of the state’s elite with the latest demonstration being its 41-23 dismantling of a similarly-improved Miami Norland squad.
And yet the Tornadoes now face another interesting challenge this week. On one hand, their opponent, Miami Northwestern, is still one of the more talented teams in South Florida. But the Bulls have clearly fallen from the ranks of the elite as shown by their 42-7 lopsided loss to Central last week.
The first thing Booker T. coach Tim “Ice” Harris told his team after last week’s victory was not to underestimate the Bulls. In his own words, “the West is coming.”
But the Tornadoes are likely to be ready as this game will decide the District 14-2M championship.
This clash highlights the slate for week 8 of the high school football season which is replete with matchups with playoff implications.
Here’s a breakdown of those and our new top 20 rankings.
THE TOP 20
1. Central (6-0); 2. Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna (5-0); 3. St. Thomas Aquinas (6-0); 4. Miami Columbus (7-0); 5. American Heritage (6-1); 6. Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons (6-1); 7. Booker T. Washington (6-1); 8. Homestead (6-1); 9. Northwestern (3-3); 10. Pompano Beach Blanche Ely (5-0); 11. Fort Lauderdale Dillard (2-3); 12. Miami Norland (4-1); 13. Miramar (4-1); 14. Plantation (4-1); 15. Davie Western (3-2); 16. Doral Academy (5-2); 17. Coconut Creek (3-3); 18. Miami Carol City (3-3); 19. Miami Palmetto (3-4); 20. Pinecrest Gulliver Prep (2-3); Dropped out: 18. North Miami Beach (2-4), 20. Miami Southridge (3-3); On the cusp: Miami Jackson (3-3), South Miami (4-1), Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian (6-1), Coconut Creek Monarch (6-1).
THIS WEEK’S TOP GAMES
7. Booker T. Washington (6-1) vs. 9. Northwestern (3-3), 7, Saturday, Traz.
Some will say Northwestern is not itself these days. And the absence of injured starting quarterback Taron Dickens and running back Jamari Ford adds credence to that assessment.
But they wouldn’t have changed the lopsided outcome in last week’s 42-7 loss to Central. The Bulls have now twice been decidedly handled by nationally-ranked opponents this season. And now here comes Booker T., which isn’t yet at the level of Central and Chaminade, but is quickly drawing closer thanks to a playmaking defense and a running game which made the difference in a 41-23 win over Norland. If the Tornadoes are to take the next step, this is the kind of signature win they need to claim even if Northwestern isn’t playing at the level we’re used to seeing.
Dre’s pick: Booker T. Washington 20, Northwestern 14.
11. Dillard (2-3) vs. 14. Plantation (4-1), 7, Friday, PAL Field.
Dillard’s record at this point in the season isn’t what it hoped, but understandable considering the losses have come against Chaminade-Madonna, Central and St. Thomas Aquinas - three teams ranked in the top six in the nation.
But the bigger disappointment for the Panthers is that they have not been able to truly compete with teams at a level they hoped to be at this season. Dillard’s goal now is to wrap up a postseason berth and perhaps earn a second chance to face Aquinas when it counts most in the Class 3M playoffs. While Plantation is not in Dillard’s district, a victory would help their power ranking as the Colonels have been one of Broward’s better teams over the first half.
Since a season-opening loss to Miramar, Plantation has won four in a row including a win over Nova that followed a three-week layoff due to a bye week and a Hurricane Ian postponement. Quarterback Amer Ellis (902 yards, 11 TDs, 3 INTs) leads a balanced offense for the Colonels that will be tested by Dillard’s athletes on defense. The Panthers and elite wide receiver Chris Johnson have had a knack for making big plays this season and this should continue.
Dre’s pick: Dillard 32, Plantation 20.
1. Central (6-0) vs. 12. Norland (4-1), 7, Thursday, Traz.
The winner takes the District 13-2M championship. While Norland has improved plenty this season with the arrival of quarterback Ennio Yapoor, last week’s loss to Booker T. showed how much better it is when it can establish its offense behind its running game. Javin Simpkins ran for three touchdowns to pace the Vikings. But the issue for Norland was it turned to the ground game in earnest after it was already behind 27-2. To have any chance against Central, the Vikings must get some traction up front and be able to run the football.
But good luck with that against this elite Central defense.
Northwestern was the latest team with an otherwise solid rushing attack to be stifled by this talented defensive front, which constantly disrupted anything the Bulls attempted to do during last week’s rout.
Norland had issues protecting Yapoor in last week’s game. Expect the Rockets, led by Rueben “Hurricane” Bain to exploit any such weakness early and often again this week.
Dre’s pick: Central 38, Norland 14.
4. Columbus (7-0) at 16. Doral Academy (5-2), 7, Friday.
Columbus committed six turnovers and yet still pulled off a fairly convincing victory over one of the state’s best teams last week when it beat Homestead 21-6. The Explorers showed off their balance and depth once again with Alberto Mendoza throwing two touchdown passes and Sedrick Irvin Jr. scoring once on the ground. Columbus’ defense once again shut down a strong opponent and will face another challenge this week.
Doral brings its potent running game led by Mark Wilder, who leads Miami-Dade County in rushing with 1,336 yards and 15 touchdowns on 140 carries. The Explorers’ defensive front, led by T.J. Capers, will likely be the toughest the Firebirds have faced this season. Doral’s defense has yielded 30 points per game and Columbus is likely to score plenty as a result. The winner takes control of District 15-4M.
Dre’s pick: Columbus 38, Doral 17.
THE REST OF THE TOP 20
Deerfield Beach Somerset Key (0-6) at 2. Chaminade-Madonna (5-0), 7, Thursday.
Dre’s pick: Chaminade-Madonna 62, Somerset Key 2. This is one of the biggest mismatches in recent memory.
Fort Lauderdale (4-2) at 3. St. Thomas Aquinas (6-0), 7, Friday.
Dre’s pick: St. Thomas Aquinas 49, Fort Lauderdale 3. The Raiders got past their biggest obstacle in District 11-3M and should cruise to another district win this week.
5. American Heritage (6-1) vs. Stranahan (3-3), 7, Friday, Lockhart.
Dre’s pick: American Heritage 42, Stranahan 6. Don’t expect a letdown from the Patriots, who should take care of business for the next few weeks en route to the playoffs.
6. Cardinal Gibbons (6-1) at Hallandale (1-5), 7, Thursday.
Dre’s pick: Cardinal Gibbons 42, Hallandale 2. The Chargers finally picked up a win last week, but will have a hard time even scoring against one of the state’s elite.
8. Homestead (6-1) at Southridge (3-3), 7:30, Friday.
Dre’s pick: Homestead 27, Southridge 12. Expect a Broncos bounce back as coach Phillip Simpson’s squad scores a key district win over his former team.
10. Blanche Ely (5-0) at Deerfield Beach (3-4), 7, Friday.
Dre’s pick: Blanche Ely 34, Deerfield Beach 16. The Tigers are one of the most improved teams in South Florida and a victory here would put them closer to winning District 10-3M.
13. Miramar (4-1) vs. American (1-5), 7:30, Friday, Milander.
Dre’s pick: Miramar 28, American 7. The battle of the Patriots should go to Miramar with relative ease.
Cypress Bay (4-2) at 15. Western (3-2), 7, Friday.
Dre’s pick: Western 27, Cypress Bay 6. The Wildcats have had a bumpy few weeks, but can solidify their district championship goal with a win here.
17. Coconut Creek (3-3) at West Boca Raton (4-2), 6:30, Thursday.
Dre’s pick: Coconut Creek 21, West Boca Raton 17. The Cougars need this one to stay in contention for the district title and strengthen their playoff case.
18. Carol City (3-3) vs. NMB (2-4), 7:30, Friday, Traz.
Dre’s pick: NMB 14, Carol City 12. Unless the Chiefs can figure out their struggles on offense, NMB’s two-way stars may have the upper hand.
19. Palmetto (3-4) vs. South Dade (1-4), 7:30, Friday, Harris.
Dre’s pick: Palmetto 34, South Dade 7. The Panthers are in the midst of a turnaround and building momentum for the postseason.
Palm Beach Gardens Benjamin (2-3) vs. 20. Gulliver Prep (2-3), 3:30, Thursday, Tropical.
Dre’s pick: Gulliver 26, Benjamin 13. Another team with an ugly record, which will start winning more in the second half.
OTHER GAMES
Thursday - Miami-Dade: North Miami vs. Hialeah (Milander), 7, N. Miami 20-6; Coral Park vs. Hialeah Gardens (Tropical), 7, Gardens 21-10; Coral Reef vs. Sunset (Southridge), 7, Reef 34-7; Reagan vs. Mourning (NM Stadium), 3:30, Reagan 34-14; Broward: Taravella at Coral Glades, 7, Glades 30-3; Coral Springs at Boca Olympic Heights, 7, Springs 14-8; West Palm Beach SLAM vs. Avant Garde (Carter), 7, Avant Garde 49-3.
Friday - Miami-Dade: Westland Hialeah at St. Brendan, 7, Westland 17-14; Killian vs. South Miami (Tropical), 7:30, South Miami 27-14; Miami High vs. Goleman (Curtis), 7:30, MHS 20-17; Varela at Braddock, 3:30, Braddock 42-7; Miami Beach at Coral Gables, 4, Gables 14-13; Jackson at La Salle, 7, Jackson 28-13; HML at Boca Spanish River, 7, HML 9-6; Somerset Silver Palms vs. True North (Tropical), 3:30, True North 35-24; Dade Christian at Glades Day, 7, Glades Day 16-8; Everglades Prep at Florida Christian, 7:30, Everglades Prep 14-7; Archbishop Carroll at Berean Christian, 4, Carroll 42-3; Palm Glades Prep at Somerset Charter (Harris), 3:30, Somerset 16-8; Miami Country Day at Marathon, 7, Marathon 35-14; Broward: South Broward at McArthur, 7, S. Broward 30-14; Nova at Piper, 7, Piper 28-6; South Plantation at Pompano Beach, 7, S. Plantation 28-8; Pines Charter at Everglades, 7, Everglades 28-14; Boyd Anderson at Douglas, 7, Douglas 35-16; Somerset Academy at Cooper City, 7, Somerset 24-8; North Broward Prep at Calvary Christian, 7, Calvary 41-10; West Broward at Naples Gulf Coast, 7, West Broward 20-19; Coral Springs Charter at Pine Crest, 7, Pine Crest 27-13; Surge Academy at Westminster Academy, 7, Westminster 35-6; Miami-Dade vs. Broward: Krop at Hollywood Hills, 4, Krop 17-7.
Saturday - Miami-Dade: Southwest vs. Ferguson (Tropical), 7, Ferguson 34-14; Miami Springs vs. Mater Academy (Milander), 7, Mater 20-6; Palmer Trinity at Westminster Christian, 1, Westminster 35-7.
Monday - Broward: Pompano Beach at Taravella, 4, Pompano 24-7.
Andre’s record (Through Saturday’s games) - Last week: 44-7; Top 20: 11-2; Season - Overall: 258-76; Top 20: 78-14.
This story was originally published October 11, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
