September 7, 2012

John Patton
FlaVarsity.com

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One of the most interesting developments in high school football in recent years are the made-for-TV-type games (even though all aren't televised) that are played early in the season.

It really wasn't all that long ago that teams from Miami-Dade and Broward Counties had to wait until the playoffs before possibly facing one another.

Now, not only are there semi-regular Dade-Broward clashes, Florida's finest travel to and welcome in some of the nation's top programs.

Here are three questions we're hoping to get answers to this week.

How will two of Florida's best fare visiting two of Louisiana's big boys?

Florida Varsity No. 3 Tampa Plant and No. 7 Tallahassee Lincoln will travel to the New Orleans Superdome to take on River Ridge John Curtis and Covington St. Paul, respectively.

The expectation here is that the Sunshine State earns the split with the Trojans getting a 28-14 win and Plant taking a 36-34 loss.

Who will win the two top-10 matchups?

Give fourth-ranked Armwood credit for taking what could appear to be a no-win game against visiting No. 8 Delray Beach-American Heritage.

Really, if the Class 6A Hawks beat a 3A team, no matter how good... well, then they've beaten a team three classifications below them. But if Armwood loses... well, then it has lost to a smaller school.

Not to be outdone, give the Stallions credit for the beefy job they did on their schedule, as this group could go undefeated competing against programs their size. However, as games like this and the one against Dwyer on Nov. 9 show, American Heritage wants to make a point more than it cares to pad its record.

Will it?

Maybe, but the thought here is not with a win: Armwood 27, American Heritage 21

Additionally, ninth-ranked Weston Cypress Bay will visit No. 5 Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas.

The Raiders will be taking on their second straight top-10 opponent, having dispatched then-No. 10 Miami Columbus, 38-28, last Friday night.

The Lightning have built a fine program, however, until they beat STA (last year's score was 34-0), I can't go against the Raiders in this one.

So, St. Thomas 24-10.

What is the biggest game in Miami this week?

The natural inclination here is to answer Central at Booker T. Washington, which includes Miami-Dade's two highest-ranked teams in the Florida Varsity preseason poll.

However, the Rockets struggled to be competitive in a 35-3 loss at highly ranked Grayson (Ga.), so one has to wonder if Central can bounce back this quickly. That said, the 2011 meeting ended with a 29-26 victory by CHS, and this also should be a tight contest.

Look for this to be Miami's No. 1 game, but don't forget ARV Northwestern at 11th-ranked Norland, as well as No. 13 Columbus at Belen Jesuit in a matchup between teams that each finished 10-3 last year.

The picks: Booker T. Washington 20-13, Norland 22-12, and Columbus 28-23.