As football kickoff inches closer around the country, MaxPreps forecasts the top five teams in the state of Florida for the 2009 season.
{VIDEO_9cda0a5c-eaa8-4544-a050-0f2b497a840a,floatRightWithBar}1. Iona Prep
The Gaels toppled seven-time defending champ St. Anthony’s from the top perch of the Catholic High School Football League last fall with high-flying firepower – winning by an average score of 35-20 – and they have all sorts of tools back in their bid to defend. QB Tyrae Woodson-Samuels completed 71.7 percent of his throws as a junior with 19 TDs, just four interceptions and 206.5 yards a game. Jordan Bronner caught 36 balls a year ago, and diminutive two-way player Mike Dunkley will stretch defenses as he gets more reps at WR. What puts Iona Prep over the top, though, is the return of elusive RB Jeff Mack. He electrified with 1,953 yards and 25 TDs on the ground to go along with 30 catches for 284 yards and another score. Dunkley and LBs Michael Longo and Morris Hilton were among the top tacklers in ’08. Circle the Oct. 9 game at St. Anthony’s (91-9 since 2000) on the calendar: The winner of the CHSFL playoff crown figures to be at least as good as this fall’s New York State Public High School Athletic Association large-school champ.
2. Monroe-Woodbury
The Crusaders were in command of the NYSPHSAA Class AA final last Thanksgiving weekend only to surrender three TDs in a 14-minute span of the second half and lose to senior-laden Orchard Park, 21-17. Gritty QB Dan Scalo ran for 1,452 yards and 18 TDs while playing the whole season with a torn labrum. If the surgically repaired shoulder holds up, look for M-W to show a stronger passing game while also being able to run all day long behind seniors Cody Villmann (6-3, 265) and Josh Skowronski. DB Ryan Morgan turned heads in the state final at the Carrier Dome and leads a defense along with DL Jordan Bari that should yield fewer than the 166 points of a year ago. At 6-2, 210 pounds, Scalo could be an intriguing recruit for the right Division I program and will get noticed at a school with a 58-4 mark over five seasons.
Monroe-Woodbury looks to return to the Class AA final.
Kevin Yen
3. North Tonawanda
Though the Lumberjacks are pointing to Oct. 16 and their 100th meeting with Tonawanda, they may be entitled to flip a page deeper in the calendar and put Thanksgiving weekend at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse on the to-do list. North Tonawanda gave state large-school champ Orchard Park its best battle of the season in a 28-13 loss in the Section VI final but brings back multi-faceted QB Mike Tuzzo, who totaled a combined 1,300 passing and rushing yards as a junior. His No. 1 resource is Lumberjack-of-all-trades Aaron Davis, coming off 15 catches for 480 yards, six INTs (returning two the distance), 14 touchdowns and stellar work as the team’s kicker. LB Steve Kijowski and DE/TE Shaun McDonough joined Davis on the all-league first team last fall. DTs Casey Shreve and Jeff Schinaman will be tasked with plugging up inside rushing lanes and crushing the pocket. LB Travis Charsley, just a junior, is regarded as a rising star.
4. Union-Endicott
A hunch bet on U-E might go south in a hurry, but the Tigers could be an intriguing Class AA pick after September provided they avoid a repeat of disastrous regular-season losses to Rochester Aquinas and Binghamton that contributed to actually being outscored for the season, 225-224. The star of the show is 6-1, 200-pound Jordan Thomas, who ran for 686 yards in the first five games of 2007 before injuring a shoulder. He returned to carry 141 times for 1,077 yards as a junior. Thomas, fourth-team all-state as a junior and coveted by colleges as a prospect at safety, was also an asset in the air game, making 14 receptions for 329 yards and three of his 14 TDs. The QB will be returnee Mike Bertrand, who started two seasons with the JVs and threw for 11 TDs and 903 yards with the varsity last fall. He completed under 50 percent of his attempts but will benefit from improved line play as a slew of juniors from a year ago are slated to return.{VIDEO_8baee132-713a-485f-a270-ddbb3e79847d,floatRightWithBar}
5. Rye
The Garnets are poised to take advantage of a perfect storm as they move up a level after three NYSPHSAA Class B championships in four seasons, because 2008 Class A finalists Sweet Home in Section VI and Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake in Section II are each a player or two short while Rye is returning considerable talent. Coach Dino Garr has a reputation for getting the most out of the available talent, which will start with junior QB Connor Eck (71-for-108 for 1,212 yards, 14 TDs and 3 INTs) and RB Cole McCormack (112 carries, 1,070 yards). Size in the trenches will be an issue, but downstate Class A schedules are generally not onerous and Rye was never a one-platoon outfit in Class B. On defense, McCormack and fellow LBs Brendan Nagle, Matt McReddie and Kevin Ramsey will mix and match in the front seven.
