Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Little shift in top 10
There’s only a little bit of movement in this week’s Sun Sentinel Broward County football rankings, and it all comes down to University School dropping its first game of the year.
Because the Sharks struggled against McArthur, they drop down a few spots. The other top-10 teams either picked up wins or did not play. Here’s where Broward teams stand in the Sun Sentinel’s rankings entering Week 4. All games are Friday at 7 p.m. unless noted.
1. (1) St. Thomas Aquinas (1-0): It feels like forever since the Raiders last played, thanks to a scheduled bye week and Hurricane Dorian. But St. Thomas is back in action this week against South Plantation in what should be a relatively easy win. Next: at South Plantation (2-1)
2. (2) Chaminade Madonna (3-0): Chaminade looked solid in a three-touchdown victory over Miami Christian, but the Lions face their biggest test of the season so far with a home game against Miami Carol City. The Chiefs are coming off a loss to Miami Central. Next: vs. Miami Carol City (1-2)
3. (3) American Heritage (2-1): The Edwin Rhodes-Douglas Emilien connection has been working for the Patriots, as the quarterback and receiver connected for two touchdowns in Heritage’s win over Miramar.
The Patriots travel up I-95 to Jacksonville this week to face Class 3A power Trinity Christian, which is off to a slow start this year. Next: at Jacksonville Trinity Christian (1-2), 7:30 p.m.
4. (4) Western (2-0): Everything went right for the Wildcats in their 74-0 win over Miami Springs, but things get a little tougher. Western faces University School this week, and the Sharks have a strong defense that won’t allow quite that many points. Next: vs. University School (2-1)
5. (5) Deerfield Beach (1-2): The Bucks finally put a victory in the win column last week, routing Blanche Ely. Jaylan Knighton looked like the superstar he’s used to being, rushing for 173 yards and four touchdowns. But putting together back-to-back wins will be tough, as the Bucks travel to the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La., to face Zachary High, a twotime reigning state champion. Next: vs. Zachary (Louisiana) (1-1), Saturday, 11 a.m.
6. (7) Cardinal Gibbons (2-1): The Chiefs looked good in a 50-0 rout of North Miami last week, on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Brody Palhegyi did not play against North Miami, but Mason Polivka and Will Wynn combined to go 13-for-16 for 231 yards and three touchdowns. Next: vs. Fort Lauderdale (2-0)
7. (8) Plantation (2-0): The Colonels have looked dominant in their first two games, and that trend will likely continue as they face struggling Piper. Quarterback Gerard Nesbitt continued his strong start to the year, throwing three TD passes and running for a fourth score against West Broward. Next: vs. Piper (0-2)
8. (9) Dillard (3-0): The Panthers kept on rolling with a dominant victory over Pahokee on Monday. They have a short week before facing Northeast, but they should be able to still handle the Hurricanes. Next: at Northeast (0-2)
9. (10) McArthur (1-1): McArthur got into the win column with a shutout victory over U-School. The Mustangs defense, which is loaded with high-caliber players, was dominant. If the defense keeps playing as it did last week, McArthur will have a great year. Next: Bye week
10. (6) University School (2-1): The Sharks struggled on offense without quarterback Nick Vattiato. Fortunately for U-School, Vattiato expects to play this week. But the Sharks will still have a tough time with Western’s defense, which is just as good as McArthur’s. Next: at Western (2-0)