Here’s a look at the top games in Broward for the 2024 high school football season
Starting with the third annual Broward County Football Showcase all the way to the state championships in early December, the best from the 954 will take on the best of the best from around the state and the nation again this season. There are also some traditional crosstown rivalry games which promise to be entertaining as always as some of the top talent in the country resides right here in South Florida.
Here’s a look at the best games week-by-week featuring Broward County teams.
NOTE: All games at 7 p.m. unless noted.
REGULAR SEASON - WEEK 1 - AUG. 22-24
▪ Las Vegas Bishop Gorman at St. Thomas Aquinas, Aug. 24, 4 p.m.: The aforementioned Broward Showcase has grown and added better and better matchups in its brief history. This might be its biggest get yet, landing reigning national champion Bishop Gorman, which opens the season ranked No. 2 nationally by MaxPreps, in a premier matchup against 11th-ranked Aquinas. Neither team is a stranger to big national showdowns or ESPN-televised games as this one will be.
These two last met in 2016 when Aquinas traveled to Las Vegas and lost a triple-overtime thriller 25-24. A win here could vault the Raiders into the top 5 and in striking distance of a national title if they run the table beyond that.
▪ Chaminade vs. St. John Bosco (CA) at St. Thomas Aquinas, Aug. 24, 8 p.m.: The second half of Saturday’s ESPN doubleheader pits Bosco, ranked fourth nationally, against ninth-ranked Chaminade, which finished second to Gorman last season in that poll. Bosco beat Aquinas in last year’s Showcase 20-7 and has reloaded for another run at a national title. Chaminade did the same, fortifying its roster after graduating several key players. Can the Lions pick up arguably their toughest win and chart a course for a fourth consecutive state title and maybe more?
▪ More games to watch - Aug. 22: Monarch vs. vs. Peachtree Ridge (GA), 4; Miami Northwestern at Coconut Creek, 8; Aug. 23: Norland at Miramar; Milton (Ga.) vs. American Heritage (Aquinas); Lake Mary at Cardinal Gibbons; Dillard vs. Plantation (PAL); South Broward vs. West Broward (Ansin); Aug. 24: Hoover (AL) at Western.
WEEK 2 - AUG. 29-31
▪ Western at American Heritage, Aug. 30, 7:30 p.m.: Heritage has come up painfully short of winning a state title for two consecutive seasons, losing in the state final in 2022 and semifinal last season. The Patriots have put together a brutal schedule in the hopes of molding them into a tough team that will be ready for anything come December. Western has reloaded for another shot at the title in Class 7A and might have its deepest squad ever. But new starters in key spots including quarterback will ultimately determine whether the Wildcats supplant Columbus as king in the state’s highest class.
▪ More games to watch - Aug. 29: Chaminade at Blanche Ely; South Broward at Cardinal Gibbons; Miramar vs. Plantation (PAL).
WEEK 3 - SEPT. 5-7
▪ American Heritage at Chaminade, Sept. 6 (GAME OF THE YEAR, PART I): Chaminade has prevailed two consecutive years in this clash of nationally-ranked squads in thrilling finishes. The Patriots have one of the strongest junior classes in the country who are more experienced after starting last season and could make this one of the Lions’ toughest tests. It will be interesting to see where Chaminade is at with a lot of talented, but new starters on both sides of the ball.
▪ Columbus at St. Thomas Aquinas, Sept. 6: Aquinas is trying to extend its streak of five consecutive state championships. Meanwhile, Columbus is vying for three in a row. This game could turn into an annual event as it will bring together two of the most fervent fanbases in the state. Couple that with the fact both teams should be in the mix for a state title consistently and you have the makings of a great rivalry series.
▪ More games to watch - Sept. 6: Monarch at Cedar Grove (Ga.); West Broward vs. Plantation (PAL).
WEEK 4 - SEPT. 12-14
▪ St. Thomas Aquinas at Western, Sept. 13: A week after facing the reigning state champions from Florida’s highest classification, Aquinas will take on the team that enters as one of the favorites to win it this season. The Wildcats will have gone through their own tough tests by this point and will get a great gauge to see what they need to strengthen to make a run at the title.
▪ More games to watch - Sept. 12: Edison at Chaminade; Sept. 13: American Heritage at Naples, 7:30; Monarch at Sanford Seminole, 7:30; West Broward vs. Cardinal Gibbons (Cypress Bay).
WEEK 5 - SEPT. 19-21
▪ American Heritage vs. Central, Sept. 20 at Traz Powell: These two haven’t played since the thrilling 2022 Class 2M state championship, which ended with Central forcing a fumble on Heritage’s would-be game-winning drive to hang on for the championship. Two of the nation’s top 25 teams should make this another classic.
▪ Norland at Chaminade, Sept. 20, 7 p.m.: These teams played for state championships on the same weekend in Tallahassee last season and finished with markedly different results. While the Lions cruised to their sixth state title in eight consecutive trips to state, the Vikings suffered a deflating loss to finish 14-1. Chaminade will have to deal with a hungry Norland squad looking to score a signature win.
▪ More games to watch - Sept. 20: Coconut Creek at Cardinal Gibbons; Dillard at Miramar; Plantation at South Broward.
WEEK 6 - SEPT. 26-28
▪ Chaminade at Western, Sept. 27: Another one of those tests for both sides on potential paths to the state tournament as Western becomes the latest team trying to score a signature win on one of the nation’s premier powerhouses. This should be a good barometer to see who is in midseason form.
▪ More games to watch - Sept. 27: Orlando Bishop Moore at St. Thomas Aquinas; Blanche Ely at Deerfield Beach.
WEEK 7 - OCT. 3-5
▪ Monarch vs. Chaminade, Oct. 5 at Coconut Creek: See what was said above about Western when facing Chaminade. Monarch is no longer in the same classification as Western and Columbus, but still faces a tough path in Class 6A with Homestead and others. The Knights have one of their most talented teams in recent memory and should get a great experience facing an elite Chaminade squad.
▪ More games to watch - Oct. 4: South Broward at Coconut Creek; West Boca Raton at Western; Oct. 5: Plantation at Blanche Ely.
WEEK 8 - OCT. 9-12
▪ St. Thomas Aquinas at Chaminade, Oct. 11 (GAME OF THE YEAR, PART II): Let’s give the Broward County Athletic Association a hand for making Chaminade a member and creating this matchup people have wanted to see for nearly a decade. The two biggest of Broward’s gargantuan football programs clash in what could be one of the ages.
▪ American Heritage vs. Norland, Oct. 12 at Traz Powell: The following night a crosstown battle that will have more meaning in terms of the playoffs for both sides. It will more than likely decide the district championship and set the tone for a rematch in the regional finals as the winner of this two-game battle likely wins this year’s Class 4A championship.
▪ More games to watch - Oct. 10: Coconut Creek at Delray Atlantic.
WEEK 9 - OCT. 17-19
▪ Blanche Ely at Dillard, Oct. 18: The Soul Bowl was intense the past couple of seasons with both sides using this rivalry clash as a tune-up for a rematch in the postseason. But now Dillard and Ely find themselves in separate classifications again with the Panthers in Class 4A and the Tigers in Class 5A. That should make this singular meeting between the longtime rivals much more meaningful.
▪ More games to watch - Oct. 18: Monarch at St. Thomas Aquinas; Miramar at Coconut Creek.
WEEK 10 - OCT. 23-26
▪ American Heritage at St. Thomas Aquinas, Oct. 25 (GAME OF THE YEAR, PART III): Another clash of titans thanks to great scheduling that pits state and national title contenders. It will be curious to see where each of those squads are in the national polls after brutal schedules and what shape their rosters are in as the playoffs loom.
▪ More games to watch - Oct. 24: Plantation vs. Norland (Traz); Oct. 25: Chaminade at Cardinal Gibbons; NSU University School at Gulliver, 4; Blanche Ely at Coconut Creek; Miramar at Everglades.
WEEK 11 - OCT. 30-NOV. 1
▪ Cardinal Gibbons at Miramar, Nov. 1: After Gibbons’ move to Class 2A, the Chiefs should be gearing up to make a run at a state title with likely their biggest obstacle locally being Miami Booker T. Washington. Miramar is traditionally strong and hopes to be battle-tested enough to open some eyes in Class 5A.
▪ More games to watch - Oct. 31: West Broward vs. Western (Ansin); Plantation vs. South Plantation (PAL); Nov. 1: Monarch at Blanche Ely; Cooper City at Flanagan; Coral Springs at Taravella.
PLAYOFFS
▪ Nov. 7-8: Regional quarterfinals; Nov. 14-15: Regional semifinals; Nov. 22: Regional finals; Nov. 29: State semifinals; Dec. 5-7: State championship at site TBD.
