Publisheded on Friday December 19, 2008 in The Miami Herald
Northwestern, St. Thomas Aquinas: Great teams from different worlds
BY LINDA ROBERTSON
Forget, for a moment, all the hyperventilating over the Miami Dolphins, reincarnated from 1-15 to 9-5 and chasing the playoffs in Kansas City.
Pause the applause for the University of Miami Hurricanes, trekking to San Francisco to play
California in a consolation bowl.
Put a muzzle on the Gator chomping for now.
Because the two best teams in Florida, yeah the nation, are high school powerhouses. They hail from right here in our backyard: the Northwestern Bulls, representing the 305, and the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders, pride of 954.
Fort Lauderdale's undefeated Raiders play for the 5A state title and the consensus national title Friday night. Miami's Bulls play for their third straight 6A state title Saturday night, having steamrolled to the national title last season. Orlando's Citrus Bowl will be awash in blue and gold both nights. The teams have the same colors, and the same kind of passionate fans.
If Aquinas beats Lakeland on Friday and Northwestern beats Sanford Seminole on Saturday, they ought to stick around and play each other in a winner-take-all showdown on Sunday.
That would be the dream game, a warm-up for Florida vs. Oklahoma for the BCS title or Dolphins vs. Jets for the AFC East.
Michael Irvin would love to see it. Irvin, an Aquinas alum, former Hurricane and Dallas Cowboy and an NFL Hall of Famer, plans to be on the sideline Friday.
On Northwestern's sideline, you might see Melvin Bratton, a loyal Bull who played with Irvin at UM and then for the Denver Broncos. He, too, gets goose bumps envisioning his alma mater against Irvin's.
''It would probably come down to a turnover,'' Bratton said. ''They're fundamentally sound, but we have better athletes. Tell Mike Northwestern would win by seven and he'd have to take me out to the most expensive restaurant in Miami.''
The dream game won't happen this year, but it could next year if a realignment plan is approved, placing both schools in the 5A classification and on a collision course.
We'd have Miami-Dade vs. Broward, the public inner city school vs. the private affluent Catholic school, a clash across borders and demographics. Northwestern is in a tough part of Liberty City. Aquinas has its own Brian Piccolo Stadium, carpeted with artificial turf, and receiver Duron Carter, son of former NFL star Cris Carter, drives in from Boca Raton.
TWO PERSPECTIVES
Both schools enroll about 2,200 students but are vastly different reflections of the educational challenges faced by schools today. Northwestern, established in 1951, was labeled a ''dropout factory'' in a Johns Hopkins study. Among the notable Bull alums are rapper Trina, basketball player Tim James and football players Brett Perriman, Marvin Jones, Nate Webster and Vernon Carey. Northwestern is known for its track teams, marching band and huge fan following.
St. Thomas Aquinas is 72 years old. It costs upwards of $8,000 to attend. Poet C. Dale Young, tennis player Chris Evert and track star Sanya Richards are graduates. The Raiders have won 77 state titles, including 19 in swimming and diving, 11 in girls' tennis and 10 in girls' soccer.
When it comes to football, Northwestern and Aquinas are consistently ranked among the best. Both have won four state titles, Northwestern in the bigger 6A category. Last year, with quarterback Jacory Harris leading the way, Northwestern was named No. 1 in the nation by pollsters. Aquinas has to get past nemesis Lakeland to achieve that honor.
St. Thomas Aquinas, coached by George Smith for the 32nd year, has been a machine, winning by an average of 40.5 points. The routs might have been worse if not for the mercy rule, which keeps the clock running if a team is ahead by at least 35 in the second half. Quarterback Ryan Becker, who plays in the Bob Griese-Chad Pennington mold, leads the offense. Conor O'Neill and William Nesselt lead the defense. Even the kicking game has no weaknesses.
Northwestern was supposed to be in rebuilding mode after graduating a stellar senior class that is fueling UM's resurgence. But aside from a loss to Central, coach Billy Rolle has overseen a smooth transition, with Wayne Times, Daquan Hargrett, Kenneth Dillard and
Tevin McCaskill showcasing Northwestern's trademark speed.
SPORTS OUTLET
''For all the problems we have as an inner-city school and the beating we've taken academically, Northwestern kids still have an outlet in sports,'' said Bratton, 43, an agent in Atlanta. ''They start in a great youth system. Liberty City Optimists vs. Overtown is like a Super Bowl with all the tailgating. There is a lot of pride in the neighborhood, and you'll see that in the stands.''
Harold Cole played at Coral Gables High when it was state and national champion in 1964. Gables was also voted national champ in 1967, 1968 and 1969. Cole, who retired after 35 years at Gables, coached Rolle.
So Cole has seen the Miami-Dade and Broward dynasties through the decades. Northwestern vs. Aquinas? He'd pick Aquinas this year, Northwestern last year.
''The quality of coaching in South Florida has diminished as coaches leave for better-paying jobs, and the parks and facilities aren't what they should be. But Billy and George are devoted to their schools, and consistency boils down to leadership,'' Cole said. ''I'm not convinced there isn't a team in Texas or California that could beat us, but Florida has the reputation now.''
Art Taylor, coach at Deerfield Beach, has defeated and lost to both Northwestern and Aquinas.
He'd pick the Raiders -- last year, too.
''I haven't seen a team as good as Aquinas in a long, long, long time,'' he said.
Walt Frazier coached 36 years and won three state titles at Carol City. He knows something about dominance. Who would win the dream game?
''A tossup, because both teams have that confidence -- they just know how to win,'' he said.
''But the bad thing about both being 5A is that we'd lose a state champion from our area.''
Yes, but we'd gain a rivalry.
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