Round 1 of the playoffs won’t see major upsets, but maybe some big moments for upstarts | Opinion
Miami Central’s “Drive for Five” hit a few bumps.
But now, it’s playoff time.
The teams that have been there and won state titles before crank things up a notch, and don’t expect anything less from South Florida’s four reigning champions — the aforementioned Rockets (Class 2M, Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas (3M), Miami Columbus (4M) and Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna (1M).
But legit threats to those title reigns have emerged over the past 11 weeks.Miami Norland ran the table and is looking to prove it is the new king of Class 2M. Don’t sleep on Plantation American Heritage and its young stars, though.
Others are lying in wait hoping to break through as well like Coconut Creek, Miami Booker T. Washington, Homestead and Coconut Creek Monarch.
Is Columbus vulnerable in Class 4M with Miami Palmetto looking to end their drought in their rivalry series?
And is anyone even close to being a threat to Chaminade as it chases both a state and national crown?
These story lines and more will be ones to follow over the next month on the road to state.
This week’s first round is just a taste of what’s to come as many of those contenders will just be getting warmed up. But there are a few competitive matchups to watch. Here’s a look at the Miami Herald’s final South Florida Top 20 before we crown this year’s state champions Dec. 7-9 at Bragg Stadium in Tallahassee.
THE TOP 20
1. Hollywood Chaminade (10-0); 2. Miami Norland (10-0); 3. Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas (9-1); 4. Plantation American Heritage (7-1); 5. Miami Central (6-3); 6. Homestead (8-1); 7. Coconut Creek (8-2); 8. Miami Columbus (8-2); 10. Miami Booker T. Washington (8-2); 11. Coconut Creek Monarch (8-2); 12. Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons (7-3); 13. Davie Western (7-3); 14. Pompano Beach Blanche Ely (8-2); 15. Fort Lauderdale Dillard (5-5); 16. Miramar (6-4); 17. Miami True North (8-2); 18. Homestead South Dade (7-3); 19. Miami Edison (6-4); 20. Hollywood South Broward (8-2); Dropped out: 19. Gulliver Prep (7-3), 20. Miami Southridge (6-4); On the cusp: Sunrise Piper (6-4), Miami Archbishop Carroll (9-1), Plantation (6-4), Miami Monsignor Pace (6-4), Hialeah (9-1), Fort Lauderdale Archbishop McCarthy (9-0).
THIS WEEK’S TOP GAMES
NOTE: All region quarterfinal games at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
Region 3-3M — 15. Dillard (5-5) at 14. Pompano Beach Blanche Ely (8-2), Friday.
For the second season in a row, the Broward Soul Bowl will have two chapters in the same season. Ely is enjoying success in this series it hadn’t in seven years as last week the Tigers scored their first consecutive win over Dillard since beating the Panthers in 2015 and 2016.
The Tigers, who now lead the all-time series 27-26-1, will look to make it two consecutive seasons advancing at least to the second round of the playoffs.
Somehow, I’d expect a more defensive battle in this game with the intensity turned up a bit and Dillard not getting off to as bad a start as it did in last week’s 33-28 loss - the highest scoring game in the history of the series.
Ely’s depth of playmakers made the difference both to jump out to a 19-point lead early and later to hang on for the win. Expect something similar. Dre’s pick: Blanche Ely 13, Dillard 12.
Region 4-2M — 19. Edison (6-4) vs. 5. Central (6-3), Friday, Traz.
The Rockets are determined to remind everyone that they are the champs until proven otherwise. Central can’t afford to look ahead to possible games against Booker T. and Norland against an Edison squad that, when disciplined and effective, has played like one of the more talented teams in Dade. The veteran Rockets coaching staff won’t let that happen. Dre’s pick: Central 35, Edison 12.
Region 4-3M — Miami Southridge (6-4) vs. Hialeah (9-1), Friday, Milander.
Southridge had its ups and downs this season and is coming off a deflating last-second loss against rival South Dade. Meanwhile, Hialeah makes its first playoff appearance in four years after winning its district and winning nine consecutive games following an opening week loss to Miami Edison.
The Spartans, however, have shown they are one of the youngest and more skilled teams on the south end of Dade and are building toward a bright future. Ironically, the fast field at Milander will help them more than if the game were at home on the natural grass at Southridge. Under coach Tony Smith, the T-Breds have taken the first step toward building a contending program again. But this is going to be a tough return to the postseason. Dre’s pick: Southridge 26, Hialeah 13.
SSAC state championship — Fort Lauderdale Westminster Academy (9-1) vs. Oviedo Master’s Academy (8-2), Friday, Bryant Stadium, Lakeland.
You don’t have to wait until December to see a different type of state championship decided. Westminster Academy powered its way to a 9-1 season capped with a payback win over NSU University School last week to advance to the Sunshine State Athletic Conference independent state title game in Lakeland.
The Lions will take a high-powered offense led by quarterback Anthony Barbar, running back Alonso Collins and receiver Dwayne Wimbley to Polk County as well as an opportunistic defense led by senior Evan Tempro and eighth-grader Andre Jones. Master’s Academy presents a tough challenge on the road with a similarly-explosive offense. But the Lions seem to be playing their best football right now and are looking for their first state title of any kind since 1991 when they last won an FHSAA state title. Dre’s pick: Westminster Academy 27, Master’s Academy 24.
THE REST OF THE TOP 20
1. Chaminade (10-0): Idle
Region 4-2M - Miami St. Brendan (7-3) vs. 2. Norland (10-0), Thursday, Traz.
Dre’s pick: Norland 54, St. Brendan 7. Vikings shouldn’t have any trouble moving a little closer to state.
Region 3-3M - Plantation (6-4) at 3. St. Thomas Aquinas (9-1), Friday.
Dre’s pick: Aquinas 47, Plantation 13. The Raiders are also chasing a historic fifth state title in a row and really haven’t been challenged since their controversial win over Cocoa.
Region 3-2M - Coconut Creek North Broward Prep (5-5) at 4. American Heritage (7-1), 7:30, Friday.
Dre’s pick: American Heritage 48, North Broward Prep 6. Pats running back Deandre Desinor gets to see his former school…and then run for a ton of yards on them.
Region 4-3M - Hollywood McArthur (5-4-1) vs. 6. Homestead (8-1), Thursday, Harris.
Dre’s pick: Homestead 37, McArthur 7. The Broncos are the clear favorite to repeat as regional champions. Are they ready to win a larger prize? Stay tuned.
Region 3-3M - Sunrise Piper (6-4) at 7. Coconut Creek (8-2), Friday.
Dre’s pick: Coconut Creek 35, Piper 7. A solid year for Piper which included a district title ends with a thud as Creek winds up before the road gets tougher starting next week.
Region 4-4M - Hialeah Goleman (4-5) at 8. Columbus (8-2), 4:30, Thursday.
Dre’s pick: Columbus 42, Goleman 3. Congrats to the Gators for making the playoffs for only the second time ever. Unfortunately for them, this was the reward.
Region 4-4M - Doral Academy (5-4) vs. 9. Palmetto (8-1), Thursday, Tropical.
Dre’s pick: Palmetto 38, Doral 7. Palmetto won this game 49-3 in the preseason. Doral is playing better these days…but still.
Region 4-2M - North Miami Beach (4-6) vs. 10. Booker T. Washington (8-2), Thursday, Curtis.
Dre’s pick: Booker T. 26, NMB 12. This game should give a better indication if the Tornadoes are ready for the challenges that lie ahead…especially on offense.
Region 3-4M - Parkland Douglas (4-6) vs. 11. Monarch (8-2), Thursday, Coconut Creek.
Dre’s pick: Monarch 38, Douglas 6. Quarterback AJ Hairston is back and the Knights secured the top seed in the region. Both were huge developments for a team looking to make a deep playoff run.
Region 3-2M - Fort Lauderdale Stranahan (5-5) at 12. Cardinal Gibbons (7-3), Friday.
Dre’s pick: Gibbons 42, Stranahan 17. We saw this movie recently. These aren’t the games that give the Chiefs trouble. That could come again in the regional finals.
Region 4-4M - Weston Cypress Bay (8-2) at 13. Western (7-3), Thursday.
Dre’s pick: Western 38, Cypress Bay 7. Maybe a bit closer than last time? It’ll still be the same result in Western’s favor.
Region 4-3M - Hialeah American (6-4) at 16. Miramar (6-4), Thursday.
Dre’s pick: Miramar 27, American 6. The Battle of the Patriots, part II. Miramar appears to have finally gotten their offense going. Not a good thing for their potential opponents in this region.
17. True North (8-2): Idle.
Region 4-4M - 18. South Dade (7-3) vs. Pembroke Pines West Broward (7-3), Friday, Flanagan.
Dre’s pick: South Dade 27, West Broward 6. One of the stories of the year in Dade shouldn’t end here as the Bucs pick up their first playoff win since 2018.
Region 4-3M - Miami Belen (4-6) at 20. South Broward (8-2), Thursday.
Dre’s pick: South Broward 24, Belen Jesuit 7. The Bulldogs bounce back from a tough loss to Miramar before securing a rematch with the Patriots next week.
OTHER GAMES
FRIDAY - Region 4-2M - Miami Monsignor Pace (6-4) at Gulliver Prep (7-3), 3:30; Pace 28-14; Region 3-2M - Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian (7-3) at Boca Raton St. Andrews (9-1); SA 35-17.
Dre’s record - Last week (Top 20): 10-1; Overall: 37-3. Season (Top 20): 140-21 (.870); Overall: 440-82 (.843).
This story was originally published November 7, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
