Fernandez: Central up to challenge regardless of who is American Heritage’s QB1
A state championship rematch and potentially another new starting quarterback transfer making his first start at a prominent school are a couple of the story lines surrounding what could be one of the best matchup of the fifth week of the high school football season.
Miami Central heads up to Plantation to face American Heritage in a rematch of the thrilling 2022 Class 2M state championship, which ended with the Rockets winning the most recent of their nine state titles.
A plethora of current college talent was in that game, including Rueben Bain Jr. for Central and Malachi Toney for American Heritage.
But three years later, Central is still trying to get back to the top and overtake rival Miami Northwestern while Heritage is the one looking to repeat after winning its sixth state title last December.
The current quarterback situation at Heritage has become a topic of major speculation since last week after Texas commit Dia Bell sat out last week’s thrilling 24-17 overtime loss to national powerhouse Edna Karr in overtime in New Orleans.
And the questions grew after Northwestern senior quarterback Leon Strawder, who led the Bulls to their state title last season, transferred to American Heritage last week.
The Patriots went with wide receiver and Georgia Tech commit Jeffar Jean-Noel last week in a move similar to when Toney replaced Bell in last year’s playoffs due to injury.
But who will line up behind center for Heritage this week remains to be seen.
Let’s break down this situation and look at both the top games for Week 5 and our new South Florida Top 20 rankings.
THE MIAMI HERALD’S SOUTH FLORIDA TOP 20
1. Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas (3-1); 2. Miami Northwestern (2-1); 3. Hollywood Chaminade (2-1); 4. Plantation American Heritage (1-2); 5. Miami Central (2-0); 6. Miami Southridge (3-0); 7. Fort Lauderdale Dillard (4-0); 8. Hollywood McArthur (2-1); 9. Miami Palmetto (2-1); 10. Miami Norland (2-2); 11. Miami Columbus (0-3); 12. Pembroke Pines West Broward (1-2); 13. Miami True North (2-2); 14. Coconut Creek Monarch (2-2); 15. Fort Lauderdale Archbishop McCarthy (3-1); 16. Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons (1-1); 17. Coconut Creek (4-0); 18. Hialeah Gardens Mater Academy (4-0); 19. Miami Killian (3-0); 20. Pembroke Pines Flanagan (3-0); Dropped out: 20. Miramar (1-3); On the rise: Hialeah Gardens Goleman (2-1), Miami La Salle (4-0), Plantation (2-2); Miami Edison (1-2).
GAMES OF THE WEEK
5. Central (2-0) at 4. American Heritage (1-2), 7, Friday.
Bell appeared to have been injured toward the end of Heritage’s 28-24 loss to Chaminade two weeks ago, but did not have any outward appearance of an injury during pregame last week in New Orleans.
It has led many to speculate when, or if, Bell, a senior headed to one of the country’s premier college programs, will play again for the Patriots — especially after the arrival of an accomplished starter such as like Strawder.
Jean-Noel performed well enough to give Heritage confidence he could step in again if needed. And if Strawder starts and is comfortable enough already in the Patriots’ offense, his skills coupled with his familiarity with Central could be a huge edge.
The Rockets, who have played only two games due to weather issues, have overwhelmed their only competition so far in lopsided wins against Edison and Booker T. Washington. But Heritage presents a far greater challenge, and one the Rockets will only be able to overcome if their talented defensive front can make life miserable for whoever Heritage plays at quarterback. Dre’s pick: Central 27, American Heritage 24.
2. Northwestern (2-1) vs. 11. Columbus (0-3), 7:30, Friday, Tropical.
Northwestern’s season-opening loss to an out-of-state opponent might have stirred up some questions about how the Bulls would perform after their eventful offseason. After losing the chance to recover against Venice, Northwestern made a statement last week by crushing a strong Norland squad with Lawrence now its established QB1. This isn’t good news for the struggling Explorers, who dropped a heartbreaker to Palmetto last week. Columbus is still among the better teams in South Florida despite their winless record. But the losses are piling up and the Explorers will need to find a way to turn the corner sooner than later if they’re still to contend in Class 7A. Dre’s pick: Northwestern 38, Columbus 10.
9. Palmetto (2-1) vs. 19. Killian (3-0), 7, Thursday, Tropical.
It’s about time the Big Cat Trophy game had a little more luster. Palmetto made this matchup more compelling after scoring its first win over Columbus since 2021 last week. The Panthers now hold the regular-season edge in the region as they hope to carry that success into the playoffs. If Palmetto avoids turnovers, it has the talent to compete with some of the state’s best. Killian is one of the most-improved teams in Miami-Dade so far with its best start in recent years, highlighted by a win against Edison. This game will show how much progress or how much there is still to be accomplished for the Cougars. Dre’s pick: Palmetto 27, Killian 13.
1. St. Thomas Aquinas (3-1) at 8. McArthur (2-1), 7, Friday.
This matchup looks good in terms of rankings, but is a little more mismatched than it appears. The Mustangs are much better and are starting to show it in recent weeks even in their close loss to Chaminade. But Aquinas can overpower even the best of what South Florida has to offer with one of its strongest squads in recent years. Dre’s pick: Aquinas 38, McArthur 14.
16. Cardinal Gibbons (1-1) at 17. Coconut Creek (4-0), 7, Saturday.
Cardinal Gibbons had a compelling matchup against West Broward postponed to September 29th, forcing the Chiefs to play a stretch of three games in 10 days starting with this game. Coconut Creek continued to impress in what’s been a comeback season so far for the Cougars. This game ought to give a better idea of how much better Creek is this year against the Chiefs, who can be pretty explosive on offense, but often generous on defense. Dre’s pick: Gibbons 28, Creek 27.
THE REST OF THE TOP 20
3. Chaminade (2-1) at Miami Edison (1-2), 3:30, Monday (completion of suspended game).
Dre’s pick: Chaminade 48, Edison 12. The Lions were already ahead 28-6 in the second half when this game was halted last week.
Doral Academy (1-2) at 6. Southridge (3-0), 7, Thursday.
Dre’s pick: Southridge 44, Doral 3. The Spartans appear to have found their stride following that win over Palmetto.
Miramar (1-3) at 7. Dillard (4-0), 7, Friday.
Dre’s pick: Dillard 35, Miramar 7. This is one of the best offenses Dillard has had in a long time.
10. Norland (2-2) at Delray Beach Atlantic (4-0), 7, Thursday.
Dre’s pick: Atlantic 30, Norland 27. This is a test of character for the Vikings on the road coming off a humbling defeat to Northwestern.
12. West Broward (1-2) at 20. Flanagan (3-0), 7, Friday.
Dre’s pick: West Broward 30, Flanagan 14. Flanagan is better this season, but West Broward started getting better last season and is ready to put together a pretty good run.
13. True North (2-2): Bye.
Fort Lauderdale (1-3) at 14. Monarch (2-2), 7, Thursday, Coconut Creek.
Dre’s pick: Monarch 40, Fort Lauderdale 6. The Knights roll before taking on Chaminade next week.
Boynton Beach Somerset Canyons (1-2) at 15. Archbishop McCarthy (3-1), 7, Friday.
Dre’s pick: McCarthy 42, Canyons 7. The Mavericks bounce back after an eye-opening loss to True North.
18. Mater Academy (4-0) at Miramar Everglades (2-2), 7, Friday.
Dre’s pick: Mater 42, Everglades 6. The Lions picked up their biggest win yet against Miramar, and should have no trouble with another team from that area.
OTHER GAMES
Wednesday - Miami-Dade: Hialeah Gardens vs. Goleman (Milander), 7; Gol 45-3;
Thursday - Miami-Dade: Monsignor Pace vs. Edison (Traz), 7; Pace 28-26; Southwest at Ferguson, 3:30; Ferg 27-12; South Miami at Westland Hialeah (Hialeah Gardens), 3:30; WH 14-2; BridgePrep Village Green at Belen, 7; Bel 38-7; Braddock at Coral Park, 3:30; Brad 42-2; Coral Reef at Reagan (Doral Legacy), 3:30; CR 28-14; Broward: Coral Glades at Hallandale, 7; Glades 21-18; Somerset Key at Olympic Heights, 7; OH 38-6; Miami-Dade vs. Broward: Calvary Christian vs. North Miami (Curtis), 7; NM 16-14.
Friday - Miami-Dade: Jackson vs. St. Brendan (Curtis), 7:30; StB 20-6; Miami High vs. Hialeah (Pace), 7; Hia 37-7; Homestead at Fort Myers Bishop Verot, 7; BV 40-21; Lakeland vs. Booker T. (Traz), 7:30; Lak 50-6; Somerset Silver Palms at Miami Springs, 3:30; SSP 24-12; Westminster Christian at Ransom Everglades, 7; WC 28-24; Key West at Gulliver, 4; Gul 33-14; ABF Academy at Archbishop Carroll, 3:30; AC 44-20; Marathon at Palmer Trinity, 4; PT 34-7; Somerset South Homestead at Riviera Beach Inlet Grove, 7; IG 28-6; SmartEn Academy at Florida Christian, 7; FC 39-6; Broward: Taravella at Western, 7; West 28-7; Douglas at Boyd Anderson, 7; MSD 20-12; Stranahan at Cypress Bay, 7; CB 27-8; Coral Springs at South Plantation, 7; SP 35-7; Coral Springs Charter at Pompano Beach, 7; CSC 32-14; South Broward vs. Plantation (PAL), 7; Plant 34-14; Pines Charter at Cooper City, 7; Coop 14-7; North Broward Prep at Boca St. Andrews, 6:30; SA 38-6; Somerset Prep at Boca St. John Paul II, 6:30; SJP 38-14; Oxbridge Academy at Pine Crest, 7; PC 21-14.
Saturday - Miami-Dade: NMB vs. American (Milander), 7; NMB 22-12; Broward: Piper at Blanche Ely, 5:30; Pip 14-12.
Andre’s record - Last week (Top 20): 9-3; Overall: 35-9; Season (Top 20): 43-11 (.796); Overall: 131-36 (.784).
This story was originally published September 15, 2025 at 1:30 AM.
