Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Championship aspirations
St. Thomas and American Heritage play for state titles
After Chaminade-Madonna won a state title by crushing Clearwater Central Catholic 48-14 in last week’s Class 1M state football title game in Tallahassee, it’s time for two other Broward high school teams to get their turn.
And they’ll be much closer to home.
St. Thomas Aquinas (3M) and American Heritage (2M) are trying to close out their seasons with state titles at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
After finishing the regular season with a 104-16 record for picks, I have gone 34-5 for the four weeks of playoffs. If not for Chaminda-Madonna scoring on the last play of its state championship win last week, I would have hit the point spread exactly.
Homestead (12-2) vs. St. Thomas Aquinas (13-0) (Thursday, 7 p.m., DRV PNK Stadium): St. Thomas Aquinas is up first in an all-South Florida 3M matchup. The Raiders, ranked No. 7 in the country, are playing in their fifth consecutive state championship game and their 10th in the past 12 seasons.
St. Thomas Aquinas, which holds a state-record 13 championships, missed out in 2017 and 2013.
Homestead, on the other hand, is making its first trip to the state championship game in the school’s 43-year history. Its coach, Philip Simpson, is leading his final high school game after he reportedly accepted a position with the University of Nebraska.
Simpson has been with the Broncos since 2019.
The Broncos have pulled off upsets in defeating Miami Northwestern, Miramar and Orlando Jones to get to the final.
The last time Homestead and St. Thomas faced each other was last year in the Class 7A regional final, won by St. Thomas 56-7. The Raiders used three second-quarter scores to seize a 28-7 halftime lead and cruise to the win.
Homestead junior quarterback Joshua Townsend has thrown for 1,632 yards and 20 TDs while adding 392 yards on the ground and six scores.
St. Thomas has multiple weapons, led by senior quarterback Hezekiah “Champ” Harris (1,619 passing yards and 23 scores), junior running back Jordan Lyle (922 rushing yards, 12 TDs), senior Jordan Clemons (513 yards, TD) and senior Germani Sands (381 yards, five
TDs). Junior wide receiver Chance Robinson (481 receiving yards, 13 scores), seniors Isaiah Hardge (373 yards, four TDs) and Jaylen Bonelli (371 yards, two
TDs) and junior tight end James Madison (358 yards, five TDs) also contribute.
The Raiders are riding a 26-game winning streak and gunning for a fourth consecutive title. They also have a ton of playmakers on defense, so I am going with the Raiders to pull out the win. St. Thomas Aquinas 21, Homestead 7.
Miami Central (13-0) vs. American Heritage (13-1) (Friday, 7 p.m. at DRV PNK
Stadium): Get the popcorn ready because this 2M final might be a classic. Both teams have a ton of D1 commits and interest and playmakers on both sides of the ball.
Miami Central quarterback Keyone Jenkins (2,128 passing yards, 24 TDs and 278 rushing yards, nine TDs) recently committed to Auburn, while senior defensive lineman Rueben Bain (52 tackles, 37 for a loss and 28 sacks) is expected to announce his choice Sunday. Bain is likely going to decide between FSU and UM.
The Patriots, ranked No. 10 in the country, will also have to contain senior wide receiver Lamar Seymore (596 receiving yards, nine TDs), senior running back Jonathan Harris (458 rushing yards, three TDs) and sophomore Nicholas McCall (407 yards, five TDs). Defensively, the Broncos, ranked No.
3 in the country, also have senior Stanquan Clarke (89 tackles, 15 sacks) and sophomore Ezekiel Marcelin
(65 tackles, seven sacks).
American Heritage has won nine straight games since a 42-34 setback to Chaminade-Madonna (the country’s No. 5 team) and has outscored its playoff opponents 144-41.
The Patriots, who won the 2020 title and have won five overall, are hoping for some revenge after the Rockets ended American Heritage’s season last year in the regional semifinal 41-28. The teams had split meetings before that, with American Heritage losing 45-35 in 2014 and winning in 2013 (28-6).
Senior running back Mark Fletcher, who is planning to visit both UF and UM after decommitting from Ohio State on Nov. 16, ran for 88 yards and two scores in a 21-14 state semifinal win against Jacksonville Bolles. Senior quarterback Blake Murphy threw for 196 yards and another score. Ohio State commit Brandon Inniss hauled in eight passes for 137 yards and a score.
Senior linebacker David Vadala had a game-high 14 tackles, while senior defensive back Jamarcus Smith and junior middle linebacker Bowen Drewes each had 11 tackles. It should be a back-and-forth affair, but I am going with the Rockets to win their fourth straight championship and ninth overall. Miami Central 24, American Heritage 20.