James Quick of Trinity is his offense's lethal weapon, much like Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater.
Photo by Megan Stearman
Bowl Game: Sugar Bowl, Louisville vs. Florida
High school equivalent: Trinity (Louisville, Ky.) vs.
Washington (Miami)Rankings (Xcellent 25, MaxPreps Computer Rankings): Trinity: 18, 11; Washington 13, 15
The Sugar Bowl matchup between Louisville and Florida is very similar to a hypothetical high school matchup between Trinity and Washington. Then again, in another respect, it's much different.
Geographically, this is pretty dead-on, though Miami and Gainesville are about 330 miles apart. Matchup-wise, that's where there are some differences.
Krondis Larry, Washington
Photo by Lou Novick
Louisville depends on star quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (ironcally from Miami) for its explosive offensive plays, and isn't too concerned with being a balanced offense. Trinity, meanwhile, also prefers to pass it. The star in that situation is
James Quick, the uncommitted senior star receiver who helped lead Trinity to the Kentucky 6A title.
Florida depends on its offensive line and the running game. Washington (the florida 4A champ) uses its quarterback
Treon Harris in its running game (103 carries for 747 yards and 13 touchdowns) and also gets production from running backs
Krondis Larry (80-762-13) and
D'von Ballard (73-686-9). Even freshman
Mark Walton has nine touchdowns to go with 45 rushes for 418 yards.
Florida doesn't like to throw the ball, and Washington also prefers to run.
Both these high school teams lost a tight contest during the regular season, and each played a solid group of opponents, which means the mythical contest would be close. The Sugar Bowl itself isn't as close of a matchup, as Louisville lost two games compared to Florida's one, and Florida played a much tougher schedule.
Our Computer Projection (neutral field): Trinity
31, Washington 28
