It’s time for the Game of the Year. Chaminade-Madonna and Miami Central won’t disappoint | Opinion
This one is going to have a bit of everything.
Nationally, it’s two of the top five teams in the country — Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna and Miami Central.
Locally, it’s the most dominant team the past four years in Miami-Dade County against the most consistent program the past eight years in Broward County.
It’s on ESPN2 and the winner keeps itself in the national title hunt.
This is a chance for the nation to be reminded how far ahead South Florida high school football talent is from two of its best representatives. I don’t think either will disappoint in what could be a classic.
Here’s a look at Thursday’s showdown plus my picks for Week 5 and this week’s new Top 20 rankings.
THE TOP 20
1. Hollywood Chaminade (4-0); 2. Miami Central (1-1); 3. Miami Columbus (4-0); 4. Miami Norland (4-0); 5. Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas (3-1); 6. Miami Booker T. Washington (2-1); 7. Plantation American Heritage (2-1); 8. Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons (3-1); 9. Coconut Creek (3-1); 10. Miami Palmetto (3-1); 11. Homestead (3-1); 12. Pompano Beach Blanche Ely (3-0); 13. Plantation (3-1); 14. Coconut Creek Monarch (3-1); 15. Miramar (2-1); 16. Davie Western (1-2); 17. Miami Edison (3-0); 18. Miami Southridge (3-1); 19. Hollywood South Broward (4-0); 20. Miami Dr. Krop (3-1); Dropped out: 13. Miami Northwestern (1-3), 18. Hialeah American (2-1); On the cusp: Miami Belen Jesuit (2-2), Miami Gulliver Prep (3-1), Fort Lauderdale Dillard (1-2).
THIS WEEK’S TOP GAMES
1. Chaminade (4-0) vs. 2. Central (1-1), 7, Thursday, Traz.
Chaminade rolled through its first three challengers in its early season gauntlet of nationally ranked opponents just fine until struggling for three quarters last week against American Heritage. And it still beat that very good Patriots’ squad 28-16. Central lost a heartbreaker in Las Vegas against Bishop Gorman before outlasting Booker T. Washington two weeks ago.
The Rockets feel they have yet to play their brand of football. Only if their style of power running and stingy defense shows up this week will they have a chance to get a win here. Controlling the game on the ground is imperative against a potent and up-tempo Chaminade offense that induces defensive mistakes with the no-huddle.
The difference between these two comes down to the passing games. The Lions have an array of college football-ready receivers including former Rocket Jojo Trader, who returned to action last week, and a Power 5-level quarterback, Cedrick Bailey, distributing the ball efficiently to them. Central’s passing game is still finding its stride and would have to be consistent for it to prevail. Chaminade has its own ground game, led by Davion “Bullet” Gause, that is capable of taking control should everything else fall in place. And the Lions’ defense has been stingy and opportunistic, creating turnovers against some of the nation’s best. Dre’s pick: Chaminade 35, Central 34.
Port St. Lucie Treasure Coast (4-0) at 5. St. Thomas Aquinas (3-1), 7, Friday.
After a slow start, the Aquinas machine appeared to be picking up steam and bounced back following that controversial last-second comeback win over Cocoa. One important development is quarterback Andrew Indorf starting to look more comfortable running the Raiders’ high-powered offense, which was on display during last week’s 48-22 win over Western. Aquinas’ balance in both the running and passing games with explosive players like James Madison and the backfield duo of Jordan Lyle and Stacy Gage can often overwhelm opponents quickly and should again this week. Dre’s pick: Aquinas 35, Treasure Coast 24.
9. Coconut Creek (3-1) at 12. Blanche Ely (3-0), 7, Friday.
Last season, this rivalry game was one of Ely’s key victories during its remarkable turnaround season as the Tigers beat the Cougars 28-21. This time around, it’s Creek that’s surging early with back-to-back quality triumphs against Western and Plantation. Ely still has plenty of weapons from last season’s regional finals squad capable of propelling it far in Class 3M. But the Cougars are starting to look like a legitimate contender with their ability to control the game on the ground and play stingy defense. Both will come into play this week if they’re able to snap Ely’s 13-game regular season win streak. Dre’s pick: Coconut Creek 17, Ely 16.
20. Dr. Krop (3-1) at 19. South Broward (4-0), 7, Friday.
South Broward won last year 34-19 at Krop’s home field at Ives Estates, but the Lightning eventually won the District 13-3M championship on a tiebreaker. This game probably has a more direct impact on the district’s outcome this time. The Bulldogs are led on offense by University of Miami commit Chris Wheatley-Humphrey, but can balance their attack with a prolific passing game led by quarterback Randy Phillips. Abderrahmane Benarioun leads South Broward’s defense with four interceptions.
They will be tested by Krop’s dual threat quarterback Jamaal Haggins as well as a talented defense led by Kal-El Pascal. The Lightning have been through some battles already this season including a tough one at Miami Southridge they felt slipped away. But this game could be decided on the ground late and that’s where Wheatley-Humphrey might give the home team an edge. Dre’s pick: South Broward 30, Krop 28.
REST OF TOP 20
Northwestern (1-3) vs. 3. Columbus (4-0), 7:30, Friday, Tropical.
Dre’s pick: Columbus 35, Northwestern 7. This could be one of the more lopsided results ever between these two teams.
American (2-1) vs. 4. Norland (4-0), 7, Wednesday, Traz.
Dre’s pick: Norland 38, American 8. The Vikings take apart a much-improved Patriots squad to show the level to which they’ve upgraded.
Miami Carol City (0-2) vs. 6. Booker T. (2-1), 7:30, Friday, Traz.
Dre’s pick: Booker T. 47, Carol City 3. Tornadoes continue to move through this part of their schedule before showdown with Norland next month.
7. American Heritage (2-1): Bye
8. Cardinal Gibbons (3-1): Bye
Clearwater Academy International (0-3) vs. 10. Palmetto (3-1), 7:30, Friday, Southridge.
Dre’s pick: Palmetto 14, CAI 13. A little payback also means a rebound from a tough loss for Palmetto.
11. Homestead (3-1): Bye
13. Plantation (3-1): Bye
14. Monarch (3-1) vs. Parkland Stoneman Douglas (0-3), 7, Friday, Coconut Creek.
Dre’s pick: Monarch 42, Douglas 7. The Knights keep racking up points and momentum.
15. Miramar (2-1) at Dillard (1-2), 7, Saturday.
Dre’s pick: Miramar 24, Dillard 13. Should be a competitive one between two tradition-rich Broward schools.
Coral Springs Taravella (1-3) at 16. Western (1-2), 7, Friday.
Dre’s pick: Western 35, Taravella 3. A comfortable bounce back win for the Wildcats.
17. Edison (3-0) at St. Pete Lakewood (0-4), 7:30, Friday.
Dre’s pick: Edison 30, Lakewood 20. Hopefully the bad weather won’t follow the Red Raiders up the state.
18. Southridge (3-1) at Doral Academy (2-1), 7, Thursday.
Dre’s pick: Southridge 27, Doral 17. Spartans continue to pick up hard-fought wins.
OTHER GAMES
Thursday - Miami-Dade: Coral Gables at Miami Braddock, 3:30; Gables 34-17; Miami Coral Reef vs. Southwest Miami (Southridge), 7; Reef 17-14; South Miami vs. Miami High (Curtis), 7; MHS 28-7; Miami Coral Park at Hialeah-Miami Lakes, 3:30; CP 12-6; Broward: Hollywood Hills at Pembroke Pines Flanagan, 7; Flan 27-12; Cooper City at South Plantation, 7; SPlant 42-6; Coral Springs Charter vs. Pompano Beach (Glades), 7; CSC 24-7.
Friday - Miami-Dade: Miami Jackson vs. South Dade (Harris), 7:30; SD 19-14; Mater Academy at Miami St. Brendan, 7; StB 34-13; Belen at Gonzaga (DC), 7; Gonzaga 24-21; Miami Ferguson at Miami Varela, 3; Ferg 35-7; Miami Sunset vs. Reagan Doral (Doral Legacy), 3:30; RR 24-3; Miami Killian at Naples, 7:30; Naples 28-8; North Miami Beach at Miami Monsignor Pace, 7:30; Pace 24-22; Westland Hialeah vs. Miami Springs (Milander), 7:30; Springs 34-3; Miami Palm Glades Prep at Miami Archbishop Carroll, 3:30; Carroll 42-7; Somerset South Homestead at Miami Westminster Christian, 4; WC 35-20; Miami True North at Naples First Baptist, 7:30; FB 35-28; LaBelle at Miami Florida Christian, 7; LaBelle 35-13; Everglades Prep at BridgePrep, 4; EP 20-6; North Miami Beach Mourning at Miami Country Day, 7; ATM 24-6; Marathon at Miami Ransom Everglades, 4; Ransom 41-7; Broward: Boyd Anderson at Deerfield Beach, 7; DB 27-2; Oakland Park Northeast at Coral Springs, 7; CS 17-3; Nova at Cypress Bay, 7; CB 38-3; Hollywood McArthur at Sunrise Piper, 7; Pip 27-20; Pembroke Pines Charter vs. Pembroke Pines West Broward (Flanagan), 7; WB 27-21; Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest at Fort Lauderdale Westminster Academy, 7; WA 27-14; Fort Lauderdale Archbishop McCarthy at Delray American Heritage, 7; AM 30-21; Boca St. Andrews at Coconut Creek North Broward Prep, 6; SA 34-14; Boca St. John Paul II at Hollywood Avant Garde, 7; Avant 20-7; Deerfield Somerset Key at Boca Raton Christian, 7; BRC 44-7; Dade vs. Broward: North Miami at Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian, 7; Calv 17-16; North Lauderdale Somerset Prep at Somerset Silver Palms, 7:30; Silver Palms 28-20.
Dre’s record - Last week (Top 20): 12-3; Overall: 38-7. Season (Top 20): 51-10 (.836); Overall: 156-40 (.796).
This story was originally published September 18, 2023 at 12:55 PM.
