Northwestern of Miami coach dismissed, then reinstated

It's been a roller-coaster ride the past few days for coach Billy Rolle of Miami powerhouse Northwestern.

Last Friday night, reportedly after Northwestern defeated Edison (Miami) 19-7, Rolle was fired as the Bulls' head football coach. The Miami Herald confirmed that report on Sunday.

However, the Herald reported that it learned Monday night that Rolle has been reinstated by Northwestern Principal Charles Hankerson after numerous alumni expressed outrage at the firing. No official reason has been given for Rolle's dismissal other than Northwestern Athletic Director Earl Allick saying that it was the "principal's decision." But the Bulls had several players suspended earlier this season for their involvement in a brawl during their game against Hialeah.

Rolle is the only coach in Miami-Dade County history to win state titles at two different schools — Killian (Miami) in 2004 and Northwestern in 1998 and '07, the same year the Bulls were crowned the mythical national champion. Rolle has coached numerous Division I college players, including Vernon Carey, Antonio Bryant, Jacory Harris, Tommy Streeter, Sean Spence and Marcus Forston.

Northwestern is 6-2 entering this week's game against Miami Beach and has clinched a playoff berth in Class 6A as the District 13-6A runner-up. It's questionable whether standout quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who has missed the past two games with a knee injury, will be cleared to play.

2. Ground attack extraordinaire: American Heritage (Plantation) running back Sony Michel rushed for 332 yards and scored five touchdowns in the Patriots' 49-29 win against Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood). He had 16 carries, which averages out to an astounding 20.8 yards per carry. Oh, and he's only a freshman! Michel's performance earned him the U. S. Army All-American Bowl National Player of the Week award.

3. Ground attack extraordinaire, Part II:
Senior tailback Tre Mason of Park Vista (Lake Worth) rushed for 304 yards on 27 carries and scored all four of the Cobras' touchdowns in a key 28-24 district victory against Seminole Ridge (Loxahatchee). It's Mason's second career 300-yard game. What made Mason's performance more impressive was the fact that Park Vista's offensive line has been riddled with two key injuries to Wake Forest commit Cody Preble and South Carolina commit Mike Matulis. Preble had surgery to his left knee last week and is out for the season. Matulis was hobbled by an ankle injury and heavily taped but still played most of the game. Seminole Ridge was the last remaining unbeaten team in Palm Beach County before losing to the Cobras, throwing the battle for the District 8-6A title up for grabs heading into the final week of district play.

4. Unstoppable duo: Central (Miami) quarterback Rakeem Cato and running back Devonta Freeman put on quite an offensive show in the Rockets' 49-28 win against visiting Prattville (Ala.). Cato completed 32 of 39 passes for 382 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. Freeman rushed for 206 yards on 26 carries. Central is 7-1.

5. Milestone victory: Ron Ream of Benjamin (North Palm Beach) earned his 200th career win in the Bucs' 35-28 win against Calvary Christian (Fort Lauderdale). All 200 wins have come at Benjamin, where Ream, 62, took over the program in 1981. He now ranks No. 42 in career coaching wins in Florida. "I may go until I'm 80 or 90, like Joe Paterno," Ream joked in an interview with the Palm Beach Post. "But in all seriousness, I feel so fortunate to have coached this long and I'd like to keep going for a little while longer."

RECRUITING NEWS
Kelvin Benjamin, the outstanding 6-foot-6 wide receiver at state power Glades Central (Belle Glade), has attracted most of the attention this season, but the Raiders have another top-notch prospect in senior Davonte Allen, who now is the team's go-to receiver since Benjamin no longer is eligible because of the state-mandated age limit that Benjamin exceeded last week. Benjamin joined Allen and teammate Robert Way for a visit to Marshall last weekend. Allen also is interested in West Virginia and South Florida, both of which he plans to visit soon. One thing Marshall might have going in its favor is recruiting coordinator JaJuan Seider is a Glades Central graduate.

Cornerback Corey Tindal of Boyd Anderson (Lauderdale Lakes) has Maryland as his top choice even though he has not yet made an official visit to College Park. Tindal also is considering visits to Marshall, Bowling Green and Western Michigan.

Johnathan Harris, a highly touted 6-6, 230-pound defensive end at Boynton Beach, says he does not plan to make any more official visits and has narrowed his choices to Boston College, MIssissippi State and Central Florida. Harris plans to graduate in December and might make a decision as early as this week.

THIS WEEK'S MARQUEE MATCHUPS
* St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) vs. South Broward (Hollywood): Aquinas is ranked No. 3 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 national rankings presented by the Army National Guard. The Raiders' defense could have some problems containing explosive South Broward running back Kevin Grooms, but look for quarterback Jacob Rudock and the Raiders to capture another district title Friday night.

* Ely (Pompano Beach) vs. Dillard (Fort Lauderdale): The Soul Bowl traditionally is one of the most anticipated games each year in South Florida. Dillard's 4-4 record might be deceiving, as the Panthers have beaten state power Glades Central (Belle Glade) this season and have been playing much-improved football lately. The District 14, Class 5A title will go to Ely if the Tigers win. A Dillard win will force a three-team district tiebreaker to determine the two playoff berths from the district.

* Archbishop McCarthy (Fort Lauderdale) vs. Hallandale: Unbeaten McCarthy has a 17-game regular-season winning streak and is considered a contender for the Class 3A state championship with its potent offense and a defense that is allowing only 5.9 points a game this season. However, Hallandale is 7-2 following an 0-10 season last year and the Chargers have played a challenging schedule, so an upset could be on the horizon.

DORSEY'S DIGS
A colleague and friend of mine, Larry Blustein of the Miami Herald, recently wrote a piece in which he questions why the state of Florida does not field junior college football programs. I agree with his assessment that the state legislature should address the question/issue, and Larry presents some strong facts to back up the argument. There are some 400-plus junior college players who played high school football in Florida at junior colleges around the nation — including more than 200 in California. Major Division I colleges annually snatch players from the talent-rich Sunshine State. If there were a handful of junior college programs, Florida would offer another major recruiting tool. Makes sense to me.

Steve Dorsey, who covers the South Florida region for MaxPreps.com, is a freelance writer based in West Palm Beach. He has covered the South Florida high school sports scene for the past 29 years. He also is a contributing writer for American Football Monthly and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.