This district gets a lion’s share of the attention in Miami-Dade County – and South Florida, and the state, and even the country. And rightfully so, it is by far the most competitive and most talent-laden grouping the state. There are natural rivalries and you can throw the records out the window when these teams face off against one another.
Hialeah-Miami Lakes Trojans
2016 Record: 1-7
Coach: Tyronn Johnson
2017 Outlook: Hialeah-Miami Lakes jumps back into this district after jettisoning itself down to Class 4A for a season.
The Trojans struggled to gain traction in the smaller classification, so jumping back into the fire of this district doesn’t help HML’s cause. Still, head coach Tyronn Johnson has been working tirelessly to change the fortunes of this program, that was once a hotbed for football talent.
Johnson has seen incremental returns on his investments – HML played Hallandale High to a 12-12 tie and lost to Boyd Anderson by a scant 6-0 margin during their spring jamboree.
Whatever success the Trojans have this season will likely be attached to the performance of their returning offensive triumvirate of seniors.
Quarterback Antonio Caraballo is a dual-threat signal caller that is probably best when he rolls out and can find receivers. Running back Chris Francois led the team in rushing this past season and he’ll be out to prove to opponents and any colleges that’ll be watching that he is a productive ball carrier.
The spark plug is athlete Keshawn Brownlee. He was one of the team’s more explosive weapons this past season and should put up even better numbers in 2017.
Miami Carol City Chiefs
2016 Record: 10-3 (2016 District runner-up; Class 6A state champion)
Coach: Benedict Hyppolite (1st year)
2017 Outlook: The Chiefs went on a magical run in 2016 – outscoring their five playoff opponents 167-48 en route to a Class 6A state title.
Carol City was riding high and everything looked extremely bright for the Miami Gardens program.
Then they became victims of their own success – so to speak.
First, associate head coach and defensive coordinator Damon Cogdell – who in one season restored the bite back to the Chiefs’ defense – was tabbed for an assistant coaching job at the University of South Florida.
Then, head coach Aubrey Hill – a Carol City alum who elevated the program’s cache through creative social media campaigns and various community outreach strategies – left for the college ranks to become Florida International University’s wide receiver’s coach.
The team even lost a pair of key offensive assistants in Eltoro Wallace (Miramar) and Jacquay Nunnally (Norland).
Having to essentially rebuild its entire coaching staff, Carol City turned to a young and energetic coach in Benedict Hyppolite to lead the program. Hyppolite comes over from Hallandale High School, where he spent one season as its head coach.
Hyppolite, a member of the Booker T. Washington/Tim “Ice” Harris coaching tree, enters just his second year of being a head coach and will be thrust into the spotlight of trying to defend the 6A crown. Hyppolite did himself a huge favor by securing former FIU defensive backs coach Greg Moss to be Carol City’s defensive coordinator.
Carol City’s roster took a noticeable blow due to graduation, but the Chiefs still have group returners that are among the elite at their respective positions.
The dynamic backfield duo of senior Camron Davis and junior Nayquan Wright returns and represent one of the country’s top running back tandems.
Davis, a four-star University of Miami commit, attended Nike’s The Opening this past summer and will be looking to improve on the 820-yard and 13-touchdown numbers he put up in 2016.
Though he’s a junior, Wright is Carol City’s vocal leader. Players gravitate towards him and he backs up his words with dynamic performances – like his 109-yard, 2-touchdown performance in the state title game. Wright missed five games (one regular season and four playoff games) with a leg injury in 2016 and had offseason surgery, but he should be close to 100 percent by the start of the season.
Handing the ball off to Davis and Wright will be Marlon Smith. The 6-foot-4, 180-pound quarterback has looked good during offseason 7-on-7’s and camps, his challenge this season will be connecting with Coach Hyppolite and learning the nuances of his new scheme.
The Chiefs picked up an offensive “Swiss army knife” when senior athlete Legend Moore transferred over Hallandale. Moore played quarterback for Hyppolite at Hallandale, but he can also line up as a receiver, running back or play on defense.
Carol City’s defense will be in the hands of senior outside linebacker/rush end Yasir Abdullah. Abdullah made a name for himself during the 2016 playoffs – namely his six-sack performance against rival Northwestern.
Three-star defensive back Randy Russell, who de-committed from Miami during the offseason, will team up with cornerback Irshaad Davis to carry the defensive mantle.
Miami Central Rockets
2016 Record: 6-2
Coach: Roland Smith
2017 Outlook: The Rockets took a huge tumble from their perch as the top team in this district this past season.
Central, a program that shattered state records by reaching six consecutive (2010-2015) Class 6A championship games and had won four straight rings (2012-2015), didn’t even make the playoffs in 2016.
After winning their first five games, the Rockets were thoroughly dispatched (34-7) by Carol City and lost a 45-44 thriller to Northwestern over the final three weeks. Worse yet, Central’s schedule only featured eight games in 2016 – so a team that had become accustomed to playing well into December saw its season end in the second week of October.
Because of this, a lot of people have been eager to sweep the Rockets under the rug and call for the “end of the dynasty”.
But not so fast, my friend.
Head coach Roland Smith and the “Roc Nation” hasn’t gone anywhere.
The Rockets return a solid core and welcomed the addition of a few transfers that will secure their spot at South Florida’s “big boy table’ of elite teams.
The headliner is senior running back James Cook.
The brother of Minnesota Vikings 2nd round draft pick, Florida State and Miami Central alum Dalvin Cook, “Jimmy” Cook is practically a household name in Miami-Dade County. The younger Cook possesses elite speed and – like his brother – is dangerous anytime he gets the ball in his hands. He rushed for 12 touchdowns in 2016 and averaged just under 10 yards per carry.
While Cook is on everyone’s mind, opposing teams will soon find out that Central’s backfield is loaded.
Also returning is junior Willie Davis. Davis is a “workhorse” type of back, able to punish teams between the tackles while also being able to scoot past defenders when given the right crease.
The icing on top of the cake is the arrival of incoming freshman – class of 2021 – Amari Daniels. Daniels is considered the top running back in the 2021 class and enters high school after a highly successful and decorated optimist football career.
2019 quarterback Maurice Underwood (6-foot-3, 175 pounds) should be the incumbent, but seniors Seth McGill and Tijuane Morten could see time as “wildcat” quarterbacks – like they did in 2016.
Central’s defense picked up a couple of big pieces during “transfer season” in former Miami Booker T. Washington defensive end and Louisville commit Robert Hicks (6-foot-1, 240 pounds) along with former Pembroke Pines Flanagan defensive backs Hunter Goetz (6-foot-2, 175 pounds) and Arthur Brathwaite and 6-foot-3, 225-pound defensive end Dwayne Boyles (a USF commit).
Those four join a solid group of returning defenders, like lockdown cornerback Chandler Jones and playmaking safety Chris Metayer.
The only question mark for the Rockets is their offensive line – a complete flip from years past when Central’s offensive line was among the state’s best.
Central’s offensive line – and whole team – will be put to the test all season. The Rockets have built one of the country’s toughest schedules for 2017. Central will travel to national powerhouses Las Vegas Bishop Gorman (Sept. 8) and Bradenton IMG Academy (Sept. 22) along with a non-district slate including Miami Booker T. Washington (Aug. 31) and Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna (Aug. 24).
Miami Norland Vikings
2016 Record: 4-5
Coach: Daryle Heidelburg
2017 Outlook: Norland might be one of the best examples of how good South Florida high school football is.
Because district 16-6A is what it is, the Vikings have found themselves in the middle of the pack. But you could put Norland in a lot of other districts right here in South Florida and they’d be a favorite. I have no doubt that the Vikings could be a state title contender if they played somewhere else within Florida or in another state.
But Norland is out to make a big splash in 2017.
The Vikings have “loaded up” and will be bringing one of their more talented rosters to the table in the post-Duke Johnson era (since 2012).
Former 2 Live Crew front man Luther Campbell re-joins the Vikings’ staff as defensive coordinator. Campbell, who earned his coaching stripes at the optimist level before working his way up to the high school level and working at four different high schools, knows how to build an aggressive defense and always has the ear of his unit.
In a surprise move, Norland head coach Daryle Heidelburg acquiesced some offensive control and brought in Jacquay Nunnally to serve as offensive coordinator. Nunnally’s lengthy resume gives credence to the move, and his track record would make one believe that he’ll turn around an offense that scored 10 or fewer points five times this past season.
The big on-field additions were former Miami Monsignor Pace receiver Blake Veargis, former Hollywood McArthur running back Craig Cooper and receiver Jaquan Denson and perhaps the biggest addition in former Miami Edison defensive back Nadab Joseph.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Joseph – who was committed to LSU but has re-opened his recruitment – is an elite level defensive back that is fast enough to play cornerback and physical enough to play safety.
Cooper was a 1,000-yard back in 2016 while working in an offense that also racked up 2,000 passing yards. Veargis, a three-star prospect, led his team in receiving in 2016 and committed to Georgia State this offseason.
What will make Norland’s offense dangerous is the fact that it has a large offensive line to set the table. 6-foot-4, 295-pound junior Wardrick Wilson (a Florida commit) will anchor a line that will also include 6-foot-5, 310-pound senior Josh Blanchard and 6-foot-3, 300-pound senior Artic Harris.
Norland’s defense has some beef up front, too.
Senior defensive tackle Reginald Lee Jr. (6-foot-1, 280 pounds) will get push up the middle while 6-foot-4, 230-pound sophomore Samuel Anaele has the potential to be Norland’s top sack producer in 2017.
The Vikings defense will also be relying on 2018 defensive back Eric “Dank” Smith and 2019 linebacker Larry Smith to provide both leadership and playmaking.
Miami Northwestern Bulls
2016 Record: 10-2 (2016 District champion)
Coach: Max Edwards
2017 Outlook: This is the year that a lot of Northwestern fans have been anticipating for a nice while.
One could argue that the 2017 version of the Bulls football team is the most talented collection of athletes the school has had since 2008 (Teddy Bridgewater’s sophomore season).
That 2008 squad went 13-2 team made an appearance in the Class 6A state title game – so the expectations should be the same for this year’s team. At least an appearance in a state title game.
Bulls fans have every right to have championship aspirations when you look at Northwestern’s roster.
The Bulls won the District 16-6A title in 2016 and were bringing back enough from that team to be considered a favorite, but things got turned up a few notches when a significant handful of players decided to take their talents to 71st street during “Transfer season”.
Three-star defensive back and University of Florida verbal commit Divaad Wilson transferred in from Miami Monsignor Pace, further shoring up the Bulls’ already-loaded secondary. Wilson played quarterback for his former team – and could possibly do it again in a pinch – but he’s used this offseason to show everyone that he’s one of the top boundary defenders in South Florida.
Having Wilson more than makes up for the loss of Thomas Burns, who transferred to a school in Pennsylvania, where his older brother – Miami Northwestern and University of Miami alum and current Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Artie Burns – resides.
Northwestern, which will travel to play Bradenton IMG Academy on September 30, also welcomed 2018 linebacker/safety Marlon Pelote back into the fold. Pelote began his high school career with the Bulls, but spent the next two years at Miami Booker T. Washington and Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna respectively. A 5-foot-11, 195-pound tackling machine, Pelote will play his senior year transitioning to safety, but will surely be among the team’s top tacklers in 2017.
The offense got a pair of new running backs in Miramar High transfer Davonne “Bo” Kendrick and North Miami High transfer Jacquez Stuart along with two new pass catchers in Quavon Beckford (Booker T. Washington) and 6-foot-4 tight end Damarco Harris (Hollywood McArthur).
Northwestern’s offense, however, will still run through the dual-threat dynamo, quarterback Chatarius “Tutu” Atwell. Atwell racked up over 1,600 yards of total yards of offense and 23 total touchdowns this past season and gave opposing defenses headaches with his speed and agility as scrambler while still being able to hit receivers down the field.
Having a player like “Tutu” – as well as running back Kiaryn “Chop” Davis and versatile receiver Justin Hill – to shoulder the offensive load allows Northwestern head coach Max Edwards to focus much of his attention to the defense – his specialty.
Edwards, who has engineered multiple state championship winning defenses in his 10-plus years as a defensive coordinator at other programs, has a treasure chest full of athletes to use in his aggressive, dictating defense.
6-foot-3, 200-pound, 2019 linebacker/defensive end Samuel Brooks Jr. is the headliner. Brooks, who has offers from Michigan, Louisville but seems to be being recruited hardest by the University of Miami, is a natural playmaker that has gotten better every season up to this point. He is a player that the offense must account for before every snap.
Senior defensive linemen Davontae McCrae (6-foot-5, 250 pounds) and Demetreius Mayes Jr. (6-foot-2, 230 pounds) will be able to do damage while teams shift their focus on Brooks.
Northwestern’s defensive backfield has speed to burn, too – in the form of senior Nigel Bethel Jr., who won the Football Hotbed National Invitational Showcase “Fastest Man” Competition with a time of 4.38 in the 40-yard dash.
Bald Prediction
I will predict that this season will be the hardest to predict in this district.
Early inclinations would make me lean towards Northwestern being the team that will earn the automatic district champion bid. The Bulls schedule seems favorable and their defense should be one of the best in the country.
After that, outcomes will depend on a lot of variables and intangible factors. Injuries, momentum, weather are just some of the things that will affect the outcomes of all these district games.
So I’m going to take the easy way out – don’t @ me – and I will withhold my prediction on the rest of the district. Again, don’t @ me.
But I will say this: a lot of people are subscribing to the theory that as many as three teams will make the playoffs from this district with the new playoff point system. While it is theoretically possible, I think it’s mathematically improbable.
Things would have to follow an extreme “best case scenario” path for the non-district champion teams in this group and follow a “worst case scenario” path for the rest of the teams in the region.
Again, theoretically possible but mathematically improbable.
Predicted Champion: Northwestern
Predicted Playoff Team(s): Emoji eyes…
Bold Prediction
A team that nobody is expecting to go 6-4, will go 6-4.
District MVP
With so many players to choose from, there is no “wrong” pick here.
But sticking to the truest essence of “MVP”, I think the player with the most value is probably Northwestern quarterback Chatarius “Tutu” Atwell.
“Tutu” made a believer out of me with his gutsy performance during both games against Carol City this past season. He was one of the smallest guys on the field, but he played with the biggest heart.
If he stays relatively healthy throughout the season and Northwestern goes as far as a lot of people are projecting them to, Atwell should be a Florida “Player of the Year” candidate.
Top Players
Alec Carr – Norland
Amari Daniels – Central
Antonio Caraballo – Hialeah-Miami Lakes
Arthur Brathwaite – Central
Artic Harris – Norland
Avery Hall – Northwestern
Blake Veargis – Norland
Calijah Kancey – Northwestern
Camron Davis – Carol City
Chaii Bland – Central
Chandler Jones – Central
Chatarius Atwell Jr. – Northwestern
Chris Metayer – Central
Chrisden Francois – Hialeah-Miami Lakes
Cortland Faison – Northwestern
Craig Cooper – Norland
Daequan Nelson – Carol City
Damarco Harris – Northwestern
Darius Williams – Norland
Davonne Kendrick – Northwestern
Davonta Wilson – Central
Davontae McCrae – Northwestern
Demetreius Mayes – Northwestern
Derrick Nicholson – Northwestern
Divaad Wilson – Northwestern
Eric Smith – Norland
Hunter Goetz – Central
Irshaad Davis – Carol City
Jacquez Stuart – Northwestern
Jamarie Harrison – Norland
James Cook – Central
Jaquan Denson – Norland
Jawuan Wilson – Carol City
Jefferson Orizon – Hialeah-Miami Lakes
Johaun Beresford – Carol City
Joseph St. Louis – Hialeah-Miami Lakes
Joshua Blanchard – Norland
Justin Hill – Northwestern
Keshawn Brownlee – Hialeah-Miami Lakes
Kewan Parker – Carol City
Kiaryn Davis – Northwestern
Larry Smith – Norland
Legend Moore – Carol City
Malik Edwards – Central
Mark Carter Jr. – Carol City
Mark Fox – Northwestern
Marlon Pelote – Northwestern
Marlon Smith – Carol City
Maurice Underwood – Central
Nayquan Wright – Carol City
Nigel Bethel – Northwestern
Phenol Williams – Carol City
Quavon Beckford – Northwestern
Randy Russell – Carol City
Rashod Matthews – Norland
Reginald Lee Jr. – Norland
Robert Hicks III – Central
Samuel Anaele – Norland
Samuel Brooks – Northwestern
Seth McGill – Central
Sharod Oliver – Northwestern
Taurrian Stafford – Central
Terence Evans – Norland
Terrell Perriman – Central
Thomas Burns – Northwestern
Tijuane Morten – Central
Walter Fowles – Northwestern
Wardrick Wilson – Norland
Willie Davis IV – Central
Yasir Abdullah – Carol City
Zechariah Esdaille – Northwestern
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