This Broward County district has long been the home of some of South Florida’s top football players – and it still is. The talent level – coaching staffs included – in this district only make the natural rivalries between these teams that much better. There’s no doubt that whichever team makes its way to the top of the heap will have a lot to say when it comes to the outcome of Class 8A.
Weston Cypress Bay Lightning
2016 Record: 5-5
Coach: Mark Guandolo
2017 Outlook: This should be the year that Cypress Bay starts to see some fruit from all the positive seeds it has been planting over the past couple of years.
Head coach Mark Guandolo is one of South Florida’s more decorated coaches and within him lies a gold mine of football knowledge. It seems like ages ago, but it was only five years ago (2012) that Guandolo led the Lightning to the Class 6A state championship game before losing a 53-50 heartbreaker to Apopka High School.
What will make Cypress Bay an even more formidable team in 2017 is the return of senior quarterback Marlon Serbin. Serbin, who experienced a bit of a growth spurt and now measures 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, accounted for nearly 1,300 total yards of offense and 10 total touchdowns.
The offense will miss graduated running back Daniel Montoya, who rushed for 1,421 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2016. The lead back in Guandolo’s offense will now be junior Alejandro Andino. The 5-foot-9, 170-pound “scatback” is best when he uses his “scoot” to get to the outside and out-dash defenders but can still be effective running between the tackles.
2018 athlete Ricardo Malcolm will also be a big weapon in the Lightning’s offense this season. He was the teams’ No. 1 receiver (five receiving touchdowns) and third-leading rusher (277 rush yards & seven touchdowns) in 2016 – and should repeat those kinds of numbers in 2017.
Also, it wouldn’t be Cypress Bay if it didn’t have an offensive lineman to watch. This year it is 6-foot-6, 265-pound senior Greg May who will anchor line from the left tackle spot.
Senior middle linebacker William Masaro could have a breakout year in Cypress Bay’s defense. Masaro (6-foot, 208 pounds) will have to use his quickness to avoid blockers and make tackles since the Lightning use a 3-4 base defense and lack ideal size across the defensive line.
Miramar Everglades Gators
2016 Record: 2-8
Coach: Rodney Rumph (1st year)
2017 Outlook: It would seem that Everglades has gotten caught in the vicious cycle that leaves certain programs in a perpetual state of rebuild.
The program is centrally located – able to draw from Pembroke Pines and Miramar and even from the northern tips of Miami-Dade County – but it doesn’t seem to translate into the school receiving a steady flow of talented athletes.
Worse yet, too large a number of the talented players that do come through the school end up finishing their high school careers other places.
Everglades has charged new head coach Rodney Rumph with the challenge of changing that. Rumph replaces Art Taylor, who lead the Gators to a 12-27 record in his four seasons at the helm. Rumph is familiar with Everglades, having worked as an assistant there from 2004 to 2006 and served as the head coach in 2012 – a year the team went 5-5.
Senior safety/linebacker D’andre Romero (6-feet, 180 pounds) and junior wide receiver Damian Sutton (6-foot-3, 180 pounds) are the team’s top returning players.
Both Romero and Sutton built up plenty of “sweat equity” this offseason and will be looking to turn heads and pull in scholarship offers.
Running back Jakyus Johnson returns for his senior campaign but remains a bit of an enigma. As a freshman, Johnson set Broward County on fire with a 1,000-yard, 10-touchdown season but he hasn’t come close to producing those numbers since. If he can return anywhere close to his freshman form, the Gators will be much better off this coming season.
Pembroke Pines Flanagan Falcons
2016 Record: 9-3 (2016 District champion)
Coach: Al Lang (1st year)
2017 Outlook: Flanagan’s rebuild begins in 2017.
In a matter of three years, Flanagan went from an upstart that got knocked out of the first round of the playoffs (2013) to a title contender that got left on the state semifinal doorstep (2014) to a “swagged out” state champion (2015).
The 2016 season was solid – winning another district title and making it to the second round of the playoffs – but those who know the pulse of South Florida high school football saw the writing on the wall.
When Devin Bush Sr. left the program after the 2015 season, then the coach he handed the baton to – Stanford Samuels Jr. – left at the end of the 2016 season, Flanagan lost all its juice.
Bush and Samuels built the program up, infused it with talent – including their own sons – gave it the “DiRTYBiRD” identity, and were the architects of one of the area’s top defenses in that three-year span.
Those days are done.
Enter new head coach Al Lang.
Lang, who is best known for his two stints at Hollywood Hills High, takes over and will be tasked with ushering in the new era of Flanagan football.
The task looks daunting since the Falcons lost a large group to graduation and another handful of players to transfer.
But the cupboard isn’t completely bare – it never is in South Florida.
Senior receiver Wayne Ruby, who received an offer from Stetson University during the offseason, is the top returner. He was probably one of the Falcons’ best athletes even this past season but was hidden because the team elected for a run-heavy offense.
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Ruby will surely stand out in 2017, it’ll be Coach Lang’s job to find a new quarterback to get him the ball.
Miramar Patriots
2016 Record: 7-3
Coach: A.J. Scott (1st year)
2017 Outlook: Here’s a team that went 7-3 in 2016 and was literally two points away from making the playoffs, and found a way to get – a lot – better during the offseason.
The first acquisition the Patriots made was naming A.J. Scott its new head coach. Scott, who replaced Pierre Senatus, has tangible ties to Miramar.
He was an assistant coach during Miramar’s heyday under former head coach and athletic director Damon Cogdell. Scott was one of Cogdell’s more trusted coaches and was credited with helping build Miramar’s “Dark Side Defense”.
Scott also served as the team’s interim head coach in 2014 and was forced to navigate the program and himself through a handful of tumultuous weeks stemming from a scandal involving a former coach.
Scott bolstered his coaching staff by adding former Miami Carol City offensive coordinator Eltoro Wallace and former Miami Northwestern defensive assistant Torrie Cox.
The Patriots roster received some upgrades as well.
Miramar landed one of the biggest fish available during “transfer season” when four-star 2018 athlete Dominick Watt chose to join the Patriots after he left Hollywood McArthur.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Watt, who has offers from Florida, Kentucky and Georgia, has worked predominantly as a receiver but he can just as – if not more – effective as a defensive back.
The Patriots also welcomed the return of quarterback Steve Williams. Williams played for Miramar during the 2016 season, elected to leave at the end of the year and had a pit stop at Hialeah Gardens Mater Academy before he doubled back to Miramar.
2018 receiver Terrence Horne Jr. came over from Miami Carol City and 2018 linebacker Jesse Smith (6-foot-2, 190 pounds) transferred in from Sunrise Piper High School.
Adding Watt and Horne to a receiver corps that already included Abdul Ibrahim and Kevin Woods, along with still having Williams under center means Miramar’s offense will be able to put major pressure on opposing secondaries.
Defensively, Miramar will be better just because Scott returned. He’ll implement a lot of the same ideals that made the Patriots defense great in years past along with some of the new things he picked up in his one year as McArthur’s defensive coordinator.
Look for an uptick in production from defensive end/linebacker Hansky Paillant, who also transferred in from McArthur, as well as senior linebacker Tavares Ladler.
Plantation Colonels
2016 Record: 2-8
Coach: Steve Davis
2017 Outlook: Optimism abounds as Plantation brings back arguably its most successful and productive head coach Steve Davis.
Davis returns to Plantation’s sidelines after a one-year break, during which the Colonels were headed up by Jesse Norris.
During Norris’ lone season, Plantation went 2-8 and did not look anywhere near the level of the program it was under Davis.
Because of that one lean year, Davis – who coached at Plantation for 11 seasons before he stepped down in 2015 – has his work cut out for him to build the Colonels back up.
Davis’ offensive bell cow will be receiver Ja’Mari Sweet. Sweet, who received an offer from Syracuse this past May, led the team in receiving this past season and should produce team-leading numbers once again since he is senior quarterback Roshard Branch’s favorite target.
South Plantation Paladins
2016 Record: 0-10
Coach: Dominic Anderson
2017 Outlook: After a winless season, South Plantation has no other option but to show signs of improvement in 2017.
The Paladins lost by an average margin of 21 points this past season and only scored 20 or more points once.
Head coach Dominic Anderson enters his second season leading the program and he’s put in a lot of work this offseason to turn around the program’s fortunes.
Just because wins were tough to come by, doesn’t mean that the team is devoid of talent.
Senior running back Dawson Hill is one of South Florida’s hidden gems – evident by his earning “Running Back MVP” honors at the 2017 Football Hotbed National High School Invitational Showcase.
Quarterback Jacob Wiley returns for his senior season and the Paladins may have a newfound playmaker in Tihon Hines, who is listed as a defensive back but may be better served to play on the offensive side of the ball.
Davie Western Wildcats
2016 Record: 6-3 (2016 District runner-up)
Coach: Adam Ratkevich
2017 Outlook: Western is another team that is reaping the harvest of program-building seeds sown in years prior.
The Wildcats had a very productive 2016 – knocking off district foe Miramar to earn a playoff berth while fielding one of the better – yet still widely unheralded – defensive fronts in South Florida.
Western will have to replace the two main pieces from that defensive front – rush ends Matthew Hanson (Akron) and Kevin Oliver (FIU) – but the program has gotten to a point where it can sustain itself.
The offense will be the more dominant unit this season with the return of senior quarterback Harrison Story and senior running back Keshaun Clarke.
Story put himself into the conversation to be among the top 10 quarterbacks in South Florida this past season – showcasing dual-threat abilities and solid leadership qualities. The 6-foot-2 signal caller racked up over 1,100 passing yards while also rushing for another 400 yards and accumulated nine total touchdowns this past season.
Clarke is the real treasure, though. He’s still been largely overlooked, but the 5-foot-9, 195-pound back, who currently only holds an offer from Akron, is a physical runner that has shined the brightest in the biggest games and in the most crucial moments. With his combination of size, speed and toughness along with the fact that he’ll be the team’s No. 1 offensive option, it would be a disappointment if he didn’t reach the 1,000-yard plateau this season.
Head coach Adam Ratkevich’s defense will once again have plenty of size. Senior defensive end Matthew Loy (6-foot-5, 215 pounds) will anchor the D-Line, while 6-foot-3, 225-pound inside linebacker Dylan Litsinberger and 6-foot-1, 220-pound outside linebacker Jordan Chambers will help plug running lanes from the second level.
South Plantation transfer linebacker Rueben Oliver will also help bolster the Wildcats’ defense, while senior defensive backs Teshaun Smith and Robert Ruebel patrol the secondary.
Bald Prediction
Because of the talent infusion that the Patriots received and the return of Coach Scott, it would be hard to imagine Miramar not earning the district championship this season.
Western should earn itself a playoff spot. The Wildcats play a favorable schedule – non-district games against South Broward, Dillard, Hallandale and Cooper City – and would be favored against all district opponents except Miramar.
Cypress Bay should take the third spot – given Andino, Malcolm and Serbin all live up to expectations.
The order of the final four spots is a theoretical coin toss.
Flanagan will be starting from scratch; Plantation has Coach Davis back but he’s going to need to time to build the program back up; Everglades is still figuring out things and South Plantation is coming off a winless season.
Predicted Champion: Miramar
Predicted Playoff Team(s): Western
Bold Prediction
Dominick Watt will end up being more impactful on defense than he will on offense.
Watt is a very good receiver. I’ve seen him dominate defensive backs during offseason work (7-on-7’s and 1-on-1 drills) but I think the coaches will love using him as a “center field” safety – allowing him to roam the back end.
His skills as a receiver will only make him that much more dangerous of a safety.
District MVP
Keshaun Clarke is the district MVP for me. Having watched him play live multiple times during the 2016 season, I came away impressed with him each time. He’s the type of running back that will keep opposing defensive coordinators up at night because he runs with such determination in key moments.
Clarke’s performance this season will be highly valuable to the Wildcats.
Top Players
Abdul Ibrahim – Miramar
Adrian Cole – Plantation
Alejandro Andino – Cypress Bay
Brandon Brown – Flanagan
Chris Campbell – Everglades
Christopher Alexandre – Miramar
D’Andre Romero – Everglades
Damian Sutton – Everglades
Dawson Hill – South Plantation
Dominick Watt – Miramar
Dylan Litsinberger – Western
Greg May – Cypress Bay
Hansky Paillany – Miramar
Harrison Story – Western
Jacob Wiley – South Plantation
Jacob Wucher – Cypress Bay
Jaeden Hicks – Plantation
Jakyus Johnson – Everglades
Jamari Sweet – Plantation
Jesse Smith – Miramar
Jonathan Weaver – South Plantation
Jordan Chambers – Western
Jordan Smith – Western
Jovani Garriques – Flanagan
Keshaun Clarke – Western
Kevin Woods – Miramar
Kingsley Pierre – Miramar
Kyeshaad Pennywell – Miramar
Lamont Harrison – Everglades
Marlon Serbin – Cypress Bay
Matthew Loy – Western
Nick Birdseye – Western
Nick Reed – Miramar
Nkosi Williams – Miramar
Reginald Anthony – Everglades
Ricardo Malcolm – Cypress Bay
Robert Ruebel – Western
Roshard Branch – Plantation
Rueben Oliver – Western
Stefahn Justin – Plantation
Stephen Greaves – South Plantation
Steven Williams – Miramar
Tavares Ladler – Miramar
Terrence Horne Jr. – Miramar
Teshaun Smith – Western
Tihon Hines – South Plantation
Wayne Ruby Jr. – Flanagan
William Masaro – Cypress Bay
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