Barboni
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Too Early Takes: ESPN Kickoff - NationalHSFootball.com
Miami Central (FL) at DeMatha (Hyattsville, MD) Miami Central 35-14.
There are high hopes for DeMatha this season — and we are believers in the Stags — but our prediction is more a commentary on what we think about Miami Central, more so than DeMatha. The Rockets return a lot of pieces from a strong team in 2014 and filled in around those players with two handfuls of transfers. The key difference in our early prediction may be the perception that the two regions have played into. Miami Central has taken on some high-profile teams and showed its physicality when it needed to be the bully while other equally talented teams from the DMV have been pushed around. DeMatha is returning a ton of talented players from last season and we love that Coach Elijah Brooks went out looking for a marquee game but in out-of-state games it has been awhile since anyone outside of New Jersey has claimed a significant win for the Atlantic East. The winner of this game is going to be pushing towards the top of the HSFB100.
Miramar (FL) at IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL) Miramar, 17-10.
A low scoring affair between two teams that we really don’t have a firm grasp on right now. This prediction, maybe more than all others, is likely to change. Miramar went through an offseason of turmoil as an outgoing coach tried to set the program ablaze with allegations — which in theory will make the group galvanize and come together. IMG had a recruiting class of 14 players ranked impressively high by Rivals.com and 247Sports but three have since left the program, including five-star quarterback Malik Henry. IMG will certainly have more talent when they get onto the field but how it comes together is a question that has yet to be answered. It opened last season with a 35-2 loss because of continuity issues and a slow start may just be part and parcel with bringing in a new group each year. Expect the talent for IMG to keep the Miramar offense at bay and perhaps the lack of gelling will keep IMG off the board as well.
Booker T. Washington (Miami, FL) at St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) Aquinas, 30-20.
This game is probably a year or more removed from being at the top of the list but it is still an amazing pairing that people in South Florida have wanted for some time. Aquinas has changed head coaches and offense coordinators coming into the year while Booker T. Washington will have its third head coach in three years with Tim Harris going to Miami and Tim Harris Jr accepting a position at FIU during the last two offseason carousels. Aquinas will be loaded on offense this year with Rivals QB Challenge winner Jake Allen coming over from Cardinal Gibbons and four receivers having DI offers. The offensive line will be tasked with keeping an aggressive Tornado front seven at bay. Booker T. Washington won the 2013 National Title but in the years that there wasn’t a Harris at the helm it regressed and didn’t win states. The theory is that it could happen again this year and St. Thomas start the year with an important victory.
Miami Central (FL) at DeMatha (Hyattsville, MD) Miami Central 35-14.
There are high hopes for DeMatha this season — and we are believers in the Stags — but our prediction is more a commentary on what we think about Miami Central, more so than DeMatha. The Rockets return a lot of pieces from a strong team in 2014 and filled in around those players with two handfuls of transfers. The key difference in our early prediction may be the perception that the two regions have played into. Miami Central has taken on some high-profile teams and showed its physicality when it needed to be the bully while other equally talented teams from the DMV have been pushed around. DeMatha is returning a ton of talented players from last season and we love that Coach Elijah Brooks went out looking for a marquee game but in out-of-state games it has been awhile since anyone outside of New Jersey has claimed a significant win for the Atlantic East. The winner of this game is going to be pushing towards the top of the HSFB100.
Miramar (FL) at IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL) Miramar, 17-10.
A low scoring affair between two teams that we really don’t have a firm grasp on right now. This prediction, maybe more than all others, is likely to change. Miramar went through an offseason of turmoil as an outgoing coach tried to set the program ablaze with allegations — which in theory will make the group galvanize and come together. IMG had a recruiting class of 14 players ranked impressively high by Rivals.com and 247Sports but three have since left the program, including five-star quarterback Malik Henry. IMG will certainly have more talent when they get onto the field but how it comes together is a question that has yet to be answered. It opened last season with a 35-2 loss because of continuity issues and a slow start may just be part and parcel with bringing in a new group each year. Expect the talent for IMG to keep the Miramar offense at bay and perhaps the lack of gelling will keep IMG off the board as well.
Booker T. Washington (Miami, FL) at St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) Aquinas, 30-20.
This game is probably a year or more removed from being at the top of the list but it is still an amazing pairing that people in South Florida have wanted for some time. Aquinas has changed head coaches and offense coordinators coming into the year while Booker T. Washington will have its third head coach in three years with Tim Harris going to Miami and Tim Harris Jr accepting a position at FIU during the last two offseason carousels. Aquinas will be loaded on offense this year with Rivals QB Challenge winner Jake Allen coming over from Cardinal Gibbons and four receivers having DI offers. The offensive line will be tasked with keeping an aggressive Tornado front seven at bay. Booker T. Washington won the 2013 National Title but in the years that there wasn’t a Harris at the helm it regressed and didn’t win states. The theory is that it could happen again this year and St. Thomas start the year with an important victory.
