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It’s HSFB playoff times, guys! This is when great teams, usually led by great players, make their mark in the history books.
Several of Miami’s 20 commits in the 2017 class had playoff games this past week. Let’s get caught up on what happened:
QB N’Kosi Perry and Ocala (FL) Vanguard had their season come to an end, dropping a tight 14-13 game to Lake Gibson (FL).
This loss has to sting for Vanguard. In the 2016 season, Vanguard was 10-0 vs non-Lake Gibson teams....and 0-2 vs Lake Gibson. Not only that, Vanguard was DOMINATING this game. They were up 13-0 at the half, and held a 202-27 advantage in total yardage.
Unfortunately for Vanguard, the 2nd half told a different story. Lake Gibson blocked a Vanguard FG attempt that would have extended the lead to 16-0. In total, Vanguard gained 18 yards and 0 first downs over the final 18 minutes of game action. Lake Gibson scored their 14 points in the last 5:39 of the game and stole victory from the hands of defeat.
In what ended up being his last HSFB game, Perry flashed the talents that have made him such a highly coveted recruit. He completed a 92 yard TD to open the scoring, then had a 13 yard TD run to push the lead to 13-0 shortly before the half. Those 2 plays would be able all the magic that Perry could muster, however, as the 4-star recruit threw an interception on the first pass of Vanguard’s final drive.
As I previously stated, Vanguard’s season, which once saw them 9-0 and ranked #2 in Florida’s 6A classification, ends at 10-2 after the 1 point loss.
QB Cade Weldon and Tampa (FL) Jefferson previously lost to Tampa (FL) Jesuit in the playoffs.
Weldon and Jefferson ended their season at 7-4.
RB Robert Burns and the Miami (FL) Gulliver Prep Raiders are independent, and have no further games.
Their season is over.
WR Kevaughn Dingle and the Carol City (FL) Chiefs beat Daytona Beach (FL) Mainland 33-7 on Friday night to advance to the 6A semi-finals.
Dingle wasn’t just a bystander in the game, either. He scored on a 19 yard tunnel screen to extend Carol City’s lead to 14-0 in the first quarter, and caught a 60 yard bomb to convert a crucial 3rd-and-17. Dingle ended the night with 8 catches for 101 yards and a TD.
There has been much conjecture about Dingle’s future in Miami’s recruiting class. It stands to reason that games like this, which he’s been doing all through the season, would allay those concerns, but we’ll see.
Carol City looks to continue their season with a trip to Punta Gorda (FL) Charlotte in the State Semifinals. Charlotte enters undefeated at 12-0, but Carol City might be the hottest team in the State in 6A. This should be a good one.
WR Evidence Njoku and Wayne Hills (NJ) Wayne Hills kept their season rolling with a 31-14 win over Chester (NJ) West Morris Central on Saturday afternoon.
In the win, which featured over 250 rushing yards for Wayne Hills, Njoku had 4 catches. None, however, were as impressive as this leaping 1-handed catch he had. Oh, you wanna see it? Got you.
E83 pic.twitter.com/jkKYMXuhGE
— E83 (@Evidence_Njoku) November 27, 2016
Got ‘em.
Njoku and Wayne Hills will have a rematch with rival Wayne (NJ) Valley in the State Championship game at 7pm SUNDAY NIGHT at MetLife Stadium. If you’re wondering how the first game went, Hills beat Valley 25-24 back on October 28th. So...this has the makings of a classic game. I’m interested to see how this one plays out.
TE Brian Polendey and Denton (TX) Guyer lost in the playoffs last week.
Polendey and the Guyer Wildcats ended their season at 9-3.
OL Navaughn Donaldson and Miami (FL) Central Rockets missed the playoffs. Their season is over.
The Rockets’ season ended at 6-2, and their streak of 4 consecutive State Championships is over. Florida’s 6A classification will have a new champion in 2017.
OL Zach Dykstra and the Spirit Lake (IA) Indians missed the playoffs and have concluded their season.
The Indians’ season ended at 6-4.
OL Zalontae Hillery, ATH DeeJay Dallas and their Brunswick (GA) Glynn Academy Terrors saw their 11 game win streak come to an end with a 42-20 loss to Warner Robbins (GA) Northside on Friday night.
This game seemed to come apart for Glynn Academy from the beginning. Northsie built a 21-point halftime lead, and forced 4 GA turnovers to help propel themselves to the victory.
Dallas gave it his all in the loss. The multi-talented athlete ended the night with 135 yards passing, including a 66 yard TD to Quandre Mosley, and 168 yards rushing, 88 of which came on a spectacular TD run that drew Glynn Academy to within 14-7.
Things came apart for Dallas and Glynn Academy on their next 2 drives. Dallas was hit from behind on a passing play and fumbled the ball, which Northside returned inside the 5 before extending their lead to 21-7. On the drive after that, Dallas threw an interception, which Northside promptly turned into a TD a few plays later, and a 28-7 lead which would prove insurmountable
Glynn Academy’s season ends at 11-2.
DT Jon Ford and the Ft. Lauderdale (FL) Dillard Panthers’s lost to Carol City (FL) in the first round of the playoffs 2 weeks ago.
Dillard’s season ended at 6-4.
DE Jonathan Garvin and the Lake Worth (FL) Trojans missed the playoffs.
The Trojans’ season ended at 4-5.
DE D.J. Johnson and his Sacramento (CA) Luther Burbank Titans lost to Sacramento (CA) Christian Brothers in the playoffs last week.
Johnson and the Burbank Titans’ season ended at 7-4.
LB De’Andre Wilder attends Carol City, but he has aged out of FHSAA eligibility after turning 19 years and 9 months the day after Carol City’s last regular season game. The Chiefs continued their playoff run with a 33-7 win over Daytona (FL) Mainland, and face Punta Gorda (FL) Charlotte in the State Semi-Finals on Friday night.
But, for the age reasons previously listed, Wilder’s HSFB career has already ended.
LB Waynmon Steed and the Miami (FL) Central Rockets missed the playoffs. Their season is over.
News recently broke that Steed played his senior year with a knee injury that will require surgery, which he is scheduled to have on December 2nd. Miami will honor his scholarship, and Steed is on track to enroll at Miami in January.
LB Bradley Jennings Jr. and Jacksonville (FL) Sandalwood lost their playoff opener a couple weeks ago.
Their season ended at 7-2.
DB Trajan Bandy and the Miami (FL) Columbus Explorers lost to Coral Gables (FL) previously in the playoffs.
Columbus’ season ended at 7-5.
DB Billy Gibson and Miami (FL) Southridge kept their playoff run going with at 28-10 win over Coral Gables (FL) on Friday night.
This was the first time in nearly 2 MONTHS that Southridge allowed a point, so props to Gables for getting something other than a goose egg on the scoreboard. Gables’ offense just didn’t have the firepower to go score-for-score with Southridge, or put up serious points against a very talented Spartan defense.
Southridge moves on to the Class 8A State Semi-Finals, where they will face Deerfield Beach (FL) on Friday Night.
DB Amari Carter and the Palm Beach Gardens (FL) Gators lost in the playoffs a couple weeks ago.
Carter and Gardens’ ended their season at 5-6.
P Zach Feagles and the Ridgewood (NJ) Maroons had a bye week last week, as all State Championships in New Jersey will be this upcoming weekend.
Ridgewood looks to cap an undefeated season with a rematch against Wayne (NJ) Passaic County Tech in the State Championship Game on Friday night.
Passaic County Tech lost to Ridgewood 14-7 on October 28th, their only District loss on the year. Passiac County Tech enters the game at 9-2 on the season, and looking for a major upset to end Ridgewood’s year. They will get the chance to do just that on Friday night.
That’s it for this week’s Commit Recap. Only a couple of commits are still playing in their senior years.
We’ll see who’s still playing this time next week, and who is crowned State Champions, in the near future.