Top 20 picks: Battles for district championships and playoff spots highlight week 10
We had a notable upset on Thursday and the game of the year so far on Friday night at where else, but “The Mecca,” Traz Powell Stadium as its famed announcer Willie Wilcox says.
A game which appeared to be a Miami Central blowout for one half turned into a classic after Miami Columbus stormed back with 21 unanswered points in the third quarter and nearly secured one of its biggest wins in school history before falling 42-35 to the Rockets.
Columbus showed even more that it has everything it needs to secure the school’s second state title if it can stay on course in Class 4M. Meanwhile, Central showed how elite it is once again and should remain in the thick of the national title picture if it can navigate the treacherous road to state in Class 2M.
Meanwhile, Homestead served notice that it is alive and well now that its quarterback Joshua Townsend is back as he threw four touchdown passes in the Broncos’ 44-28 win over Miami Northwestern.
Homestead is in position to secure the top seed in Region 4-3M despite losing the District 16-3M title to rival Southridge the previous week thanks to the FHSAA’s point system, which seeds the teams by their power rankings regardless of whether they are a district champion or an at-large qualifier.
This week’s slate doesn’t have a marquee matchup of that caliber, so we’re going to highlight some teams that normally aren’t in the spotlight which are involved in important games when it comes to district titles and firming up playoff seeding.
Here’s a look at some of those with two weeks left until the playoffs, and how things stand in our new South Florida Top 20 poll.
THE TOP 20
1. Miami Central (8-0); 2. Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna (7-0); 3. Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas (8-0); 4. Miami Columbus (8-1); 5. Plantation American Heritage (8-1); 6. Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons (8-1); 7. Homestead (7-2); 8. Miami Booker T. Washington (7-2); 9. Fort Lauderdale Dillard (4-3); 10. Pompano Beach Blanche Ely (7-0); 11. Miramar (6-1); 12. Miami Northwestern (4-4); 13. Miami Norland (5-2); 14. Davie Western (4-3); 15. Coconut Creek (5-3); 16. Miami Carol City (5-3); 17. Doral Academy (5-3); 18. Pinecrest Gulliver Prep (4-3); 19. Miami Southridge (4-4); 20. Miami Palmetto (4-5).
On the cusp: Miami Jackson (5-3), Plantation (6-2), Coconut Creek Monarch (6-2), Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian (7-2), Miami Archbishop Carroll (7-1).
THIS WEEK’S TOP GAMES
Miami Dr. Krop (4-4) vs. Hollywood McArthur (4-4), 7:30, Friday, Ives Estates.
Told you we were going to deviate from the usual suspects. This cross-county matchup features a pair of teams that each should make the playoffs in Class 3M despite some inconsistent play this season.
McArthur, coached by former Miami Dolphins defensive end Kevin Burnett, can lock up the District 14-3M championship with a victory. But if Krop beats the Mustangs it would create a three-way tie between the two teams and South Broward. In the old days (three years ago), that would have prompted one of those fun, three-team tiebreakers with the trio settling things on the field.
But instead, the FHSAA decides everything using its points ratings. And in this case, a Krop victory would mean South Broward secures the district title even though McArthur beat the Bulldogs 30-7 two weeks ago.
Krop has been one of the most difficult teams to peg every week in this column. It’s for that reason, I think Burnett’s squad caps a solid turnaround season and secure their first district title in three seasons. Dre’s pick: McArthur 23, Krop 20.
Miami Edison (4-4) vs. Miami Jackson (5-3), 7:30, Curtis, Friday.
Longtime rivals meet in a game they were hoping would have more at stake by this point.
Jackson’s chances of making the playoffs have improved quite a bit in recent weeks although a victory over Edison would almost guarantee an at-large berth. A loss to Edison doesn’t ruin their chances assuming North Miami Beach doesn’t upset Norland.
The Red Raiders are on the outside looking in at the moment and need a strong finish to even hope to sneak in as one of the final qualifiers. This one should go down to the wire. Dre’s pick: Jackson 22, Edison 21.
Plantation (5-2) at Piper (5-3), 7, Friday.
Assuming Plantation takes care of business against neighborhood rival South Plantation on Monday night and wins the Mayor’s Cup, the Colonels will be in a winner-take-all matchup with the host Bengals for the District 12-3M title on the line. Plantation coach Steve Davis’ team is always competitive and earns some more hardware after holding off a hard-running Piper squad that should also see the postseason.
Dre’s pick: Plantation 30, Piper 20.
THE REST OF THE TOP 20
Miami Gardens Monsignor Pace (4-4) vs. 1. Central (8-0), 7:30, Friday, Traz.
Dre’s pick: Central 42, Pace 7. The Rockets put the cherry on top of an unbeaten regular season and get two weeks to get ready for a title run.
Boca Raton St. John Paul II (3-6) at 2. Chaminade (7-0), 7, Thursday.
Dre’s pick: Chaminade 63, St. John Paul 3. The Lions won’t have another challenge until the second round of the playoffs.
3. St. Thomas Aquinas (8-0) at Lauderdale Lakes Boyd Anderson (1-6), 7, Friday.
Dre’s pick: Aquinas 52, Boyd Anderson 6. The Cobras finally won a game last week. Hope they enjoyed it.
Hialeah Goleman (4-4) at 4. Columbus (8-1), 7:30, Friday.
Dre’s pick: Columbus 45, Goleman 3. The Explorers get some younger players some reps before a two-week break heading into the playoffs.
Hallandale (2-6) at 5. American Heritage (8-1), 7:30, Friday.
Dre’s pick: American Heritage 47, Hallandale 6. Another powerhouse gets a chance to give their bench players some experience before the postseason.
Fort Lauderdale Stranahan (4-4) at 6. Cardinal Gibbons (8-1), 7, Friday.
Dre’s pick: Gibbons 34, Stranahan 8. The Chiefs shut down another opponent as they prepare for their title defense.
Miami Belen Jesuit (4-4) vs. 7. Homestead (7-2), 7:30, Friday, Harris.
Dre’s pick: Homestead 28, Belen 7. The Broncos can solidify themselves as the top seed in the region in spite of losing their district with a win here.
8. Booker T. (7-2) vs. Westland Hialeah (4-4), 7, Saturday, Tropical.
Dre’s pick: Booker T. Washington 42, Westland Hialeah 7. The Tornadoes still have a chance to land the No. 2 seed in Region 4-2M behind Central.
9. Dillard (4-3) at Tallahassee Lincoln (5-3), 7, Friday.
Dre’s pick: Dillard 27, Lincoln 14. The Panthers overcome a solid road test before what should be an entertaining Soul Bowl matchup next week.
West Boca Raton (5-3) at 10. Blanche Ely (7-0), 7, Friday.
Dre’s pick: Blanche Ely 30, West Boca Raton 13. The Tigers complete one of their goals - clinching the District 10-3M title - in what’s been a remarkable turnaround season.
11. Miramar (6-1) at Miramar Everglades (4-4), 7, Friday.
Dre’s pick: Miramar 28, Everglades 3. The Patriots lock up the District 14-3M title and need this one in their bid to lock up at least a No. 2 seed in their region.
Miami La Salle (4-4) vs. 12. Northwestern (4-4), 7, Saturday, Traz.
Dre’s pick: Northwestern 44, La Salle 7. The records may be the same, but these teams are far apart on paper.
13. Norland (5-2) vs. North Miami Beach (3-5), 7, Thursday, Traz.
Dre’s pick: Norland 39, NMB 16. The Vikings deny the Chargers a victory they need to try and sneak into the playoffs.
14. Western (4-3) at Coral Springs Coral Glades (2-6), 7, Friday.
Dre’s pick: Western 27, Coral Glades 6. The Wildcats can still clinch the District 13-4M title and lock up a top 3 seed in the region.
15. Coconut Creek (5-3) at Deerfield Beach (3-6), 7, Friday.
Dre’s pick: Coconut Creek 28, Deerfield Beach 12. The Cougars need this one to solidify their power ranking and secure a postseason berth should Ely clinch the District 10-3M title.
16. Carol City (5-3) at Ocala Vanguard (5-3), 7:30, Friday.
Dre’s pick: Vanguard 17, Carol City 14. Tough road test for the Chiefs on the cusp of a potential return to the postseason.
Miami High (4-3) at 17. Doral Academy (5-3), 7, Friday.
Dre’s pick: Doral 35, Miami High 14. The Firebirds have a chance to lock up the No. 2 seed in the region behind Columbus if they can win out.
South Miami (4-3) vs. 18. Gulliver (4-3), 3:30, Thursday, Tropical.
Dre’s pick: Gulliver 34, South Miami 16. The Raiders are picking up momentum and can lock up the District 15-2M crown with a win in this one.
Southwest Miami (0-8) at 19. Southridge (4-4), 7, Thursday.
Dre’s pick: Southridge 45, Southwest 2. Another “get your backups some snaps” game.
20. Palmetto (4-5): Bye.
OTHER GAMES
Thursday - Miami-Dade: HML vs. Hialeah Gardens (Milander), 7; HML 7-6; Sunset vs. Braddock (Tropical), 7:30; Braddock 34-7; Coral Gables vs. South Dade (Harris), 7; S. Dade 14-7; Mourning at Coral Park, 3:30; C. Park 17-14; Everglades Prep vs. Somerset Homestead (Harris), 3:30; Somerset 16-8; Broward: West Broward at Cooper City, 7; West Broward 27-10; Monarch at Coral Springs, 7; Monarch 36-6; Deerfield Somerset Key at Pompano Beach, 7; Pompano 28-3; Miami-Dade vs. Broward: American at Pembroke Pines Charter, 7; PPC 16-15.
Friday - Miami-Dade: Mater Academy vs. Miami Beach (Memorial), 7:30; Mater 16-13; Coral Reef vs. Ferguson (Tropical), 7:30; Reef 35-14; Varela vs. Reagan (Doral Legacy Park), 3:30; Reagan 24-6; Killian at Somerset Silver Palms, 4; Killian 27-8; Broward: South Plantation at Nova, 7; S. Plant 27-10; Olympic Heights at Douglas, 7; Douglas 34-12; Cypress Bay vs. Fort Lauderdale (Lockhart), 7; Cypress Bay 29-22; Somerset Academy at Flanagan, 7; Somerset 17-7; Hollywood Hills at South Broward, 7; S. Broward 28-13; Calvary Christian at Northeast, 7; Calvary 41-6; Marathon at University School, 7; U-School 22-14; Coral Springs Charter vs. Taravella (Glades), 7; CSC 14-6; Pine Crest at North Broward Prep, 6; Pine Crest 47-30; SSAC quarterfinal: Jupiter Christian at Westminster Academy, 7; WA 35-27; Miami-Dade vs. Broward: Archbishop McCarthy vs. Miami Springs (Milander), 7:30; McCarthy 17-16.
Andre’s record (Through Saturday’s games) - Last week: 42-12; Top 20: 12-2; Season - Overall: 341-98; Top 20: 103-19.
This story was originally published October 25, 2022 at 7:30 AM.
