Week 10 high school football predictions
District championships are on the line in Week 10 of high school football season in Broward and Palm Beach counties and Sun Sentinel reporters Wells Dusenbury and David Furones have predictions on 10 quality matchups to look forward to. Furones is 51-19 on the year while Duse is two games back in the standings at 49-21. All games are Friday at 7 p.m. unless noted.
MIRAMAR (6-1) AT WESTERN (7-1)
Duse: Miramar 27, Western 20 Fun matchup as dynamic QBs Steve Williams (Miramar) and Harrison Story (Western) go head-to-head. While Western has a strong defense, Miramar’s offense has scored at least 34 points in the past six games and I think Williams and the unit do enough to clinch the district title. Furones: Miramar 28, Western 24 When Williams and the Patriots dropped this one last year, they didn’t have the weapons out wide they possess now. Receivers Dominick Watt and Terrence Horne transferred in the offseason from McArthur and Carol City, respectively. The running game is better with good-looking freshman Ketravis Geter contributing at a high level. Hansky Paillant and Willis Sands in the front seven for Miramar will look to stop Western’s potent ground game behind Keshaun Clarke and Daniel Colon.
ATLANTIC (6-1) AT BOCA RATON (5-3)
Duse: Atlantic 24, Boca Raton 10 Rivalry showdown in Boca as these two district foes square off. After dropping its season opener by one to Palm Beach Central, Atlantic has reeled off six straight wins and is looking like the team we expected at the beginning of the year. Boca has struggled against top opponents and I don’t think that changes as the Eagles wrap up the district title. Furones: Atlantic 27, Boca Raton 13 The Eagles make it seven straight to run away with the District 10-8A crown and roll into the postseason — after a Week 11 contest against Wellington — with some serious momentum. Someone’s always going to be open with Atlantic’s deep receiving corps, spearheaded by UF commit Corey Gammage, exploiting mismatches on the outside. The Eagles prove more athletic as the Bobcats compete for a half but ultimately have Atlantic pull away.
PALM BEACH GARDENS (3-4) AT PALM BEACH CENTRAL (5-2)
Duse: Central already clinched district title and Gardens is likely out on points regardless, so tough to gauge. I think the Broncos’ defense pushes them to another win. Central 20-17. Furones: The Broncos have looked good in every aspect of the game since brushing off those two early season losses that got them battle-tested for this run. Central 20-10.
WEST BOCA (3-4) AT DWYER (6-2)
Duse: West Boca kept Dwyer from the playoffs with an
upset win in the 2014 district finale. It won’t happen again. Dwyer 24-10.
Furones: The Panthers run away with this one and the district title, putting an exclamation point on their regular season. Dwyer 31-13.
ST. ANDREW’S (6-1) AT CORAL SPRINGS CHARTER (3-4)
Duse: Great season for St. Andrew’s, but I don’t think it immediately recovers from its 48-3 loss to Benjamin. CSC 28-21.
Furones: The Scots appear better in the win-loss record, but the Panthers have challenged themselves with some tougher games. That helps them pull out a close one. Plus, if Duse is going against his alma mater, he probably knows something’s up. I’ll side with him. CSC 24-23.
PAHOKEE (5-1) AT COCOA (7-0)
Duse: Tall order for a strong Pahokee as it faces the defending 4A state champs. Cocoa 35-28. Furones: Asking a lot for the Blue Devils to go up to Cocoa and knock off a reigning state champ, but this ultimately prepares Pahokee for the run it wants to make in Class 1A. Cocoa 34-21.
CARDINAL GIBBONS (6-1) AT STRANAHAN (4-3)
Duse: Gibbons defense will be too much as it holds down the Dragons’ offense. Gibbons 31-6. Furones: Upstart Dragons battle defensively for a half-plus but will have trouble scoring against Gibbons’ defense. Gibbons 27-3.
WEST BROWARD (4-2) AT COOPER CITY (4-4), SATURDAY 7 P.M.
Duse: Short week for West Broward after topping Nova on Wednesday, but Bobcats wrap up district title here. West Broward 27-17.
Furones: “Fear the Wing.” With two wins over four nights, the Bobcats take over the district, carrying the momentum from Wednesday night’s win over previously unbeaten Nova. West Broward 29-16.
SOUTH PLANTATION (4-3) AT PLANTATION (7-1)
Duse: The Steve Davis turnaround continues as the Colonels top their rivals. Plantation 31-17. Furones: I like what South Plant has done this year, but neither Alex Collins nor John Franklin is coming out onto that field for the Paladins. Plantation 33-13.
MONARCH (5-2) AT DOUGLAS (4-3)
Duse: Monarch gets back on track after last week’s lopsided loss to Deerfield Beach. Monarch 20-10. Furones: A tight one against Piper on Monday is mildly concerning in a short week. Knights recover. Monarch 24-21.
Duse and Furones both predict Deerfield Beach, St. Thomas Aquinas and American Heritage will earn district titles with Friday victories.