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(7) Carol City Chiefs (3-1) vs. (8) Southridge Spartans (3-1)
Friday at Traz Powell Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
Southridge may have just become my favorite team to write about. And I mean that with genuine sincerity.
I have immense respect for head coach Billy Rolle, I recognize the elite level of talent the team possesses – including my favorite offensive lineman D.J. Scaife – and the fan base/community are avid supporters of Football Hotbed and The Bald Predictions.
Apparently (according to Southridge assistant coach Joe Brown), I gave the entire school bulletin board material last week when I picked the Spartans to lose.
I had a feeling something like that would happen, given how much pride permeates through that program.
But there’s no time to rest on past success for Southridge because this week they will face a Miami Carol City team that – just like them – is a defending state champion and is tired of hearing people doubt them.
Since their week one lost to Deerfield Beach, the Chiefs have rattled off three straight wins – including an impressive 21-0 victory over district and neighborhood rival Miami Norland.
It appears that Carol City has worked out some of the early kinks and now seem to be running much more smoothly – with great timing as this week’s game against Southridge kicks off a treacherous three-week stretch where the Chiefs will face the Spartans, Northwestern, Booker T. Washington and Miami Central.
There are a lot of interesting individual matchups to watch in this game.
Southridge receivers Mark “Noodles” Pope and Daquris Wiggins going up against Carol City defensive backs Irshaad Davis and Randy Russell. Also, Chiefs running back Camron Davis trying to against James Head, Randy Charlton and the rest of the Spartans D-Line.
The deciding factor in this game will be quarterback play.
Who – either Southridge’s Michael Cox Jr. or Carol City Marlon Smith – can operate best under (physical and mental) pressure and make enough positive plays for their team. And positive plays could simply mean safely throwing the ball away when a play breaks down and not putting the team in harm’s way with a turnover.
Ultimately, I think the Spartans defense will hold Camron Davis and the Chiefs offense in check just enough while Cox makes the requisite plays for a victory.
Bald Prediction = Southridge wins 20-16
