Second season begins
It’s the most wonderful time of the year — the high school football playoffs.
Thirty-four Broward and Palm Beach County teams earned their spots in the postseason, and 29 of them play this week. Many of them will see their seasons end one week later, and some teams will advance with blowout wins. Others will play close contests that may become classics.
I ended the regular season on a rough note, going 5-4 with my picks. I finished the season with a 76-25 record.
Here’s a look at all 21 games involving local teams. All games start at 7:30 p.m. on Friday unless otherwise noted.
Class 8A
Port St. Lucie Centennial (5 -4 ) at Palm Beach Central (8 -0 ), 6 :3 0 p.m.
Palm Beach Central opens the playoffs at home against Centennial. The Eagles struggled against many of the better teams on their schedule, losing to playoff teams like Sebring, Treasure Coast and Vero Beach. They also lost to a 4-6 Fort Pierce Central squad. Palm Beach Central should be able to pick up a first-round win with relative ease, which is a perk of being the top seed in a region.
Palm Beach Central 42, Centennial 13. Vero Beach (6 -2 ) at
Forest Hill (6 -2 ), 6 :3 0 p.m.
Forest Hill had the bad luck of drawing the top at-large team in the region, getting Vero Beach. The good news is the Falcons, who won their first district title in 36 years, get to host this game. Vero quarterback Maurice Smith has already eclipsed 2,000 passing yards and has 29 touchdowns against two interceptions. He will be hard to stop. An upset victory would be Forest Hill’s first playoff win since 1985. Vero Beach 35, Forest Hill 21.
Palm Beach Gardens (6 -4 ) at
Port St. Lucie Treasure Coast (7 -1 ), 7 p.m.
The Gators head up to St. Lucie County to face Treasure Coast, which has been the area’s top team this year. Treasure Coast’s only loss was a one-point defeat against Cocoa. The Titans almost never pass. They have attempted only 12 passes all year. Treasure Coast just runs teams to death. Running back Eden James, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Edgerrin James, has rushed for 1,369 yards and 19 touchdowns, averaging 10.6 yards per carry. As a team, Treasure Coast has run for 2,741 yards and 44 touchdowns. Treasure Coast 32, Palm Beach Gardens 21. Wellington (7 -3 ) at Orlando Boone (7 -3 )
Wellington has one of the longest road trips for a local team in the first round. The Wolverines travel up the Florida Turnpike to face Boone. The Braves have some seriously talented players, including senior Georgia commit Jacorey Thomas at safety, senior UCF commit Leyton Nelson on the offensive line and junior wide receiver Aidan Mizell, who has 16 touchdown captions. Boone 24, Wellington 14.
StonemanDouglas(6-3) at Western (8 -2 )
Stoneman Douglas earned its playoff spot with a big win over Coral Glades last week, and the Eagles’ prize is to face one of the best teams in Broward County. Western ended its season with a close win over Miramar, but before that, the Wildcats had dominated their opposition. The Eagles’ defense will have to play its best game yet in order to stop Western’s high-flying offense, and that that may be too big of an ask. Western 35, Stoneman Douglas 17.
Coral Glades (6 -2 ) at Miami Palmetto (7-2),Tropical Park,7:30 p.m.,Thursday
For the first time in Coral Glades High’s 17-year history, the Jaguars are a playoff team. Coral Glades had a relatively easy schedule, dropping games to Western and Stoneman Douglas at the end of the year. This playoff game against Palmetto will be a tough one for Coral Glades. Palmetto isn’t as loaded as they were last year, when they had stars like Jason Marshall, Leonard Taylor and Brashard Smith, but the Panthers are still the favorite in this game. Palmetto 28, Coral Glades 14.
Boca Raton (8 -2 ) at Deerfield Beach (8 -2 )
This game is a rematch of the district championship game on Oct. 29. Deerfield Beach won that game 40-0 as Boca struggled without quarterback Jacob Cashion. Cashion suffered a broken collarbone, so it’s unlikely he’s going to play in this playoff game. Expect a similar result to the game three weeks ago. Deerfield Beach 35, Boca Raton 10.
Class 7A
Seminole Ridge (8 -2 ) at Melbourne (8 -2 )
The Hawks have a long trip up to the Space Coast to face Melbourne. The Hawks relied on a strong running game this season. Junior Sebastien Christian ran for 1,086 yards and 13 touchdowns, and quarterback Will Rimes ran for 702 yards and nine scores. Melbourne has done a good job of keeping opponents in check allowing an average of 12 points per game. To excel in the run game, Ridge will have to get around standout defensive lineman Gavin Rowell, who has 120 total tackles, 28 tackles for loss and 13 sacks. Melbourne 17,
Seminole Ridge 13.
Atlantic (5 -5 ) at
St. Thomas Aquinas (9 -1 )
St. Thomas Aquinas squares off with an Atlantic team that’s struggled during the regular season. The Raiders, who have won two straight state titles, will almost certainly be too much for Atlantic to handle. St. Thomas Aquinas 38, Atlantic 7.
Doral Academy (7 -1 ) at Miramar (6 -3 )
Doral Academy is a solid at-large team and has outscored opponents 324-137 this season, but they’ve been single-minded on offense. Miramar’s defense should be able to load the box against the Firebirds, who are a run-first team. Doral Academy has passed for 426 yards on 52 attempts this year and has more interceptions than touchdown
throws. But the Firebirds have combined for 2,582 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns while averaging 9.1 yards per carry. Miramar 27, Doral Academy 17.
South Broward (8 -1 ) at Homestead (8 -1 )
The Bulldogs have had a great season, but they have a really tough test on the road this week. Homestead has a tough defense, allowing an average of about 14 points per game. Standouts on the defensive line like FSU commit Daniel Lyons and four-star prospect Dante Anderson will likely make life difficult for the South Broward offense. An upset win would be South Broward’s first playoff victory since 2009. Homestead 30, South Broward 13.
Dillard (9 -1 ) at Fort Lauderdale (6 -2 )
Fort Lauderdale had a major achievement this season, winning the first district title in program history. But the Flying L’s came out flat in their next game against rival Stranahan, ending the season on a down note. Fort Lauderdale faces another crosstown rival this week in Dillard, whose only blemish this year was a close loss to St. Thomas Aquinas. Dillard 38, Fort Lauderdale 13.
Class 6A Plantation (7 -2 ) at Fort Myers Dunbar (9 -0 )
Plantation earned the eighth seed in its region, and the Colonels have a tough road trip. Dunbar is undefeated and has outscored opponents 290-93, but they’ve had some near losses to Fort Myers, South Fort Myers and North Fort Myers. Plantation may be the lower seed but this has the potential to be a 1-8 upset. Dunbar 21, Plantation 18.
South Fort Myers (8 -2 ) at Coconut Creek (8 -2 )
The Cougars get to host their first-round matchup with South Fort Myers as former Stoneman Douglas coach Willis May makes his return to Broward County. Nathan Castor is the player to watch for on May’s Wolfpack team. Castor, a junior running back, racked up 1,308 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns in the regular season. Creek will be tough to beat at home, though. Coconut Creek 28, South Fort Myers 21.
Class 5A
Stranahan (6-4) at Estero (7-3)
Stranahan has had its ups and downs during the regular season, but they ended the season with an exclamation point: a 36-0 victory over rival Fort Lauderdale. The Mighty Dragons’ losses this year have come against strong teams like American Heritage, Cardinal Gibbons, Chaminade-Madonna and Miramar. Now could be the Mighty Dragons’ time to shine. Stranahan
24, Estero 17.
Boynton Beach (7 -3 ) at American Heritage (5 -3 )
This is another rematch of a district game, and when the Patriots faced the Tigers on Oct. 22, Heritage won 56-0. There’s no reason to think this game will be drastically different. American Heritage 45, Boynton Beach 10.
Class 4A
Glades Central (5 -5 ) at American Heritage-Delray (5 -3 )
The Raiders ended the season on a sour note, falling flat in a 28-0 loss to Pahokee in the Muck Bowl. The Stallions, on the other hand, enter the playoffs on a four-game winning streak. The combination of Clay Cannon and Dmitri Nazaire at running back has been solid for Heritage; the two running backs have combined for 1,470 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. This should be a close game. American Heritage-Delray 24, Glades Central 21.
Calvary Christian (4 -5 ) at Miami Booker T. Washington (4 -6 ), Traz Powell Stadium, 4 p.m.
Calvary Christian travels south Traz Powell to face traditional powerhouse Booker T. Washington. The Tornadoes don’t have the record you would expect, but a schedule that includes other powers like Miami Central and Miami Northwestern —as well as other strong teams like Miami Edison and two games against Miami Killian — is not easy. Calvary also enters the playoffs with a record under .500, and the Eagles’ schedule, while tough, was not nearly as hard as Booker T. Washington’s. Booker T. Washington 35, Calvary Christian 14.
Pine Crest (3 -6 ) at Miami LaSalle (1 0 -0 )
The Panthers face an undefeated LaSalle squad that they lost to on Oct. 22. That game was close, as Pine Crest fell 14-13. Pine Crest made the playoffs despite struggling recently. The Panthers are on a three-game losing streak. I think LaSalle keeps rolling. LaSalle 20, Pine Crest 14.
Class 3A
St. Andrew’s (6 -4 ) at Cardinal Newman (7 -3 )
St. Andrew’s made it into the playoffs by the skin of its teeth, just barely edging out King’s Academy for the final playoff spot in the region. Cardinal Newman has rolled in its first season under coach Jack Daniels, only dropping games to Benjamin, Cardinal Gibbons and Gulliver Prep. The Scots will likely have a hard time stopping the duo of freshman quarterback Davi Belfort and sophomore running back Tovani Mizell, and the Crusaders should move on. Cardinal Newman 27, St. Andrew’s 14.
Class 2A
Westminster Academy (7 -3 ) atGladesDay(8-1)
Westminster Academy heads to the Muck on Friday to face Glades Day. The two teams squared off in Week 1, and the Gators got the better of the Lions in a 41-7 victory Fort Lauderdale. Westminster Academy has gone 6-1 since losing two of its first three games, but it seems unlikely this rematch will be kind to the Lions. Glades Day 35, Westminster Academy 20.