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Bald Predictions - High School Football Week One

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And so begins another high school football regular season.

This school year marks my 11th year covering high school sports in South Florida and I've found myself being very reflective lately.

Thinking about all of the great players that I've covered over the years; the big games that I watched up close; the relationships that I've built with coaches; and some of the stories I've written.

It truly has been a blessing to cover sports in South Florida – especially high school. I cut my teeth as a journalist covering preps. And while I've gone on to cover college and professional sports too, doing what I do for the high school level will always have a special place in my heart.

But I hope everyone had a great first week of school; getting back into the swing of things, getting those academic juices flowing again, and finding out which teachers "don't play that".

I'm excited about the 2016 season because once again there are goo-gobs of storylines to follow throughout the year. And, I have a feeling that this is going to be a season that truly tests my predicting knowledge because there are so many solid teams that are capable of knocking off anyone on any given night.

As week one barrels in, now is the time where we really see who's really been putting in the work, who's really been grinding and who's been working on their craft. Everyone says "they've been working hard", but now it's time to swipe that card and see who has money in the bank.

Because I think this will be a grueling season for just about everyone – wins have an even higher premium on them. And getting your season off to a great start – with a victory – might be more important than it's ever been.

Remember, whatever happened last season – good or bad – doesn't matter anymore. As always, you must "win today".

Record last season: 470-109 (.811 Correct Pick Percentage)
All-time record: 1826-382 (.826 Correct Pick Percentage)

52 games picked this week with four in the Bald Predictions Spotlight.

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(1) St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders vs. (3) Booker T. Washington Tornadoes
Friday at Traz Powell Stadium, 7:30 p.m.

How awesome is it that we're getting the sequel to this match up?

And I'm willing to guarantee you that the sequel will be better than the original.

St. Thomas Aquinas enters as the consensus preseason national No. 1 team. The Raiders are oozing with talent at every position and they have one of the best coaching staffs in the country, too.

Watching Aquinas during the preseason, one couldn't help but come away impressed with how pretty much everything clicked into place for them. Sometimes, when a team has a lot of new players, they go through an adjustment period and can look a little disjointed in certain aspects.

Not St. Thomas.

Booker T. was also very impressive in its preseason game. While the Tornadoes are four-time defending Class 4A state champions, I think people slightly underestimated just how good they'd be this season. No one said Booker T. would be a five-loss team again this season, but a lot of people were surprised at how the Tornadoes dismantled American Heritage.

I'm calling it the "Ice Effect".

Looking at this matchup and taking into account the team's respective preseason performances, I think you have to still give the edge to Aquinas.

St. Thomas doesn't have any inherent weaknesses. They can beat you running the ball, they can beat you throwing the ball and they can beat you with their defense.

I have a feeling that Booker T. will try to load up against the run – trying to stymie Mike Epstein and Kyshaun Bryan – and be very aggressive in rushing the passer. The Tornadoes will essentially allow their defensive backs to play man coverage and force St. Thomas quarterback Jake Allen to make throws under pressure.

Simply put, Booker T. will "make Allen beat them".

It makes sense considering Booker T. has a disruptive and dominant trio of rushers in Jaquan Beaver, Guy Thomas and Robert Hicks and they have a very athletic secondary spearheaded by Dedrick Mackey.

While I think Hicks, Thomas and Beaver will create some pressure; Aquinas is a better offensive team than American Heritage and they have many more weapons – bonafide game breakers – that Allen can get the ball to quickly and they make big things happen.

Also, don't forget that St. Thomas' defense will be looking to put the pressure on Booker T. sophomore Daniel Richardson. Yes, Richardson looked good against Heritage's vaunted secondary, but St. Thomas' defensive backfield is just as talented and is even more experienced.

Booker T. will be jacked for the game, especially with it being at Traz Powell Stadium, and the last thing I expect to see from a Tim Harris-coached team is for it to lay down; so for that reason, I think the game will be much closer than last year's showdown.

Ultimately, though, I think it'll be Aquinas' overall depth that lifts them to a victory.

Bald Prediction = St. Thomas Aquinas wins 31-14

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(2) Central Rockets vs. Clermont East Ridge Knights (1-0)
Friday at East Ridge, 7:30 p.m.

The Central Rockets begin their drive for five straight with a trip to Clermont, Florida.

As usual, Central is a team that whenever I think about it all I can hear playing in my mind is the old school PMD track "Ruff, Rugged & Raw".

The Rockets are gritty and tough – and come into every game looking to just wear down their opponent.

East Ridge is a Class 7A team that went 7-4 and missed the playoffs this past season. The Knights return a nice core of seniors, led by running back Simmian Mitchell. Naturally, East Ridge is a run-heavy team with a fairly big offensive line – but no bigger than what Central's defense sees every day going up against its own offensive line.

While I've heard rumblings that East Ridge is coming into this game with extreme confidence – thinking it can not only compete with the Rockets, but deal them a loss to open the season.

A word of caution to the Knights, let the sleeping giant lie.

I fully expect Central to get its ground game going with "Jimmy" Cook and Kywan Smith running behind Navaughn Donaldson. And when East Ridge tries to load up against the run, Maurice Underwood – the assumed starting quarterback for the Rockets – should be able to make plays in the passing game.

East Ridge may not see a faster or more physical team than Central for the rest of the season.

Bald Prediction = Central wins 35-13

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(5) Carol City Chiefs vs. (11) Coral Gables Cavaliers
Thursday at Curtis Park, 7 p.m.

This is an intriguing week-one game.

It's the second game of a two-year, home-and-home agreement between the programs and it is easily the best game on the opening night of the regular season.

Coral Gables won last year's matchup, but both teams enter the 2016 season as much different versions of themselves.

Carol City comes in as preseason top-five squad with an increasingly stingy defense and plenty of skill players on the offensive side of the ball.

The Cavaliers too will be a very good defensive team in 2016, but they have some questions to answer with its offense.

I think this one will be a fairly low-scoring contest – last years was too. Coral Gables showed it still has a lot of work to do in its one-point preseason win over Class 4A Keys Gate Charter, while Carol City went toe-to-toe with Bradenton IMG Academy and held a 7-0 halftime lead before falling 17-7.

There's an underrated running back matchup here, with Gables' Johnny Ford and Carol City's Nayquan Wright. What Ford lacks in size (only measuring 5-foot-7, 170 pounds), he makes up for in versatility and playmaking. Wright is already one of South Florida's top ball carriers and he has a full skill-set to go along with a solid 5-foot-10, 190-pound frame.

While Carol City has some very good options at receiver, I still think the Chiefs' sophomore quarterback Lorenzo Floyd is still trying to find his groove. If Carol City hands the ball off to Wright at least 15 times in this game, they should be more than fine.

Bald Prediction = Carol City wins 17-8

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(9) Deerfield Beach Bucks vs. Hallandale Chargers
Friday at Hallandale, 7 p.m.

Hallandale got the attention of a lot of people with its preseason win over South Broward.

The Chargers showed that even in year one under first-year head coach Benedict Hyppolite, they're not only still a solid team, but a squad to be reckoned with.

With that being said, Deerfield Beach is a very impressive football team. While most people will be paying close attention to Bucks receiver and Alabama commit Jerry Jeudy – and by extension quarterback Nick Holm and receivers Daewood Davis and Leroy Henley – I think it's Deerfield Beach's defense that'll end up being the reason the team lives up to expectations this season.

The Bucks are deep and they have plenty of beef up front to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

Hallandale will fight, but Deerfield has too many weapons and will challenge every secondary it faces trying to cover three Division-I receivers.

Bald Prediction = Deerfield Beach wins 34-14

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Other Games

(4) Plantation American Heritage vs. Colquitt County (Ga.) = American Heritage wins by 9

(6) Southridge vs. Edison = Southridge wins by 14

(7) Columbus vs. Miami Jackson = Columbus wins by 3

(12) Northwestern vs. American = Northwestern wins by 21

(14) Killian vs. Sandalwood = Sandalwood wins by 9

(16) Dillard vs. Stranahan = Dillard wins by 14

(17) South Broward vs. Cypress Bay = South Broward wins by 10

(18) South Dade vs. Coral Reef = South Dade wins by 21

(19) Piper vs. Northeast = Piper wins by 20

(20) McArthur vs. Ralston Valley (Co.) = McArthur wins by 8

Varela vs. South Miami = Varela wins by 3

Monarch vs. Hollywood Hills = Hollywood Hills wins by 7

Braddock vs. North Miami Beach = North Miami Beach wins by 16

International School of Broward vs. Coral Springs Charter = Coral Springs Charter wins by 21

Miami Country Day vs. LaSalle = LaSalle wins by 17

Sunset vs. Miami Palmetto = Palmetto wins by 19

Homestead vs. Ferguson = Homestead wins by 12

Silver Creek (Co.) vs. Somerset Academy Silver Palms = Silver Creek wins by 7

Miami Beach vs. Ronald Reagan = Miami Beach wins by 9

Aukela Christian Military Academy vs. Somerset Academy Pines = Somerset Academy wins by 12

Champagnat vs. Westminster Christian = Westminster Christian wins by 7

Boynton Beach Somerset Academy Canyons vs. Palmer Trinity = Palmer Trinity wins by 1

A&T Mourning vs. Dr. Krop = Dr. Krop wins by 13

Western vs. Barbara Goleman = Western wins by 4

Gulliver Prep vs. Celebration (Fl.) = Celebration wins by 14

Plantation vs. Cardinal Gibbons = Cardinal Gibbons wins by 18

Keys Gate Charter vs. Coconut Creek = Coconut Creek wins by 1

Monsignor Pace vs. Hialeah-Miami Lakes = Monsignor Pace wins by 6

Archbishop McCarthy at Naples Barron Collier = Archbishop McCarthy wins by 7

South Plantation at Cooper City = South Plantation wins by 13

Inlet Grove (Fl.) at Coral Glades = Coral Glades wins by 21

Coral Springs at Everglades = Everglades wins by 26

Westminster Academy vs. Key West = Key West wins by 21

Fort Lauderdale vs. Punta Gorda Charlotte = Charlotte wins by 16

Mater Academy at Miramar = Mater Academy wins by 2

University School at Nova = University School wins by 14

Pines Charter at North Broward Prep = North Broward Prep wins by 10

Pompano Beach at Calvary Christian = Calvary Christian wins by 3

Taravella at Orlando Evans = Evans wins by 14

West Broward vs. Stoneman Douglas = Douglas wins by 5

Miami High vs. North Miami = North Miami wins by 2

Ransom Everglades vs. Florida Christian = Ransom wins by 7

Coral Park vs. Southwest = Southwest wins by 28

Hialeah Gardens vs. Westland Hialeah = Hialeah Gardens wins by 40

Pinecrest Prep at Doral Academy = Doral Academy wins by 35

Miami Springs vs. Hialeah = Hialeah wins by 8

Jacksonville Ribault vs. Norland = Norland wins by 6

Blanche Ely vs. North Marion (Fl.) = North Marion wins by 27

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