High School Sports Blog

The 2006-07 state title race in Florida....is a tie

Miami-Dade County finished with 15 state championships this past high school season. And the total was the most by any county in the state tied with Orange County of Orlando. The 305 flexed its muscle once again.

Here's a breakdown of each county's champions sport-by-sport:

Miami-Dade (15): Northwestern, 4A girls' track; Booker T., 3A
boys' track; Jackson 3A boys' track; Belen 2A boys' track;
Gulliver boys' water polo; Gulliver girls' water polo; Krop 4A
boys' tennis, Krop 4A girls' tennis; Gulliver 2A boys' tennis;
Gulliver 2A girls' tennis; Pace 4A boys' basketball; Varela 6A
boys' soccer; Belen 2A boys' swimming; Belen 2A boys'
cross-country; Northwestern 6A football.

Orange (15): Bishop Moore, 4A baseball; Trinity Prep 3A
softball; Pine Castle Christian, 1A softball; Oak Ridge 3A
girls' track; Pine Castle Christian, 1A boys' basketball;
Edgewater 6A girls' basketball; First Academy 2A girls'
basketball; Pine Castle Christian, 1A girls' basketball;
Bishop Moore 4A girls' soccer; Timber Creek boys' bowling;
Timber Creek girls' bowling; Winter Park 6A girls' volleyball;
Orangewood Christian 1A girls' volleyball; Lake Highland Prep
3A girls' volleyball; Winter Park 4A boys' cross-country

Palm Beach (10):  Spanish River boys' volleyball; American
Heritage-Delray 1A boys' tennis; American Heritage-Delray 1A
girls' tennis; Jensen Beach 4A girls' basketball; St. Andrews
3A girls' soccer; Lake Worth Trinity Christian fall soccer;
King's Academy 2A girls' volleyball; Glades Central 3A
football; Pahokee 2B football; Glades Day 1A football.

Brevard (8): Melbourne Holy Trinity 1A girls' track; Florida
Air Academy 3A boys' basketball; Satellite Beach 5A girls'
soccer; Satellite Beach 2A girls' swimming; Melbourne 4A
girls' cross-country; Satellite Beach 3A girls' cross-country;
Holy Trinity 1A boys' cross-country; Holy Trinity 1A girls'
cross-country

Broward (7): Everglades 6A softball; St. Thomas Aquinas 3A
girls' tennis; Ely 6A boys' basketball; Douglas 6A girls'
soccer; American Heritage 3A boys' soccer; Cardinal Gibbons 4A
girls' volleyball; Douglas 3A boys' swimming

Duval (7): Eagle's View, 1A baseball; Episcopal 2A girls'
track; Arlington Country Day 2A boys' basketball; Bolles 1A
boys' swimming; Bolles 1A girls' swimming; Episcopal 2A girls'
cross-country; Bolles 2A football

Leon (5): N. Florida Christian, 2A baseball; Leon flag
football; FSU 3A girls' basketball; Chiles 3A boys'
cross-country; FAMU 1B football

Seminole (4): Lake Howell 5A boys' basketball; Oviedo 3A
wrestling; Lake Howell 2A boys' golf; Lake Mary 2A girls' golf

Polk (4): Lake Wales 4A softball; Winter Haven 5A girls'
basketball; Auburndale 5A boys' soccer; Lakeland 5A football.

Hillsborough (4): Brandon 2A wrestling; Tampa Prep 2A boys'
soccer; Plant 5A girls' volleyball; Plant 4A football

Sarasota (3): Sarasota, 6A baseball; Venice 5A baseball;
Sarasota Riverview 3A girls' swimming

Manatee (3): Bradenton Prep 1A girls' tennis; Bradenton Prep
1A boys' golf; Bradenton Prep 1A girls' golf

Collier (2): Barron Collier 3A boys' tennis; Palmetto Ridge 1A
wrestling

Bay (1): Panama City Beach Arnold, 1A boys' weightlifting

Clay (1): St. Johns Country Day 2A girls' soccer

Volusia (1): Spruce Creek girls' weightlifting

Putnam (1): Palatka, 2A boys' weightlifting

Alachua (1): Gainesville P.K. Yonge 1A boys' track

Pinellas (1): Clearwater Central Catholic, 3A baseball

St. Johns (1): Nease 4A boys' soccer

Santa Rosa (1): Pace 5A softball

Gulf (1): Wewahitchka 2A softball

Flagler (1): Palm Coast 4A boys' track

making the list

Making the rivals100 list from Dade were:

Northwestern's Marcus Forston (29th) and Aldarius Johnson (41st)

Homestead's Marcus Robinson (67th)

Krop's Etienne Sabino (76th)

Pace's Gregory Shaw (77th)

Scout.com's Hot 100 has:

Forston 19th (5-star)

Robinson (34th)

Sabino (40th)

Johnson (77th)

And Brandon Harris (90th)...who somehow was left off the rivals list.

The state list will be loaded with Dade players later on this summer when it comes out.

football recruiting

Rivals100.com will release its first official top 100 list Tuesday. However, they already announced their 5-star athletes. Very few from South Florida, and none from Dade.

Kinda surprising w/ the boat load of talent that Dade will be sporting next fall.

Among those that should probably get in the top 100 and probably should get consideration for 5-star status the next time it's updated are Marcus Forston and Aldarius Johnson (NW), Marcus Robinson (Homestead), Brandon Harris (Booker T.), Etienne Sabino (Krop).

I'm not sure if the state of Florida top player list will also be released, but that one should be littered with Dade players if done right.

Let's throw in some more names that should be there. Talk it up.

Just push play

Like a TiVo, Northwestern was on pause for six months. On Saturday, they pushed play and fans watched the same episode - A dominant victory.

It didn't matter that it was the defending Class 3A champions from "The Muck."

Glades Central with all its skill and talent, which they still have despite losing a number of great players, and they could only hang with the Bulls for a half.

The Raiders, who I was told had some choice words for NW before the game, connected on a couple of deep TD passes. But they could not contain NW's offense, which just comes after you over and over. Just like last year, teams may have stalled 2 or 3 of their drives, but this squad will score on 7 of the 10 drives they'll have in a game.

Even the score looked familiar, 42-21. This team put up at least 34 on everyone last year and 41 was their most popular score. The 21 points allowed was 1 more than they gave up against anyone last year.

But consider the opponent. This team was better than 90 percent of the teams they played last year. And NW still overpowered them with ease by the end of the 3rd quarter.

And this wasn't even their best game. The Bulls made a bunch of silly mistakes, penalties, fumbles, even a rare interception by Jacory Harris.

But how good is a team that can commit those errors and still, behind Harris and his sick wide receivers, and the youngsters in the backfield like Tyresse Jones put up 42 points and 412 total yards.

And a defense that records six sacks and has a 6-3, 280-pound lineman, a.k.a. Marcus Forston, that can pick up a fumble at midfield and out run players 90 pounds lighter to the end zone "like Barry Sanders."

It's gonna be hard to stop, no forget stop, slow this team down in the fall.

Fifth time's a charm??!

Booker T. looked good.

As some of the faithful readers of this blog already have commented, and I'll say again, Booker T. looked good.

They put together two of the most crisp drives I've ever seen them execute. Sancho McDonald could have thrown up a bunch of lame duck passes and these receivers would have still caught them. The Tornadoes, in terms of depth, may have the best WR, with only Northwestern having an argument in that category.

Nine of the first 10 passes were completions and we're talking downfield passes, over the middle, not little dump-offs in the flat or screens all the time.

And this against a good Dillard team.

End result: BTW 27-6. Probably would have been more had it been a regular season and Ice Harris not taken out the starters by halftime.

Tornadoes defense gave up maybe 5 yards on the ground and only 70 overall in the first half while the starters were in there.

The one part of the game, coach Harris wants to work on is the running game, which had a few strong carries, but not enough of what they were expecting. Sophomore-to-be Eduardo Clements is expected to be the feature back, but the Tornadoes have a few backs they can work into the offense. The line is huge and I was impressed with massive 6-1, 350 pound Jose Jose (yes that's his name) at tackle. He is a cousin of former UM lineman Vince Wilfork, the big VW himself.

Defensively, this is a TEAM. As a collective unit, this squad is tough to move the ball on. Jonathan Jackson and Franklin Brown are fast and athletic and the secondary is fast. They gave up only two big plays down field and both to stud wide receiver Harry Adams, a track and football star at Dillard, whose one of the best receivers in the state.

Again, we're only in the spring, but this was impressive.

Next stop for BTW, South Carolina.

SPRING JAMBOREE AT TRAZ THURSDAY

One observation from last night's jamboree at Traz: Krop is good.

The Lightning have a punishing defense led by linebackers Etienne Sabino and Quan Fletcher. The defensive line stacked up Jackson all night led by nose tackle Brandon Taylor.

All three I'm sure will be heard from a lot next season.

Krop didn't just squeak by Jackson like last season, they won 22-0. Granted, the Generals lost a lot of their best players from last season, but Krop might be a sleeper team in District 12.

Their offense is very athletic with quarterback Victor Marc, who scored on a 33-yard TD run, and running back Ahmar Bahr, whom set up another touchdown with a 90-yard run.

Central-Norland turned out a lot like last year's game, Norland dominated, Central won.

Carol City and American each showed flashes of brilliance from their running games, but made lots of mistakes. In the end, it looked like it was a spring game.

And NMB looks like it is still in good hands with junior Nico Flores at quarterback. Edison will go through some growing pains after losing so many players, but coach Heidelburg in time should be able to right the ship.

CORRECTION!!!

The Booker T.-Dillard spring game is NOT TONIGHT. It's tomorrow at 7 pm.

Apparently it was changed and we were given misinformation.

My apologies, so again READ THIS: BOOKER T.-DILLARD Friday night!! 7 PM AT LOCKHART!

A vikings draft

   Norland was the most represented Miami-Dade County school at this year's NFL
Draft when the Vikings had three former players drafted in the top four rounds.

   LSU wide receiver Dwayne Bowe headlined the group, chosen in the first round
with the 23rd overall pick by the Kansas City Chiefs.

   Linebacker Antwan Barnes of FIU was taken in the fourth round by the
Baltimore Ravens. Earlier in that round, the New England Patriots chose
defensive lineman Kareem Brown from the University of Miami.

   All three were members of Norland's 2002 state championship team … the
school's only title in football.

That team had one of the most memorable finishes ever to a state championship game when Sean Bailey hauled in that 61-yard TD pass from Robert Spence to beat Edgewater.