Road to Orlando: Playoffs begin this week in all eight classifications.
St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) long has been a football powerhouse in Florida and annually produces Division I college talent. The Raiders added another record to their resume last week.
St. Thomas Aquinas' 60-14 victory against Cypress Bay (Weston) closed out a 10-0 regular-season campaign for the Raiders. It's the third consecutive year that St. Thomas Aquinas has finished the regular season undefeated, something no other team from Broward County ever has accomplished.
The rout of Cypress Bay, a playoff-bound team that won the Class 6A-District 11 title, also marked the fourth consecutive game that the Raiders, who are ranked No. 3 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 presented by the Army National Guard, have put up more than 56 points on the scoreboard.
"I'm real proud of the seniors on this team," St. Thomas coach George Smith said after last week's win. "To have them go undefeated for three straight years (in the regular season) means a lot."
One of those seniors is quarterback
Jacob Rudock, an Iowa commit, who completed 12 of 18 passes for 207 yards and threw five touchdown passes, tying his school record. Smith pulled Rudock and many St. Thomas starters early in the third quarter after the outcome was settled.
St. Thomas Aquinas will begin its quest for the program's third state title in four years and seventh overall when the Raiders play host to Coconut Creek this Friday in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs.
Click here to view MaxPreps' Florida football playoff brackets.SHOOTOUT SETS RECORDSpeaking of record-setting performances,
Plantation's 58-56 win against Everglades (Miramar) last week established another Broward County record. It's the highest-scoring game (combined points) in the county's history. The 114 combined points broke the previous record of 110 points that Plantation and Cooper City established 12 years ago.
MIAMI STAR QB RETURNSTeddy Bridgewater, the standout quarterback for
Northwestern (Miami) and a Miami Hurricanes commit, made a triumphant return last week, leading the Bulls to a 28-19 win against rival Jackson (Miami) in Miami-Dade County's annual Soul Bowl showdown that attracted an estimated 6,000 at Traz Powell Stadium. Bridgewater, who sprained an MCL during a loss to Columbus (Miami) on Oct. 15, played in his first game since sustaining the injury and completed 19 of 25 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns. Bridgewater played the game with a protective brace on his left knee, but he told the Miami Herald after the game that his knee felt fine and did not bother him at all. Bridgewater and the Bulls will have a chance to avenge their loss to Columbus this week in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs.
A GLANCE AT THE PLAYOFF PICTUREThe playoffs in all eight classifications begin this week with first-round games throughout the state. The four larger classifications (6A-5A-4A-3A) will have four rounds leading up to the state championship games next month in Orlando. The four smaller classifications (2A-2B-1A-1B) will consist of three rounds to determine the state finalists. Here's a breakdown of South Florida teams in each classification and the favorites.
Class 6A: A team from South Florida has won seven of the last eight state titles in this classification. Miramar is the defending champion and has qualified again as a district champion, but getting out of its region will not be a cakewalk. The most intriguing first-round game matches Northwestern (Miami) against unbeaten
Columbus (Miami) in a rematch of a regular-season game won by Columbus 29-8 (see note above). Miami Central might be the team to beat, however, and the trendy pick to oppose the Rockets in the championship game is
Dr. Phillips (Orlando), which has outscored its 10 opponents this season 525-66, breaking Northwestern's 6A state scoring record.
Class 5A: It's hard not to pick unbeaten St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) to make it to the state final again. The Raiders have another talent-laden team that should be able to navigate its way to Orlando for the state finals. A familiar opponent,
Lakeland, could be there waiting for St. Thomas, but don't be surprised if
Plant (Tampa) or
First Coast (Jacksonville) emerges from the northern half of the bracket.
Class 4A: Nationally ranked
Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens) (No. 17 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25), which is making its 12th consecutive playoff appearance, likely will be without highly touted defensive end
Curt Maggitt, who sprained his ankle in last week's regular-season finale, for at least the first game or two of the playoffs. But the Panthers still have enough talent to overcome his absence. Dwyer should be able to navigate the road to the state semifinals where a highly anticipated matchup against
Armwood (Seffner) likely awaits in what will have the feel of a state championship matchup.
Class 3A: The southern half of the bracket in this classification appears to be a crapshoot.
Washington (Miami) might have the best chance of any team from South Florida to make it to the state finals, but the Tornadoes have a tough first-round matchup this week against a good
Norland (Miami) team. The other side of the southern half of the bracket is a tough region that includes
Southeast (Bradenton),
Lake Wales and
Winter Haven.
Class 2A: Glades Central (Belle Glade) was the state runner-up last season and the Raiders again have a team capable of making it to Orlando. However, the loss of standout wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, a Division I prospect who recently became ineligible because of state-mandated age restrictions, could hurt the Raiders' chances of capturing the program's seventh state title.
Class 2B: Monsignor Pace (Miami) appears to be South Florida's best hope of making it to Orlando. To get there, Pace likely will have to beat
University (Fort Lauderdale) and
Lake Highland Prep (Orlando), both of which could be roadblocks.
Class 1A: American Heritage (Delray Beach) is the defending state champion in this classification and the Stallions will be gunning for their third state title in four years. They played a tough early schedule and started the season 0-3, but since have reeled off seven consecutive wins, just as they did last year en route to the state championship. The biggest hurdle for Heritage could be a potential state semifinal matchup against Fort Meade.
Class 1B: Jupiter Christian won back-to-back state titles in 2007-08, and the Eagles again have a championship-caliber team capable of taking the whole ball of wax this year. A championship game matchup against
Warner Christian (South Daytona) or
Jefferson County (Monticello) could be on the horizon.
RECRUITING NEWSSouth Broward (Hollywood) running back/cornerback
Kevin Grooms, who has game-breaking ability, has received numerous Division I offers and last week said he plans to take an official visit to Tennessee next month, followed by visits to Florida State and Kansas in January. . . . Highly touted running back
Tre Mason of
Park Vista (Lake Worth) was at the Georgia-Auburn game last Saturday and upon returning from his visit announced that Auburn now is the leader to earn his signature on national signing day in February.
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.
