MIAMI — If you needed any more evidence that the True North Classical Academy Titans are ready to announce themselves as one of the most dangerous programs in South Florida football, they handed it to you in the most emphatic way possible.
True North defeated the West Boca Raton Bulls in the championship game of the University of Miami 7V7 Tournament, knocking off the defending back-to-back FHSAA Class 6A state champions in a result that should send a clear message from Miami to every program in the state of Florida.
Let that sink in for a moment.
West Boca Raton is not just any team. The Bulls are the gold standard of Florida high school football right now. They posted a perfect 15-0 record in 2024, winning the program’s first state championship in program history before turning around in 2025 and repeating — shutting out West Broward 31-0 in the 6A state championship game at FIU’s Pitbull Stadium. Back-to-back. Dominant. The program that every team in the state measures itself against.
And True North just beat them.
A Program on the Rise — And They Know It
This victory did not happen in a vacuum. The True North Titans have been quietly building one of the most intriguing programs in Class 1A football over the past several seasons, and head coach Manny Laffere has never shied away from putting his team in difficult positions.
Coming off a 10-3 season that ended with a 35-14 loss to powerhouse Chaminade-Madonna in the 1A state semifinals, True North enters the 2026 campaign with the most optimism the program has ever carried. The departure of Chaminade-Madonna and defending 1A champion West Palm Beach Cardinal Newman to Class 2A has opened the door for the Titans to compete for a state title in a way they never have before.
But Laffere did not respond by softening the schedule. Instead, he doubled down. The Titans are set to face defending state champions Sarasota Cardinal Mooney and Plantation American Heritage, along with state runner-up Chaminade-Madonna, regional finalists Miami Southridge and Southwest Ranches Archbishop McCarthy, and a loaded list of South Florida programs. It is, by most accounts, one of the toughest schedules in the state.
That mentality — compete against the best, always — is exactly what brought True North to the University of Miami campus for this 7V7 tournament. And it is exactly why knocking off West Boca Raton in the championship game means something real.
The Players Who Made It Happen
Football Hotbed was on the scene at our own Media Day 2025, where two of the Titans’ most important players gave us a preview of what was coming.
Zac Katz, #9 — Quarterback, Class of 2027
At 6-foot-1 and 196 pounds, Katz is the kind of quarterback that makes a program. The Miami native has a big arm, the poise to manage a game in high-pressure moments, and the athleticism to extend plays when the pocket breaks down. In 8th grade alone he threw for 2,847 yards with 34 touchdowns at an eye-opening 75 percent completion rate — numbers that told anyone paying attention that this kid was special.
Now a rising junior listed in the Class of 2027, Katz has developed recruiting interest from programs including Appalachian State, FIU, Bethune Cookman and Western Michigan. He carries a 3.8 GPA and is the kind of student-athlete that coaches at every level covet. His performance in 7V7 settings — where it is all about reads, timing, and arm talent — is exactly where a quarterback like Katz gets to show everything he brings to the table.
George Harris, #1 — Athlete, Class of 2027
Harris is the kind of versatile playmaker that 7V7 tournaments are built for. Lined up at wide receiver and outside linebacker, the 5-foot-10, 185-pound Miami native is a matchup problem in space and a tone-setter on the defensive side. His tape — available at Hudl — shows a player with excellent ball instincts, quick feet in and out of routes, and the physicality to compete at the next level.
Harris and Katz are the backbone of a True North offense that, when it is clicking, is one of the most dynamic units at the 1A level in the state.
Why This Win Matters Beyond the Trophy
In the world of 7V7 football, championships matter — but context matters more. Any team can get hot for a day. What makes True North’s win over West Boca Raton significant is the opponent.
West Boca is coached by Dylan Potts, who has transformed the program from a team that won just one game in 2021 to back-to-back state champions with a combined 27-2 record over the 2024 and 2025 seasons. The Bulls return key pieces from their 2025 championship squad, including quarterback Trey Moran and a defense that has been one of the most suffocating units in the state for two consecutive years.
Beating them — even in a summer 7V7 setting — requires execution, confidence and playmaking. True North had all three.
For a program that has spent years knocking on the door of the state’s elite, a win like this sends a message that resonates. It says the Titans belong in the same conversation. It says Zac Katz and George Harris are names that college coaches at every level should have circled on their boards. And it says that when the 2026 season kicks off, True North Classical Academy is not sneaking up on anyone.
What to Watch This Fall
True North enters the 2026 season as the team to beat in Class 1A — a position the program has never held before. With Katz and Harris returning as rising juniors, a gauntlet schedule designed to forge a championship-caliber team, and now a 7V7 championship over back-to-back state champions to hang in the locker room, the Titans have every ingredient they need.
The question now is whether they can carry this summer momentum into August and beyond.
If this tournament win is any indication, the answer is yes.
Football Hotbed will continue to track True North Classical Academy throughout the 2026 season. Stay locked in at footballhotbed.com and follow us on all platforms @footballhotbed.
Photos: Zac Katz (#9) and George Harris (#1) at Football Hotbed Media Day 2025 | Photography by @spraederpics
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