Fernandez: Chaminade edges Aquinas in season-finale heavyweight clash | Opinion
One final regular-season week for the majority of South Florida’s teams feature a clash of two of the nation’s best — Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna and Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas — as well as several matchups that should impact playoff seeding.
The playoffs are also underway for many of South Florida’s independent teams, which will carry over into next week’s buffer week before the FHSAA state playoffs begin the second week of November.
Here’s a look at Week 11 along with the new Miami Herald rankings.
THE MIAMI HERALD’S SOUTH FLORIDA TOP 20
1. Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas (8-1); 2. Miami Northwestern (9-0); 3. Hollywood Chaminade (7-1); 4. Miami Central (7-1); 5. Miami Southridge (8-1); 6. Fort Lauderdale Dillard (9-0); 7. Hollywood McArthur (7-2); 8. Pembroke Pines West Broward (7-2); 9. Miami True North (6-2); 10. Fort Lauderdale Archbishop McCarthy (7-2); 11. Miami Palmetto (7-2); 12. Coconut Creek Monarch (5-4); 13. Plantation American Heritage (4-5); 14. Miami Norland (5-5); 15. Plantation (5-4); 16. Miami La Salle (9-0); 17. Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons (6-3); 18. Coconut Creek (6-3); 19. Davie Western (4-5); 20. Pembroke Pines Flanagan (7-2); Dropped out: 17. Hialeah Gardens Mater Academy (7-2). On the cusp: Miami Killian (6-2), Edison (4-4), Piper (5-4).
GAMES OF THE WEEK
3. Chaminade (7-1) at 1. St. Thomas Aquinas (8-1), 7, Friday.
A great showdown of South Florida superpowers to cap the regular season. While bragging rights are on the line for the two most successful programs in recent years from Broward County, each side hopes to get through this one as healthy as possible to keep respective state championship streaks going in the next month or so.
Aquinas has literally been around the world and back, showcasing its depth and complete team, which is looking to extend its title streak to seven in a row while Chaminade looks for its fifth in a row behind its own stacked lineup on both sides.
The Game of the Year could come down to one play or two — maybe even a field goal — with this being so even. The Raiders will be motivated for some payback after last season. But the Lions seem to be playing their best football right now, and don’t underestimate their physical defense.
Dre’s pick: Chaminade 31, Aquinas 30.
8. West Broward (7-2) at 19. Western (4-5), 7, Thursday.
Welcome back, Western. The Wildcats struggled early, losing five of their first six games, but have recovered from some early injuries to put together a strong stretch run. Western repeated as district champions and could be a dangerous team in the Region 4-7A playoffs.
Lucky for them, West Broward is in 6A. The Bobcats are playing like a legit state championship contender and are building momentum to take on a region that includes powerhouses like Southridge and West Boca Raton. Dre’s pick: West Broward 27, Western 12.
Miramar (4-5) at 17. Cardinal Gibbons (6-3), 7, Friday.
Miramar’s record is a good indicator of how battle-tested it has been this season, playing some of the best competition in the state. But the Patriots likely can’t settle for a morale win in this one if they want to make the postseason. Gibbons has a lot of firepower on offense, but has shown it can play dirty defensive football when needed. And the Chiefs need to get the sour taste of that blowout loss to Chaminade out of their collective mouths before the playoffs. Dre’s pick: Gibbons 20, Miramar 12.
THE REST OF THE TOP 20
2. Northwestern (9-0): Regular season complete
4. Central (7-1) vs. Miami Carol City (6-3), 7, Thursday, Traz.
Dre’s pick: Central 38, Carol City 12. The Rockets surge into a postseason they hope is their redemption.
Homestead South Dade (5-4) at 5. Southridge (8-1), 7:30, Friday.
Dre’s pick: Southridge 30, South Dade 7. An impressive season for the Spartans, which they hope translates to a state title run in Class 6A.
6. Dillard (9-0) at Deerfield Beach (1-8), 7, Saturday.
Dre’s pick: Dillard 40, Deerfield Beach 6. The Panthers mauled through the regular season unblemished. But now it’s time to prove their record is legit in the playoffs.
7. McArthur (7-2) at Miramar Everglades (2-7), 7, Friday.
Dre’s pick: McArthur 48, Everglades 3. Will the Mustangs next make the playoff run they loaded up for in the offseason?
9. True North (6-2) at Miami Westminster Christian (8-1), 4, Thursday.
Dre’s pick: True North 33, Westminster Christian 14. Busy week for the much-improved Titans.
9. True North (6-2) vs. Archbishop Carroll (6-1-1), 6, Monday, Milander.
Dre’s pick: True North 38, Carroll 14. In the completion of their suspended game from a couple of months ago, the Titans can wrap up a district title.
West Palm Beach King’s Academy (5-4) at 10. Archbishop McCarthy (7-2), 7, Friday.
Dre’s pick: McCarthy 37, King’s Academy 21. The Mavericks have been impressive, and know the real test begins next.
11. Palmetto (7-2) vs. Fort Myers Bishop Verot (4-4), 7, Thursday, Tropical.
Dre’s pick: Palmetto 30, Bishop Verot 23. The Panthers have done a great job putting together a challenging schedule to prepare for a possible state title run in 7A.
Pompano Beach Blanche Ely (3-6) vs. 12. Monarch (5-4), 7, Thursday, Coconut Creek.
Dre’s pick: Monarch 41, Ely 6. The Knights are out to prove they are still state title contenders in Class 6A.
13. American Heritage (4-5): Regular season complete
14. Norland (5-5): Regular season complete
15. Plantation (5-4) at South Plantation (6-3), 7, Thursday.
Dre’s pick: Plantation 28, South Plantation 7. The Colonels have won 11 in a row in the series and haven’t lost to the Paladins since 2012. Expect the streak to continue.
16. La Salle (9-0) vs. Miami Dr. Krop (2-7), 7, Friday, Ives.
Dre’s pick: La Salle 33, Krop 6. Don’t expect a letdown by the Royal Lions coming off their biggest win of the season.
Parkland Douglas (4-5) at 18. Coconut Creek (6-3), 7, Thursday.
Dre’s pick: Creek 30, Douglas 6. Creek ends a strong overall regular season on a high note and braces for a tough playoff road.
20. Flanagan (7-2) at Cooper City (5-4), 7, Thursday.
Dre’s pick: Flanagan 23, Cooper City 7. Neighborhood rivalry game should be competitive but Falcons’ team speed will make the difference.
OTHER GAMES
Wednesday — Miami-Dade: North Miami vs. American (Milander), 7; NM 33-13.
Thursday — Miami-Dade vs. Broward: Somerset at Key at Ransom Everglades, 7; RE 42-3; Miami-Dade: Edison at Doral, 7; Ed 34-14; Miami Beach vs. Miami High (Curtis), 7; Beach 20-6; Belen vs. Killian (Southridge), 7; Kil 31-17; BridgePrep Village Green at Somerset Silver Palms, 7; SSP 35-3; Archbishop Carroll at Boca Olympic Heights, 6:30; OH 31-28; GMAC independent semifinals: Coral Reef at Reagan, 3:30; RR 23-20; Hialeah Gardens at Braddock, 3:30; Brad 24-17; Broward: Hallandale at Cypress Bay, 7; CB 27-7; Pompano Beach at Northeast, 6:30; NE 13-6; Somerset Academy at Vero Beach, 7; Vero 42-12; Stranahan vs. Fort Lauderdale (Dillard), 7; Stran 14-7; Taravella at Coral Springs, 7; CS 9-8; SSAC 11-man round of 16 playoffs: Florida Christian at NSU University School, 6; US 30-28.
Friday — Miami-Dade: Goleman at Monsignor Pace, 7:30; Gol 34-18; Coral Gables vs. Southwest (Tropical), 7:30; CG 27-6; St. Brendan at Gulliver, 4; Gul 28-7; Mater Academy vs. Jackson (Curtis), 7:30; MA 42-2; Naples St. John Neumann vs. NMB (Traz), 7:30; SJN 34-26; ABF Academy at Palmer Trinity, 4; PT 34-13; Broward: Hollywood Hills at Nova, 7; Nova 27-6;
South Broward at Piper, 7; Pip 34-12; Somerset Prep at Somerset Canyons, 6:30; SC 24-20; Pine Crest at Marathon, 7; PC 31-21; SSAC 11-man round of 16 playoffs: Westminster Academy at Melbourne Holy Trinity, 7; HT 31-24; SSAC Atlantic League round of 16 playoff: Coral Springs Charter at Space Coast, 7; Space 30-24.
Andre’s record — Last week (Top 20): 14-1; Overall: 39-8; Season (Top 20): 123-19 (.866); Overall: 376-82 (.821).
