Road to Orlando Continues

It’s only the second round of the playoffs, and two games this weekend decide who will be the favorites to win state championships in their respective classes. The first week shocker was Chaminade-Madonna defeating Pahokee, not so much because the Lions won, but the fact they drilled the Blue Devils 35-0. Let’s see if week two of the playoffs brings us any surprises as SoFLAfootball highlights some of the better matchups this weekend.

6A: Miami Central vs. Northwestern - The winner of this game will be the favorite to bring home the 6A state title. This game has lost some buzz after the two met earlier on national TV in one of the sloppiest and ugliest games this season. Even though the Bulls had two first half touchdowns called back due to penalties, they still came back to defeat the Rockets 22-14 in that game. The winner of this game will be simple, who plays the cleanest brand of football wins. The team that limit turnovers, penalties, and plays solid on special teams will come out victorious.

6A: South Dade vs. Miami Southridge - Southridge raced out to a 20-point lead in the first meeting between these two schools, but South Dade stormed back. South Dade’s comeback fell short as Southridge hung on for a 26-20 victory. Southridge’s defense is fast, aggressive, and tough to pass on. South Dade quarterback Jovani McCray has thrown for 23 touchdowns to just 5 interceptions though. This “other” 6A game in Dade County should be an exciting one as well.

3A: Booker T. Washington vs. Belen Jesuit - This interesting matchup goes down at North Miami Stadium Friday night. BTW has more athletes by far, but Belen’s wing-T offense can become frustrating. Belen has to keep from giving up the big play to a speedy BTW team and control the clock with the ground attack. If BTW can get a lead causing Belen the come back through the air, it will play into the Tornadoes advantage.

1B: Glades Day vs. Jupiter Christian - This is another matchup where the winner will be favored to win the state championship. GDS makes no secret about their game plan; give the ball the freshman running back Kelvin Taylor often! Taylor is a tough runner and can give JCS fits with his clock chewing drives. GDS showed a week ago against MacArthur North that their defense is suspect against the pass, and look for JCS quarterback Marshyl Rothman to try to take advantage of that. The first meeting between these two teams was a tight one with JCS coming away with a 28-21 victory. Look for the two to play another close game this Friday