Booker T. Washington Playing For State & National Championship Saturday
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – While the Florida State Seminoles are on the cusp of playing for a BCS national championship; the Booker T. Washington Tornadoes are poised to claim their own national championship this Saturday in Orlando.
The Tornadoes are 13-0 and rank as the number one team in the country according to USA Today's Super 25. The school, listed with an enrollment of less than 1,000 students, has put together one of the best programs in the country led by head coach Tim "Ice" Harris.
Harris' son, Treon, leads the Tornadoes' explosive offensive attack. With Treon at the helm, the Tornadoes have essentially breezed through the FHSAA 4A playoffs. Washington is averaging 44.7 points per game since the regional semifinals including a 49-10 demolition of Cocoa in the state semifinals.
Harris' team is loaded with Division I prospects on both sides of the ball. Treon Harris is committed to Florida State while the team's highest-ranked player, defensive end Chad Thomas is verbally committed to the Miami Hurricanes.
Joining Thomas on the Hurricanes will be defensive back Nigel Bethel II. All three of the players are ranked at least four stars by Rivals.com. Three other Tornadoes players will also be headed to Division I schools next year.
The Tornadoes' path to a state and national championship will go through a familiar foe, Bolles High School out of Jacksonville. Bolles beat the Tornadoes for the state championship in 2011. Since then, Booker T. Washington has dominated the game in Florida and this year, across the country.
For example, the Tornadoes opened the season playing the preseason number one team in the state of Georgia, Norcross. Washington went to Georgia and proceeded to rout Norcross by a final score of 55-0. The Tornadoes also took down 6A rival Miami Central and Nevada's best team, Bishop German.
If Bolles is going to derail the Tornadoes' championship hopes, it better play a lot better than Cocoa did last week. Washington jumped out to a 28-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. Cocoa didn't score a touchdown until the fourth quarter when the game was long decided.
Bolles also better play better than it did last year against Washington. The Tornadoes demolished Bolles last year 35-7 to claim the state championship.
Can the Tornadoes blow Bolles away in back-to-back seasons? If they can, the team will claim a second-straight state championship and a national championship.
