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High School Football Week Two: Catch The Fever

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – You liked it, didn't you?

It's okay to admit it.

It's pretty infectious.

High school football took over South Florida this past, much like Rain Cloud Erika was supposed to.

While Erika only left you with 17 cans of tuna and three months' worth of bottled water, all of the high school football from week one likely brought forth feelings of nostalgia back to younger days and the realization that we have a plethora of talented football players right here in our backyard.

Over the course of the first week of the season there were three games televised nationally by ESPN – one in prime time – that featured teams from South Florida.

We also had three teams travel to Georgia to take part in the 3rd annual Chick-Fil-A Battle of the Borders Classic. Coconut Creek, Hallandale and Plantation American Heritage all came away with victories – and plenty of free chicken sandwiches – as South Florida showed it is king of the Southeast.

And keeping up with all of it isn't hard at all. South Florida High School Sports did a great job covering it all with highlights, scores and analysis by its award-winning staff.

As the second week of the high school football rolls in, there's plenty to look forward to.

Around The Water Cooler
The hot topic amongst both casual and diehard high school football fans the past couple of weeks has been the timing in which St. Thomas Aquinas has played other top teams from South Florida.

As the Raiders snapped Booker T.'s Miami-Dade County record 41-game win streak, people couldn't help but ask: "why didn't we see this game one or two years ago?"

Some even said: "how come St. Thomas won't play Central?"

I personally don't feel one way or the other about it, but I'll indirectly answer those questions by shedding some light on how these "marquee games" are scheduled.

Usually these big games are scheduled a year or more in advance. Sometimes the coaches get together and discuss a potential matchup other times third party companies will pitch the idea to the programs offering to handle all of the logistics (travel, venue, etc.) so that the game can be played.

Sounds simple right?

If the coaches agree, they then have to hand it off to their respective athletic directors – who make the team's schedule. Dates have to matchup, venues have to be available, people have to be scheduled to work the game, blah, blah, blah.

Then if all of that goes through, it has to be rubber stamped by the governing bodies from the county or counties that oversee the teams.

All of that can sometimes take up to a year.

So let's say Team A and Team B both won state championships in 2013 and 2014.

At the start of 2014, Team A's and Team B's coaches say "let's plays each other" and everything works out; so they schedule the game for 2015.

Now, Team A had a roster full of seniors in 2014 and its head coach that built the team got a job somewhere else. Then, Team B had a team of mostly juniors in 2014 and returns a veteran squad.

Even though Team A is a two-time defending champion, it's not the same team anymore while Team B is still one of the best teams in its state.

I've seen it happen plenty of times before – not just on the high school level either. It's not to say one team is avoiding another, it's just that sometimes things don't always turn out the way we want them when we want them.

Dade County Special
Miami Christopher Columbus vs. Miami Northwestern
Friday at Traz Powell Stadium, 7:30pm kickoff

Two of Miami-Dade Counties most storied programs, with two of the best alumni/fan followings maybe in the country strap it up in an early season tilt.

The Explorers made it all the way to the Class 8A state championship game in 2014 – finishing as runners-up to Apopka – and their 2015 roster is arguably even more talented.

Columbus has a handful of division-I prospects that'll catch your eye; defensive end Joshua Uche and defensive back Josh Jobe are both committed to the University of Miami commit, while defensive lineman Kyle Mann is a Syracuse recruit and junior defensive back Trajan Bandy is considered the top player in Miami-Dade County for the Class of 2017 by Larry Blustein.

Northwestern has a young team. The Bulls turned heads by defeating Hialeah American in week one and they seem to be thriving under first-year head coach Max Edwards. They too have a Miami commit in linebacker Billy Joseph and Northwestern also has a dynamic quarterback in sophomore Chatarious "Tutu" Atell.

Broward County Special
Fort Lauderdale Dillard vs. Hallandale
Friday at Hallandale High School, 7pm kickoff

Here's another game between two programs with big alumni followings.

Hallandale is a state-rated squad that features an already prolific quarterback in Tyler Huntley leading a high-powered offense. Huntley, an University of Utah commit, owns all of the passing records for the Chargers and Josh Hammond – the younger brother of Kansas City Chiefs receiver Frankie Hammond – is Huntley's favorite target.

Dillard is a physical team with plenty of playmakers on the defensive side of the ball. The Panthers will need new starting quarterback Anthony "Mo" Hasan to step up in this early season battle.

Did You Know
Plantation American Heritage, which will host Maryland DeMath this Saturday at 6 p.m., has four former NFL players on its coaching staff – including two former Miami Dolphins.

Patriots head coach Mike Rumph played at the University of Miami before spending six seasons in the NFL – three with the San Francisco 49ers.

Patrick Surtain, a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro with the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs, is an assistant coach on the staff – coaching his son Patrick Jr. and the rest of the defensive backs.

Former Dolphins receiver Orande Gadsden (1998-2003) is imparting his knowledge on American Heritage's wide receivers and former University of Miami receiver Chad Wilson, who spent time with the Seattle Seahawks, also coaches on the defensive side of the ball.

For more information, including video highlights, visit www.SFHS.CBSLocal.com

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