Bald Predictions District Previews - District 16-7A
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The largest district in the state. This nine-team set will see a handful of its teams take a substantial step forward in 2016. There are no weeks off in this district and the overall talent level is on the rise.
A&T Mourning Sharks
2015 Record: 1-9
Coach: Trevor Harris
2016 Outlook: The Sharks have come a long way in six years.
From a program that struggled to find its footing at first, to the 2012 team that broke out and had what is still the school's best season (5-5), football is becoming more and more of a priority for A&T Mourning.
While the program has gone through back to back 1-9 seasons, head coach Trevor Harris has been working to change the fortunes of the program. Harris has been coaching in Miami-Dade County for quite a while now and knows the traits of winning program, but he's still young enough to connect with his players.
Sharks fans should feel optimistic, as a common thread can be found between the 2012 team and this season's team – athletic players at the skill positions.
Mourning will have to replace its resident "Mr. Everything" Dontae Charles – who led the team in rushing, receiving as well as passing yards this past season – but they'll do it by committee.
Brothers Justin and Nicholas Days should see their roles increase in 2016. Both can line up on both sides of the ball, but Nicholas slants towards being a defensive back while Justin is a ball carrier. 6-foot-1 receiver Kerson Noel should also play a bigger role in the Sharks success this season.
In order for Mourning to really take a step forward, they'll have to develop quality depth across the board and continue to strengthen the football culture at the school.
Barbara Goleman Gators
2015 Record: 4-6
Coach: Ariel Cribeiro
2016 Outlook: Barbara Goleman has the chance to be a team that plays a very big role in how things shape up in this district.
Head coach Ariel Cribeiro is a 2006 alumni of Goleman and he's a young coach that has worked diligently to make Goleman a relevant part of the South Florida football conversation.
Goleman still runs its patented "single-wing" or "rugby scrum" offense that – no matter who they match up against – gives teams difficulties in defending.
The run-centric offense is very running back friendly. Goleman had four different ball carriers total at least 300 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the season in 2015.
This season will be no different. The team's leading rusher from this past season, John Correa returns for his junior year. Also returning is running back Daryn Jones, who was the team's best back in the red zone (12 touchdowns) and is an underrated prospect – standing 6-feet and weighing 185 pounds.
The Gators were also one of the benefactors of the player exodus from Miami Dade Christian – nabbing athletes John Wright and Jose Valdivia, both of whom can contribute on both sides of the ball.
Fans forget, Goleman has been a playoff team before. In fact, the Gators made it to the second round of playoffs in 2004 before losing to eventual state champion Killian.
Goleman should take a step forward in 2016.
Doral Academy Firebirds
2015 Record: 5-4
Coach: Jase Stewart
2016 Outlook: Doral Academy may have one of the biggest turnaround seasons in South Florida in 2016.
The Firebirds have undergone a major restructuring of its football program.
Doral welcomed in a new head coach in former Hallandale offensive coordinator Jase Stewart and he wasted little time creating "Bird Gang" swag and building an impressive coaching staff.
Stewart, who's had a hand in building some of the most potent offenses in Broward and Miami-Dade over the past five years, brought in 12-year NFL veteran David Bowens to run his defense; former Westland Hialeah head coach Greg Southwood as a defensive assistant; Corey Smith as an offensive assistant as well as the eccentric Dino Johnson.
Better yet, Doral Academy welcomed in a trio of offensive players that appear to be the perfect complement to one another.
Quarterback Angel Alvarez transferred in from Braddock. Alvarez has matured physically and is one of the most unheralded passers in South Florida. He'll orchestrate Stewart's offense and show that he's capable of making all the throws.
On the receiving end of a lot of Alvarez's passes will be senior Murphy Theodore. Theodore comes over from Miami High and provides the Firebirds with a legitimate No. 1 receiver that is able to create separation from defenders laterally and vertically with his athleticism.
The biggest addition may be running back Javier Zuniga. The 2015 Miami-Dade rushing yard champion comes in from district rival Sunset and is looking to show everyone that his big year was no fluke.
Zuniga is a very good running back. He's sure-handed, has good first step into and out of running lanes and he's shown this offseason that he can also be a weapon in the passing game out of the backfield.
Doral Academy should have enough to make a push for the playoffs. However, a large chunk of the Firebirds' success will come down to how their offensive line plays.
Mater Academy Lions
2015 Record: 11-2 (District Runner-up)
Coach: Rocco Casullo
2016 Outlook: Mater Academy is a program that recently broke into the second tier of the South Florida football hierarchy – no longer a young team trying to establish credibility and culture; but a program that consistently wins and creates a pipeline that keeps talented players flowing into the school.
Now, the Lions have to fight their way through the second tier – and they have the right coach to do it.
Rocco Casullo enters his second season leading Mater Academy in 2016. Coming from the football factory that is Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, Casullo has been to the mountain top and knows what a program needs to do in order to get there.
Ironically, Casullo led Mater to the third round of the playoffs this past season – only to meet Aquinas in the regional final.
The Lions finished as district runner-ups last year, but they enter this season as a heavy favorite to win the district crown.
Returning is running back Daniel Doriscar. Doriscar was in the top five in Miami-Dade County in total rushing this past season and he did that while splitting carries with Darius Brown. Brown took his talents to South Dade, so the backfield essentially belongs solely to Doriscar.
The defensive star is cornerback Latavious Brini. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound senior has emerged as one of the top pass defenders in the state and has made a strong verbal commitment to Georgia.
Mater's defense got a nice lift with the arrival of sophomore linebacker/defensive end Mikel Jones. Jones, who came over from Hialeah Champagnat Catholic, is dynamic off the edge and always crashes into the backfield with bad intentions.
Also look for 2018 athlete Lentivone Lesane (transfer from Somerset Academy Silver Palms) and receivers Lio'Undre Gallimore and Travon Roberts – both coming from Norland – to carve out their niche in the Lions' offense.
Mater Academy has the skill position players and its defense can have a very good year in 2016, it just needs to develop its offensive line to take that next step forward.
Miami Springs Golden Hawks
2015 Record: 6-4
Coach: Darryel Bethune
2016 Outlook: Remember when this program had Eugene "T.Y." Hilton (now with the Indianapolis Colts), Tommy Shuler (had a solid career at Marshall) and Willis Wright (went on to FIU) at receiver and Rakeem Cato (had a record-setting career at Marshall and now plays in the CFL) at quarterback?
That is the kind of talent Miami Springs is capable of getting in any given year.
Unfortunately, those talented players don't always stay.
Still, the Golden Hawks always seem to find a way to be in the mix throughout the season.
A lot of that – at least in the recent past – can be attributed to head coach Darryel Bethune. Bethune, who's a Miami Springs alum, is legitimately one of the "good guys" in the South Florida coaching fraternity and he gives the Miami Springs program all he has no matter what he has.
Even though Miami Springs has finished with a winning record in each of the past three seasons (21 wins and 10 loses from 2013-15), the Golden Hawks have only made the playoffs once in that span (2013).
The Golden Hawks do have an under-the-radar prospect in linebacker/safety Michael Mobley. Mobley is a solid tackler that rarely loses his grip on a ball carrier and should be looked to as a defensive leader this season.
Also, senior quarterback DeAndre Miles has a nice arm and enough athleticism to roll out of the pocket to extend a play before throwing a strike downfield.
Still, new playmakers have to emerge for Miami Springs in 2016.
Ronald Reagan Bison
2015 Record: 7-3
Coach: John Lopez
2016 Outlook: Here's another program that is doing everything it can to increase its football culture.
The Bison are a bit further along than some of the other younger programs, but there are still steps in front of them to climb.
Reagan turned some heads in 2015, closing out the regular season on a six-game winning streak after opening the year 1-3.
Seeing this team during the offseason, they are not lacking for players with good size. The most impressive looking player is 6-foot-3, 220-pound sophomore defensive end Dylan Perez-McCollum. His build is perfect for an edge rusher, he just needs to continue to learn the small nuances of the game and develop more moves coming off the edge.
6-foot-4, 320-pound senior offensive lineman Michael Javier will have to anchor the Bison's O-Line from the center position and show that he has the blocking skills to go along with his great size.
Junior Gabriel Almeida transferred in from Hialeah Gardens and it appears the Reagan plans to use him more as a traditional running back as opposed to a fullback as he was used at Hialeah Gardens. Almeida's small transition in position will have to pay dividends because the Bison graduated its top two ball carriers from this past season.
Ultimately, Reagan will have to find some players capable of making explosive offensive plays at the other skill positions if it is to stay in the top half of this district and possibly contend for a playoff spot.
South Miami Cobras
2015 Record: 3-7
Coach: Ricardo Munne
2016 Outlook: Despite being in a talent-rich area, South Miami finds itself in a constant state of rebuilding because many of the players that would be Cobras choose to take their talents to other programs.
The Cobras have not made the playoffs since 2011 – going 9-4 during that season. Unfortunately, things haven't been that good since then.
South Miami welcomes alumnus Ricardo Munne as its new head – replacing David Gray. Munne graduated from South Miami in 2004 and has previously been an assistant at Miami High, Northwestern and Hialeah as well as a brief stint as a quality control coach at FIU in recent years.
As Munne will be one of many first-time head coaches in South Florida, he does have a couple of talented prospects on the roster to rely on throughout the season.
Quarterback Antoine Wright is one South Florida's best kept secrets. The 6-foot-4 passer with 4.7 speed is – physically – a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses. He's able to stand tall in the pocket and deliver passes, yet he's just as dangerous when he pulls the ball on the read-option and takes off down the field.
Better yet, Wright is just entering his junior season – so he still has time to mature and hone those physical skills and become on the area's best dual-threat passers.
What Munne must do is develop the offensive line that protects Wright and find a few more playmakers for him to distribute the ball to. Senior receiver Artavius Hill will see his role increase, but another offensive weapon must emerge.
Sunset Knights
2015 Record: 10-2 (District Champion)
Coach: Mandrell Nickle
2016 Outlook: The 2015 season was very good to Sunset.
The Knights recorded a school-record 10-game winning streak, made the playoffs for the first time since 2008 and won the district title for the first time in a decade. It was just the second time that Sunset had won a football district championship.
And they followed that up by winning their first playoff game in the school's history.
It was a perfect storm of sorts. The Knights had a senior-laden roster; ended up having Miami-Dade County's rushing champion and were led by a young, up-and-coming head coach that was running on the pride of leading his alma mater.
The 2015 rushing champ – Javier Zuniga – transferred out and went to district rival Doral Academy. The up-and-coming head coach – Joseph Petisco – up and went to Coral Reef to become its new head coach.
Now that leaves the Knights with a lot of questions to answer.
Mandrell Nickle takes over for Petisco. It's the first time that Nichols will pace the sideline as a head coach.
Sunset also has to replace plenty of its starters from last year's record-setting squad. Not only a player like Zuniga, but glue guys like Tariq and Tarik Peters along with Julian Noriega and Wladimir Maar.
The Knights do have a pair of returners along its defensive line in Jonathan Esquivel (6-foot-2, 220 pounds) and Jonathan Lorza (6-foot-3, 275 pounds).
2016 will be a rebuilding year for Sunset.
Westland Hialeah Wildcats
2015 Record: 0-10
Coach: Les Jackson
2016 Outlook: Over the past seven seasons, Westland Hialeah has compiled a record of 14 wins and 51 losses.
The school's best output was a 4-5 record in 2011.
Unfortunately, things started trending downward for the Wildcats since then. Westland Hialeah hasn't won a game in the past two seasons. Worse yet, the team has scored 25 total points over the course of those 20 consecutive losses.
Les Jackson takes over as head coach, replacing Greg Southwood. Jackson was an assistant under Southwood this past season and has been tasked with the challenge of breathing life into the program.
Receiver Daniel Mercado returns for his sophomore campaign after leading the team in both receptions and receiving yards as a freshman. Also, junior defensive back Tyler Jackson is the team's top defensive returner – and he could make a bit of splash if he's able to take full advantage of his size (6-foot-1, 200 pounds).
Bald Prediction
Mater Academy wins the district title. The Lions have enough talent in enough places and couple that with the experience of their coaching staff – and I think they earn the top spot outright.
I think Doral Academy takes the runner-up position. Even before coach Stewart took over, the Firebirds were building towards something good. Stewart coming in only expedited the process a bit.
Goleman could end up being the surprise team here. The Gators will make things interesting – because of the number of seniors they have on the roster – and they'll flex their new muscles before falling to Doral and Mater.
Miami Springs has a crafty veteran coach and I think he'll get more out of his Golden Hawks than anyone else could, as they finish in the middle of the district pack.
Reagan has a lot of young pieces that need the 2016 season to learn and mature. The Bison will compete each week and make it hard on the top teams in the district, but they should finish fifth.
Mourning should see their win total increase in 2016 and they'll inch a bit closer to the top – finishing sixth.
South Miami is rebuilding, but should have enough to finish ahead of at least two teams.
Sunset will suffer quite the precipitous fall from grace. The Knights lost too much – including their head coach – and might find themselves in the bottom third of this district.
Westland Hialeah will end up looking at everyone else in the district.
Predicted Champion: Mater Academy
Predicted Runner-Up: Doral Academy
District MVP
This honor has to be split between a pair of running backs that too often get overlooked.
Doral Academy's Javier Zuniga and Mater Academy's Daniel Doriscar – neither gets the flashy headline, but all both of these ball carriers do is produce.
Doriscar rushed for nearly 1,200 yards and scored 17 total (16 rushing) touchdowns in 2015. He was, without a doubt, the Lions' top offensive weapon. Those who haven't watch Doriscar play live – my gosh, I sound like Larry Blustein – are missing out.
Don't let his stature fool you, Doriscar is a very good running back – and he'll once again be Mater's go-to guy on offense.
Zuniga is in the same boat, although his seat may be worse than Doriscar's. Zuniga was Miami-Dade County's rushing champion in 2015 and was the driving force behind Sunset's magical season.
Since leaving Booker T. Washington, all Zuniga has done is produce. And him joining Doral Academy as it is preparing for a big turnaround season itself, is the perfect fit. He'll be the Firebirds' steadying hand on offense while also showcasing his skills to the rest of the county – again.
Bold Prediction
I'd say that Dade's rushing champion will come out of this district again.
Zuniga will have a shot, but I know Doral will want to throw the ball around a bit.
I think Doriscar will get it this year. He was fourth in the county in rushing yards this past season – seventh in South Florida – while sharing the backfield with another solid back.
2016 is the year he gets the rushing crown.
Top Players
Alex Lam – South Miami
Andre Pacheco – Miami Springs
Angel Alvarez – Doral Academy
Antoine Wright – South Miami
Artavius Hill – South Miami
Chris Perez – Ronald Reagan
Daniel Doriscar – Mater Academy
Daniel Mercado – Westland Hialeah
Daniel Walker – Mater Academy
Daryn Jones – Goleman
DeAndre Miles – Miami Springs
Deon Asbury – Miami Springs
Derrick Hall – Goleman
Devonta Lopez – Mater Academy
Dontae Charles – A&T Mourning
Dylan Perez-McCollum – Ronald Reagan
Edwin Sosa – Mater Academy
Eric Demps – Mater Academy
Gabriel Almeida – Ronald Reagan
Gabriel Barrocas – Ronald Reagan
Guarionex Rivera – South Miami
Jamahl Horne – Sunset
Javier Zuniga – Doral Academy
John Correa – Goleman
John Wright – Goleman
Jonathan Esquivel – Sunset
Jonathan Francois – Mater Academy
Jonathan Lorza – Sunset
Jose Valdivia – Goleman
Justin Days – A&T Mourning
Kenyatis Lewis – Sunset
Keyvon Randolph – Miami Springs
Latavious Brini – Mater Academy
Lentivone Lesane – Mater Academy
Lio'Undre Gallimore – Mater Academy
Michael Javier – Ronald Reagan
Michael Mobley – Miami Springs
Mikel Jones – Mater Academy
Montavious Brini – Mater Academy
Murphy Theodore – Doral Academy
Nez Dacosta – Mater Academy
Nicholas Days – A&T Mourning
Nydji Meristyl – A&T Mourning
Rayne Tanega-Doster – Mater Academy
Takori Thurston – Mater Academy
Tayvon Dukes – Sunset
Travon Roberts – Mater Academy
Tyler Jackson – Westland Hialeah
