Miami Central not ready to yield the crown to longtime rival Miami Northwestern | Opinion
Miami Central vs. Miami Northwestern.
Whether you have followed high school football in South Florida for years or not, you likely know how big this rivalry is.
With new elements such as Northwestern alumnus Teddy Bridgewater in his first year as coach trying to lead the Bulls back to glory, the latest chapter in this series gets juicier.
Elsewhere, multiple state title contenders face tough challenges home and on the road.
And get ready for a busy week as numerous South Florida teams will play more than one game this week as they make up contests that were postponed due to Hurricane Helene last week.
Here’s the new Miami Herald South Florida Top 20 rankings and a look at the week 7 matchups.
THE TOP 20
1. Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas (5-1); 2. Miami Central (4-1); 3. Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna (4-2); 4. Miami Norland (4-1); 5. Miami Northwestern (3-2); 6. Plantation American Heritage (3-3); 7. Coconut Creek Monarch (3-1); 8. Miami Columbus (3-2); 9. Miami Southridge (5-1); 10. Miami Palmetto (3-2); 11. Miami Booker T. Washington (3-2); 12. Sunrise Piper (5-0); 13. Pompano Beach Blanche Ely (4-2); 14. Homestead South Dade (2-3); 15. Homestead (2-3); 16. Plantation (4-1); 17. Pembroke Pines West Broward (4-2); 18. Fort Lauderdale Dillard (4-1); 19. Davie Western (1-4); 20. Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons (3-2); On the cusp: Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian (5-1), Miami La Salle (3-1), Miami Edison (4-2), Monsignor Pace (3-2).
GAMES OF THE WEEK
2. Central (4-1) vs. 5. Northwestern (3-2), 7:30, Friday, Traz.
It’s always remarkable how this rivalry game produces quality games year after year. Even last season with Northwestern struggling in a non-playoff year, it almost pulled the upset of Central, which at the time was a four-time reigning state champion.
This season, the Bulls are on more equal footing thanks to a replenished roster under Bridgewater. Northwestern has been battle-tested so far with its two losses coming against two of the state’s best in Venice and Norland. The Bulls have some solid wins, including a preseason triumph against Miami Palmetto and blowout wins against Coconut Creek and Miami Carol City.
But if they want to shout loud and clear that they’re back, they have to beat their longtime neighborhood nemesis. They might get two chances at it with this week’s game and perhaps a rematch in the playoffs like old times.
The Rockets are rolling right now after switching quarterbacks following a season-opening loss to Lakeland and riding a power running game and defense to four consecutive victories. That has always been a championship formula and one that should serve them well in this first encounter with the Bulls this season. Dre’s pick: Central 31, Northwestern 24.
3. Chaminade (4-2) vs. 7. Monarch (3-1), 7, Saturday, Coconut Creek.
Since it started the season with a dramatic win in the Broward County Showcase, weather has wreaked havoc with Monarch’s schedule forcing multiple postponements. The Knights have only played two full games since that afternoon on Aug. 22 and dropped a tough road game against Orlando powerhouse Sanford Seminole. Monarch will have likely taken care of business on Tuesday vs. Coral Springs by the time it takes the field Saturday against Chaminade, which is on a roll right now, but lost one of its key players.
Starting quarterback Preston Wright injured his thumb last week early against Western, and the Lions were forced to rotate several players mostly in Wildcat formation - with their other quarterback Tyler Chance also injured - to pick up the win. Monarch’s offense is potent behind quarterback Jack Spaeder, but the Lions defense is battle-tested now, has improved steadily since Week 1 and should be able to carry Chaminade. Dre’s pick: Chaminade 24, Monarch 14.
4. Norland (4-1) at Cocoa (3-2), 7, Friday.
Two weeks ago, the Vikings defense had its hands full trying to contain an explosive Chaminade offense. They could not and it led to a Chaminade blowout win. Norland could face a similar issue this week against the Tigers, who also have one of the state’s highest-scoring offenses led by senior wide receiver and UCF commit Jayvan Boggs.
Norland rebounded from that loss with a convincing 49-16 win against Archbishop McCarthy, but the question remains whether the Vikings offense has been truly unlocked and is ready to put up points against one of the state’s elite. Dre’s pick: Cocoa 28, Norland 20.
10. Palmetto (3-2) vs. 14. South Dade (2-3), 7:30, Friday, Harris.
It has been an uneven start for these neighborhood rivals so far. Palmetto opened eyes with another solid performance against Homestead, but came up short in a key tussle with Columbus. Meanwhile, South Dade also beat the Broncos, but then delivered one of its worst performances in quite some time against Columbus last week. This one feels like it will be close with the stakes higher now that the District 16-7A title has slipped away from both. Dre’s pick: Palmetto 17, South Dade 14.
16. Plantation (4-1) at 13. Blanche Ely (4-2), 7, Saturday.
After a string of quality wins to open Darrell Strong’s tenure as Plantation’s head coach, the Colonels were given a major wake-up call during a 35-0 shutout loss to American Heritage. The Colonels don’t have a lot of time to regroup as another Broward power awaits in Pompano Beach. Ely took out the frustrations of a 21-20 loss the prior week to Piper out on Deerfield Beach during a 70-0 rout last week. The Tigers face a much tougher obstacle, but look for them to show they are back in form as they prepare for the home stretch. Dre’s pick: Ely 27, Plantation 13.
THE REST OF THE TOP 20
Hollywood Hills (3-2) at 1. St. Thomas Aquinas (5-1), 7, Friday.
Dre’s pick: Aquinas 48, Hollywood Hills 3. Another comfortable district victory for the Raiders as they gear up for that showdown with Chaminade next week.
6. American Heritage (3-3): Bye
7. Monarch (3-1) at Coral Springs (0-5), 7, Tuesday.
Dre’s pick: Monarch 50, Coral Springs 2. A comfortable district win to start a busy week for the Knights before facing Chaminade on Saturday (see above).
8. Columbus (3-2) vs. Miami High (3-2), 7, Thursday, Curtis.
Dre’s pick: Columbus 44, Miami High 7. The Explorers found their offensive rhythm last week and that makes them more dangerous going forward.
9. Southridge (5-1) vs. Miami Edison (3-2), 7, Saturday, Traz.
Dre’s pick: Southridge 24, Edison 16. Good test for the Spartans coming off a crucial district victory.
11. Booker T. Washington (3-2) at Vero Beach (3-3), 7, Friday.
Dre’s pick: Booker T. 30, Vero Beach 24. The Tornadoes should pick up their second win in five days with a quality road trip.
12. Piper (5-0) at Boyd Anderson (2-4), 7, Friday.
Dre’s pick: Piper 30, Boyd Anderson 12. After a week off, the Bengals will continue their unbeaten start.
15. Homestead (2-3) at Doral Academy (3-2), 6, Saturday.
Dre’s pick: Homestead 34, Doral 7. The Broncos need a quick rebound after a costly loss to Southridge.
17. Dillard (4-1): Bye
18. West Broward (4-2): Bye
West Boca Raton (5-0) at 19. Western (1-4), 6:30, Friday.
Dre’s pick: Western 27, West Boca Raton 24. It will have taken over a month, but the Wildcats will finally get to celebrate a victory on the field in 2024.
20. Cardinal Gibbons (3-2) at Hallandale (2-2), 7, Friday.
Dre’s pick: Cardinal Gibbons 38, Hallandale 6. The Chiefs should start picking up some district wins over the next couple of weeks.
MORE GAMES
Tuesday - Broward: Northeast at South Plantation, 7; SP 28-12.
Thursday - Miami-Dade: Braddock at Coral Gables, 4; CG 38-2; Sunset at Coral Park, 3:30; Sun 28-7; Everglades Prep at Somerset Silver Palms, 7; SSP 27-12; Broward: Westminster Academy at Belle Glade Glades Day, 7; WA 35-21.
Friday - Miami-Dade vs. Broward: Monsignor Pace at Calvary Christian, 7; Calv 17-14; North Miami at Miramar, 7; Mir 24-6; Somerset Academy at La Salle, 7; LaS 27-20; Miami-Dade: Hialeah vs. HML (Milander), 7; Hia 50-2; American vs. Krop (Ives), 7:30; Krop 16-8; NMB at Lake Mary, 7; LM 42-12; Carol City vs. South Miami (Tropical), 7:30; CC 48-2; Southwest at Belen Jesuit, 7; Bel 28-6; Killian at Key West, 7; KW 30-18; Goleman at West Palm Beach Cardinal Newman, 7; CN 27-14; Ferguson vs. Miami Beach (Memorial), 7; MB 28-7; Miami Springs at Ransom Everglades, 7; RE 31-13; Westland Hialeah at Hialeah Gardens, 3:30; HG 34-7; Community School of Naples at St. Brendan, 7; CSN 21-17; Westminster Christian at Archbishop Carroll, 3:30; AC 38-17; True North at Jacksonville University Christian, 7; UC 34-28; Reagan at Varela, 3:30; RR 28-14; LaBelle at Palm Glades Prep, 7; LaB 42-17; Florida Christian at Naples Aubrey Rogers, 7; FC 31-14; Somerset South Homestead at Palmer Trinity, 4; PT 28-8; Broward: South Broward at Coconut Creek, 7; Creek 24-12; Flanagan at Cypress Bay, 7; CB 14-13; Deerfield Beach at McArthur, 7; DB 9-8; Nova at Pines Charter, 7; PPC 28-24; Stranahan at South Plantation, 7; Stran 34-14; Coral Glades at Stoneman Douglas, 7; MSD 26-20; Northeast vs. Coral Springs Charter (Glades), 7; CSC 26-20; Avant Garde at Jupiter Christian, 7; JC 45-14.
Saturday - Miami-Dade: Marco Island Academy at Miami Country Day, 6; MCD 35-7.
ANDRE’S RECORD
Last week - Top 20 games: 12-0; Overall: 38-10; Season - Top 20 games: 62-16 (.795); Overall: 224-63 (.781).
This story was originally published September 30, 2024 at 5:46 PM.
