South Florida 5A football preview

Hard hit by graduation, St. Thomas Aquinas is still giant force; Watch out for Branch Ely as well.

By
Jul 26, 2010, 12:27pm
The St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) football team fell two games shy of producing a historic season last year before losing to Manatee (Bradenton), 28-20, in the state semifinal. The loss ended their chances of a third straight Florida title, a second consecutive national championship and snapped a 37-game win streak.

Aquinas QB Jake Rudock has committed to Iowa.
Aquinas QB Jake Rudock has committed to Iowa.
Photo by Jim Redman
Left with a roster depleted by graduation, the Raiders enter the 2010 season with arguably the top passing offense in the state and open against Skyline High School (Dallas, Texas) on Sept. 6 as part of the annual Kirk Herbstreit Football Challenge at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

It will be the third consecutive year the Raiders participate in the event and they are 2-0 against out-of-state teams.

Here is a look at some of the other top 5A schools from Southern Florida who figure to battle for a state crown.

St. Thomas Aquinas

Last season: 13-1

For much of the 2009 season, the Raiders were the No. 1 high school football team in the country. Their offense averaged 43 points per game and demolished competition, including a 42-34 win over, then nation's No. 2 team, Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.) in a highly anticipated nationally-televised matchup in October.

The Raiders, who had 13 players sign with Division I schools last season, will begin the rebuilding process this season led by senior quarterback Jake Rudock, an Iowa commit who completed 128 of 197 passes for 1,945 yards and 34 touchdowns in his first full season as a starter.

Aiding Rudock will be the tandem of receivers Rashad Greene and Phillip Dorsett.

Green, a Florida State verbal and arguably the state's top receiver, caught 32 passes for 522 yards and 10 scores (averaging 16.3 yards per catch) for the Raiders last season. The Georgia native's stock rose this summer at various skill tournaments, including the Miami Nike Camp where he was named MVP.

Dorsett, a University of Miami verbal, was a good compliment to Greene last season after catching 30 passes for 586 yards and nine scores (19.5 yards per catch). The tandem of Greene and Dorsett, along with Rudock, gives the Raiders one of the top passing offenses in the state.

The trio will have to step their level of play up in order to make up for many of the gaps left by some of the players who helped them win two state titles and a national championship.

Bobby Hart, a transfer from Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale), will look to make things easier for Rudock and the offense. Hart, also a Florida State verbal, is arguably the top offensive tackle in the country. Last season, the 6-foot-4, 283-pounder earned second-team All-state honors and generated scholarship offers from about 50 schools, including Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Maryland, Minnesota and Oklahoma.

Hart, who plans on attending the 2011 Army All-American game in Texas, was a dominant run-blocker while at Gibbons and can add an immediate impact to the Raiders' offense this season.

The Aquinas defensive unit was the most affected by those who have graduated. Last season, the Raiders had the top secondary in the nation led by All-American defensive backs Lamarcus Joyner and Cody Riggs. Both have graduated and left huge shoes to fill for a defense that allowed just 6.8 points per game, up until its last two match- ups.

Khambrel Garland, a transfer from Deerfield Beach, looks to chip in on defense, while returning contributor Marcus Roberson will lead the way. Roberson, one of the top defensive backs in the nation entering this season, contributed greatly to the Raiders' accomplishments last season which led to scholarship offers from a slew of notable programs including Florida, Miami, Oklahoma, LSU, Notre Dame and Auburn.

Big games: Oct. 1st vs. Camden County (Kingsland, Ga.); Oct. 15th @ Miramar

Blanch Ely

Last season: 11-2

Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach) started last season with a nine-game win streak and quickly became one of the top scoring teams in the region. The Tigers, who averaged close to 30 points per game, test their strength in a hard-fought 28-16 loss to St. Thomas in the regional final.

Despite the score, Ely had St. Thomas on its heels for much of the contest and proved its worth among the nation’s best. This year, the Tigers enter the season led by one of the state's top wide receivers in Avery Johnson.

Johnson, an All-Broward County selection, is the younger brother of former Tiger cornerback and current LSU standout Patrick (Johnson) Peterson. He emerged as one of the region's best as a sophomore after catching 50 passes for 705 yards and seven touchdowns. However, his stock rose this summer after helping the South Florida Express travel football team clinch the Badger Sports Elite 7-on-7 national championship.

Johnson turned a 10-yard dig route into a 40-yard game-winning touchdown catch to help seal the win. Even more impressive was the fact that he outran the entire secondary of a Los Angeles-based team, including Crenshaw High's (Los Angeles, Calif.) De'Anthony Thomas who is one of the nation's top defensive backs.

Johnson, a junior, has generated offers from many notable college programs including Alabama, LSU, Miami, Florida, Georgia and USC.

Aiding Johnson on offense will be senior running back Tavaris Walker, who was instrumental in the Tigers' success last season rushing for 1,084 yards on 104 carries with 11 touchdowns (averaging 10.4 yards per carry). One of the biggest challenges for the Tigers will be replacing all-county senior quarterback, Michael German, who threw for 2,674 yards and 29 touchdowns last season.

Despite the loss of its best player, overcoming adversity has been something Rodney Gray has led this team to do since he accepted the position as head coach last year.

In their second game, the Tigers faced an unusual situation when, then head coach, Lawal McCray walked off the field during the first quarter of a game against South Plantation.

Gray, then defensive coordinator for the Tigers and nephew of Florida coaching legend Otis Gray, took over as head coach and led the team to a 32-6 win over the Paladins, followed by an eight-game win streak.

Big games: Aug. 27 vs. Central (Brooksville); Oct. 23 vs. Boyd Anderson (Lauderdale Lakes); Nov. 6 @ Dillard (Fort Lauderdale)

Other notable Class 5A players including last season’s statistics:

DB, Wayne Lyons (Dillard): Lyons, a 2011 Army All-American selection, is one of the top defensive backs in the country. The standout safety recorded 87 tackles (76 solo), two interceptions, nine forced fumbles and two safeties.

RB, Kevin Grooms (Hollywood-South Broward): Grooms was one of the top running backs in the region last season after totaling 1,625 yards on 174 carries with 17 touchdowns.

S/WR, Robenson Therezie( Miami-Jackson): Therezie, who was clocked as low as 4.39 in the 40-yard dash, recorded 81 tackles, nine forced fumbles and three interceptions.

WR, Anthony Drayton (Fort Lauderdale-Stranahan): Drayton caught 43 passes for 723 yards and 11 touchdowns.

S, Jeremy Cash (Plantation): Cash, an Ohio State verbal, emerged as one of the state's top defensive back prospects after recording 96 tackles (43 solo) 23 for a loss, seven sacks, five forced fumbles and two interceptions.

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