18 still in contention
Playoff action is in full swing across the state, especially here in South Florida.
Entering the second round of the playoffs, 18 local teams are still in the hunt for a state championship.
Adam Lichtenstein predicts the outcome of each second-round game with teams from Broward or Palm Beach. He was 52-8 in the regular season and 14-2 in the first round of the playoffs. All games are at 7:30 p.m. on Friday unless noted.
Class 8A
No. 4 Plantation (10-1) at No. 1 Deerfield Beach (10-1): The Bucks came back from a potential upset to beat Miramar by 18 in the first round, while the Colonels beat Piper by 11. Deerfield faced Piper in its final regular season game and won 35-0, so give the Bucks the advantage. Deerfield Beach 31, Plantation 24.
No. 7 Western (9-2) at No. 3 Palm Beach Central (10-1): The Wildcats scored 14 fourth-quarter points to come back and beat the Broncos in the playoffs last year. With that motivation and a better team than last season, I think Palm Beach Central gets its revenge.
Palm Beach Central 20, Western 17.
Class 7A
No. 7 Fort Lauderdale (9-2) at No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas (10-1): Fort Lauderdale’s first-round victory over Doral Academy was historic; the Flying L’s had not won a playoff game since 1966. But it’s likely that their playoff run ends. The Raiders blew out South Miami 77-20 in the first round, and when they faced the Flying L’s in the regular season, they won 49-0. St. Thomas Aquinas 38, Fort Lauderdale 10.
No. 6 Palm Beach Lakes (8-3) at No. 2 Dwyer (10-1): The Rams’ defense has been its strength all year, holding opponents to an average of about 14 points per game. If you take out their worst performance, that average drops to about 11. The problem is that the Rams’ single worst defensive performance was against Dwyer on Sept. 13, and Lakes lost 41-13. The Panthers have excelled in every aspect of the game since their Week 2 loss to Atlantic. Dwyer 35, Palm Beach Lakes 20.
Class 5A
No. 5 American Heritage (9-1) at No. 1 Rockledge (10-1): Since falling to Miami Southridge on Sept. 21, the Raiders have outscored opponents 274-38. Led by four-star athlete Ladarius Tennison, Rockledge will be hard to stop. But the Patriots have been here before, and I think that experience helps give them the edge.
American Heritage 28, Rockledge 24.
No. 3 Orlando Jones (10-1) at No. 2 Cardinal Gibbons (9-2): The Chiefs get a tough test at home this week, facing a Fightin’ Tigers team that has won 10 in a row since dropping its opening game to Wekiva. Cardinal Gibbons looked good last week against Merritt Island with both its offense and defense clicking. Khris Bogle is back at full strength after a knee injury. He can dominate against any offensive lineman he goes against. Cardinal Gibbons 21, Jones 20.
Class 4A
No. 5 Miami Gulliver Prep (8-3) at No. 1 University School (9-1): University School had a week to shake off its blowout loss to ChaminadeMadonna and now has a chance to start its title run. Georgia commit Kenny McIntosh is having a great season and should all else fail, the Sharks can rely on him. University School is 2-0 against the pair of Class 4A opponents it has faced, and expect the Sharks to go to 3-0. University School 42, Gulliver Prep 14.
No. 3 Glades Central (8-3) at No. 2 Miami Booker T. Washington (5-5), 7 p.m.: Led by QB Davius Richard, the Raiders have been rolling lately. But Booker T. Washington has been the bane of the Raiders’ existence the past few years, ending Glades Central’s playoff runs in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. As well as the Raiders have been playing, they have not been tested like the Tornadoes have. Booker T. Washington 32, Glades Central 20.
Class 3A
No. 5 Melbourne Holy Trinity Episcopal (6-4) at No. 1 King’s Academy (9-1): .How will two full weeks without games affect the Lions? Will they be fully rested or too rusty? If they managed to stay sharp, the Lions should win this one. King’s Academy 35, Holy Trinity Episcopal 21. No. 5 Miami Palmer Trinity (10-2) at No. 1 Chaminade-Madonna (8-2): The Lions, who ended the season as the top team in Class 3A, are the team to beat. They are among the top teams in the state, and their talent alone will likely be enough to overpower teams in the playoffs. ChaminadeMadonna 42, Palmer Trinity 10.
No. 3 American Heritage-Delray (9-3) at No. 2 Benjamin (9-1), 7 p.m.: Benjamin has the same issue as King’s Academy; the Buccaneers will take the field Friday after going 20 days between games. American Heritage will be a tough opponent and may be the favorite despite being the lower seed.
American Heritage-Delray 28, Benjamin 27.
Class 2A
No. 3 Glades Day (7-4) at No. 2 Naples Neumann (9-1): Anthony McPhee has done it all for the Gators. He scored all seven TDs for Glades Day in their first-round win against Naples First Baptist Academy. If the Gators can keep riding McPhee, they could pick up another win and keep their title hopes alive. Neumann 28, Glades Day 21.
Class 1A
No. 6 Wildwood (7-4) at No. 2 Pahokee (5-5): The playoffs begin for the Blue Devils as they’re trying to recover from their worst stretch of the year: Three straight losses. Wildwood isn’t an overpowering opponent, so the Blue Devils can get back to their winning ways this week. Pahokee 35, Wildwood 28.