Fernandez: Can Heritage conquer the Superdome? Is Columbus still Dade’s best in 7A? | Opinion
It’s clear through the first three weeks of the high school football season in South Florida that not even the best teams have completely rounded into form yet.
Well, maybe Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas is the exception after its 42-7 handling of Miami Columbus.
Hollywood Chaminade-Madonnna course-corrected its season with an impressive comeback win over Plantation American Heritage, although both teams still have things to fix as they take their next steps.
The fourth week of the season presents more intriguing matchups between some of the area’s most-improved squads, others looking for breakthroughs and others looking to still recover from tough starts.
Let’s take a look at the best of those, plus our new rankings for week 4.
THE MIAMI HERALD’S SOUTH FLORIDA TOP 20
1. St. Thomas Aquinas (2-1); 2. Miami Northwestern (1-1); 3. Chaminade (2-1); 4. American Heritage (1-1); 5. Miami Central (2-0); 6. Miami Southridge (2-0); 7. Fort Lauderdale Dillard (3-0); 8. Columbus (0-2); 9. Miami Norland (2-1); 10. Fort Lauderdale Archbishop McCarthy (3-0); 11. Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons (1-1); 12. Pembroke Pines West Broward (1-2); 13. Miami Palmetto (1-1); 14. Hollywood McArthur (1-1); 15. Coconut Creek (3-0); 16. Coconut Creek Monarch (1-2); 17. Miami True North (1-2); 18. Hialeah Gardens Mater Academy (3-0); 19. Miami Killian (2-0); 20. Miramar (1-2); Dropped out: 18. Plantation (1-2), 19. Miami Edison (1-2), 20. Miami Carol City (1-2); On the rise: Pembroke Pines Flanagan (2-0), Hialeah Gardens Goleman (2-1), Miami La Salle (3-0).
GAMES OF THE WEEK
4. American Heritage (2-1) vs. New Orleans Edna Karr (1-0), 8:30, Friday, Caesars Superdome
The last time Heritage was on the national stage, it turned what appeared headed for an embarrassing loss into a memorable comeback win when it erased a 28-point second-half deficit to beat Philadelphia power St. Joseph’s Prep, 31-28.
The Patriots were on the other side of such a development last week as Chaminade overcame a 10-point deficit late to beat the Patriots 28-24 in another classic between two of Broward County’s premier programs.
What’s next for Heritage? A trip to one of football’s hallowed venues — the Superdome.
Heritage slipped to No. 23 nationally after the loss and now must overcome No. 12 Edna Karr, a seven-time state champion, which will be playing practically a home game as part of a doubleheader dubbed the Inspire the City Invitational.
The Cougars are led by a pair of four-star LSU commits on defense in defensive tackle Richard Anderson and safety Aiden Hall. Cornerback Hayward Howard Jr., a Texas commit, will try to make life difficult for his future college teammate Dia Bell, American Heritage’s quarterback and a fellow Longhorns commit. Unless the Patriots can establish their offense early and run the ball, this one could turn frustrating quickly. Dre’s pick: Edna Karr 24, American Heritage 17.
9. Norland (2-1) vs. 2. Northwestern (1-1), 7, Thursday, Traz.
After uneven results to open the season, Norland has picked up some momentum during the past couple of weeks. But the Vikings face their toughest challenge to date this week against a Bulls squad hungry for a challenge. Northwestern has struggled offensively at times, but found some rhythm last week. This week is a good barometer against a young, but aggressive Norland defense led by senior Demonte Oliver. Dre’s pick: Northwestern 21, Norland 12.
13. Palmetto (1-1) vs. 8. Columbus (0-2), 7:30, Friday, Tropical
The battle to represent Dade in the state final four in Class 7A still looks like it could come down to these two. Columbus has owned this series in recent years, but a lot of the matchups have been competitive. The Panthers are tired of “just being competitive” against their rivals. They showed off some of their offensive weapons in spots last week against Southridge, but a second-quarter meltdown buried them early. If Columbus can fix its offense (which has scored 28 points in two-plus games if you count the yet-to-be-completed game against Southridge) can avoid turnovers, it should prove it still is the top dog in this series. Dre’s pick: Columbus 17, Palmetto 14.
17. True North (1-2) at 10. Archbishop McCarthy (3-0), 7, Friday.
McCarthy has been one of the stories of the season so far after defeating Cardinal Gibbons in its opener and following up with two more wins. True North has arguably its most talented roster and picked up its first win last Saturday after losses to Sarasota Cardinal Mooney and Fort Myers Bishop Verot the first two weeks.
Two of the most explosive offenses in South Florida clash in this one as True North quarterback Zach Katz duels with McCarthy’s Robert Kerns. Which defense makes enough key stops wins this one. Dre’s pick: McCarthy 35, True North 34.
12. West Broward (1-2) at 11. Cardinal Gibbons (1-1), 7, Friday.
West Broward also bounced back after two tough losses against out-of-county competition while Gibbons finally got the chance to recover from the McCarthy loss with a dominant performance against Calvary Christian. This was the game the Bobcats won last season, 43-39, which opened some eyes. West Broward’s ability to run the ball effectively could be the difference in this one. Dre’s pick: West Broward 40, Cardinal Gibbons 38.
THE REST OF THE TOP 20
Davie Western (0-2) at 1. St. Thomas Aquinas (2-1), 7, Friday.
Dre’s pick: Aquinas 48, Western 7. The Raiders are on another level right now, and Western has really regressed.
3. Chaminade (2-1) vs. Edison (1-2), 7, Thursday, Curtis.
Dre’s pick: Chaminade 42, Edison 12. Hard to see the Lions slipping up here after a big win last week.
Pompano Beach (1-2) vs. 5. Central (2-0), 7, Thursday, Traz.
Dre’s pick: Central 52, Pompano 2. The Rockets should be able to play their full roster in this one.
6. Southridge (2-0) vs. Hialeah (2-1), 7, Saturday, Monsignor Pace.
Dre’s pick: Southridge 41, Hialeah 13. The Spartans use this week to continue to fine-tune things.
7. Dillard (3-0) at Lauderdale Lakes Boyd Anderson (0-2), 7, Saturday.
Dre’s pick: Dillard 50, Boyd Anderson 6. The Panthers are another of the more-improved teams in South Florida.
14. McArthur (1-1) at Weston Cypress Bay (1-1), 7, Friday.
Dre’s pick: McArthur 27, Cypress Bay 7. The Mustangs should start putting a win streak together here.
Deerfield Beach (0-2) at 15. Coconut Creek (3-0), 7, Friday.
Dre’s pick: Coconut Creek 38, Deerfield Beach 6. The Cougars stay unbeaten this week before a tough one next week against Gibbons.
16. Monarch (1-2) at Sanford Seminole (2-1), 7, Friday.
Dre’s pick: Seminole 27, Monarch 22. Tough opening slate for the Knights.
20. Miramar (1-2) vs. 18. Mater Academy (3-0), 7, Friday, Ansin Sports Complex.
Dre’s pick: Mater Academy 20, Miramar 19. First signature win for the Lions under Ice Harris?
Homestead South Dade (2-1) vs. 19. Killian (2-0), 7:30, Friday, Sam Burley Stadium.
Dre’s pick: Killian 14, South Dade 7. Two young teams that are on the rise, but Killian is further ahead in the process.
OTHER GAMES
Thursday — Miami-Dade: Jackson at American, 3:30; Am 20-6; Miami High vs. Coral Gables (Tropical), 7; MHS 20-14; Southwest vs. Homestead (Harris), 7; Hom 28-13; South Miami at Miami Springs, 3:30; MS 34-7; Westland Hialeah vs. Carol City (Betty Ferguson), 7; CC 42-3; Booker T. at La Salle, 7; LaS 30-12; Coral Park at Hialeah-Miami Lakes, 3:30; CP 14-2; Gulliver at Benjamin, 6; Gul 24-21; Oxbridge Academy at Archbishop Carroll, 3:30; AC 28-14.
Friday — Miami-Dade vs. Broward: South Broward at Doral, 7; SB 17-14; North Miami at Pines Charter, 6; NM 23-8; Somerset Academy at Monsignor Pace, 7:30; Pace 33-14; Belen at Key West, 7; KW 17-14; Somerset Silver Palms at Somerset Key, 7; SSP 41-14; Pine Crest at Westminster Christian, 4; WC 38-14; Miami-Dade: Miami Beach vs. Krop (Ives), 7; MB 14-12; NMB at Punta Gorda Charlotte, 7:30; Char 35-26; Palmer Trinity at Ransom Everglades, 7; RE 28-17; BridgePrep Village Green at Florida Christian, 7; FC 30-12; Naples Canterbury at Miami Country Day, 7; Canterbury 38-7; Coral Reef at Braddock, 3:30; Reef 35-14; Varela at Sunset, 3:30; Var 14-7; Broward: Blanche Ely at Delray Atlantic, 6:30; Atl 24-8; Stranahan at Coral Glades, 7; Stran 35-13; Piper vs. Plantation (PAL), 7; Plant 20-8; Delray American Heritage at North Broward Prep, 6; AH 24-21; Fort Lauderdale at Flanagan, 7; Flan 34-7; Taravella at Everglades, 7; Ever 24-7; Nova at South Plantation, 7; SP 24-20; Hollywood Hills at Cooper City, 7; Coop 34-7; Northeast at Hallandale, 7; Hall 18-6; Somerset Prep at Calvary Christian, 7; Calv 42-6; NSU University School at Boca St. Andrews, 7; SA 28-24; Belle Glade Glades Day at Westminster Academy, 7; WA 36-6.
Andre’s record —-Last week (Top 20): 13-2; Overall: 37-5; Season (Top 20): 34-8 (.810); Overall: 94-27 (.777).
This story was originally published September 8, 2025 at 3:50 PM.
