Cardinal Newman point guard Antonella Marino will play at St. Thomas University, according to a press release from the school.

A 2009 first-team All Area selection, Marino averaged 16.7 points, 5.8 assists and 7.2 steals for the Crusaders. She led the team to three District 13-3A titles during her career. She also played for the Wellington Wolves AAU squad.

“[She’s} the most fundamentally sound basketball player I’ve coached,” said head coach Dennis Miles in a press release.

Cardinal Newman had a star in Vic Adams, a sharp-shooting guard who averaged 19.3 points a game this past season. But Adams, who originally transferred to Cardinal Newman from Dwyer before the 2009 school year, is headed back to his old stomping grounds.

Adams wrote that he was “Dwyer bound!” on his Facebook page on Friday and confirmed his move on Monday. Former Cardinal Newman coach Brian Mullican, who coached Adams this past season but took an assistant coaching job at Palm Beach State about a month ago, understood Adams’ reasons for switching schools.

“I think it’s a good move,” Mullican said. “It obviously hurts Cardinal Newman, but it makes sense for Vic.”

The chance to play for Dwyer in bigger tournaments with more exposure was a big draw, Adams said.

Adams made the Palm Beach Post’s All-Area small schools team after last season, thanks in large part to his bagging 56 three-pointers. He adds another scoring threat to an already-stacked Dwyer team, which returns two-sport star Jacoby Brissett and 10 other players who played for the Panthers’ final four team last season.

Cardinal Newman hired Tavarus Harris to coach boys’ basketball for the 2010-2011 season. The school announced the decision in a release this week.

Harris was the junior varsity head coach and a varsity assistant last season at Cardinal Newman. He replaces Brian Mullican, who took a job as an assistant coach at Palm Beach State.

Harris was an assistant coach at John I. Leonard and played his high school hoops at Boynton Beach.

“Can you please tell Jessie Hester to look at his calendar,” came a text message from Dwyer coach Jack Daniels Saturday morning.

Daniels was responding to comments Hester made this week, in response to the question of what he thought would happen if Glades Central played Dwyer this year, with both teams putting their best squads on the field:

“I don’t see them beating us. Not with the team they have this year,” Hester said. “The things they do, we have the players to shut them down.”

When asked for a prediction, Hester said the Raiders would win 35-14, or 28-14.

To be clear, I asked Hester to entertain a hypothetical situation and he responded. He wasn’t boasting. He just confidently feels his team would handle Dwyer by two or three touchdowns.

Obviously, Daniels disagrees.

“Tell Jessie that it is now fall and summer 7 on 7′s are over. That would be the only time they would ever think about scoring 35 points on us.”

What’s your prediction?

“35 to nothing.”

Expect the teams to find a date to play next fall.

Daniels joked that in retrospect, he wishes he had played Glades Central this year instead of going to Columbus. I wish we could get these two teams on the field this year, because it would no doubt be one to remember.

The coaches made their Dwyer vs. Glades Central predictions, so what’s your call? Leave it in the comments or fire back on Twitter (@mattyports) and let us know who you think would win.

About last night

Last night’s deadline was a little crazy, so here’s some more on the game I attended, American Heritage at Glades Central. Plus, a few notes on other good ones around the area:

The top-ranked Raiders couldn’t get much going on offense in the early going, but neither could No. 5 American Heritage. In a late frenzy of action, Glades Central emerged with a 20-18 win. Hester said afterward he thought the Raiders “should have lost that game.” They might have if not for some miscues by American Heritage. Stallions coach Doug Socha took the blame for some of the penalties (17 flags, 125 yards), but there were pass interference and personal foul calls that boosted Raider drives.

It was kind of messy in the Muck, at least in the first half. In the third quarter, things got wild.

Down 3-0 with 6:54 to go in the first half, the Raiders take over at the American Heritage 37. The Stallions’ drive fizzled after a 15-yard personal foul and a false start. On 3rd-and-4, Jamarious Rowley hits Kelvin Benjamin for 23 yards, all the way down to the 8-yard line. Rowley has trouble rolling out and is sacked by Stallions DL Mike Wallace for a loss of 17, and a penalty on Glades Central brings it back to the 30. Rowley almost finds Jamie Wilson in the end zone, but then Wallace sacks him on consecutive plays for losses of 7 and 6 yards, and Heritage takes over at its own 43.

On 2nd-and-9, Stallions QB Marcus Davis’ pass is picked by John Brockman, and the Raiders take over near midfield. Rowley finds Benjamin for 18 yards. Penalties on American Heritage and Glades Central move the chains in both directions. Then a bad snap goes over Rowley’s head, and he falls on it for a loss of 20. That’s how the half ends.

Rowley recovers his own fumble on the opening drive of the third quarter, then throws a pick on 3rd-and-13. From his own 42, he looks for Davonte Allen over the middle, and throws over Allen and into the hands of Heritage’s Jhavon Williams. On the sideline, Rowley spends time talking with Hester, Benjamin and Allen.

“They told me to stay calm,” said Rowley after the game. “They know I can make any throw on the field.”

Kelvin Benjamin was hurt on this play, but returned when Glades Central needed him most. Click to see a huge photo gallery from the game. (Allen Eyestone/The Palm Beach Post)

On 2nd-and-goal from the 15, Rowley rolls out to his right and sees a wall, then rolls left and fires a strike to Robert Burgess, putting the Raiders up 7-3.

But on the ensuing kickoff, American Heritage senior Nestor Lantigua raced straight up the visiting sideline, taking the kick 90 yards to the goal and putting the Stallions up, 10-7, with 2:11 left in the third quarter.

Sophomore Aaron Baker’s 23-yard carry brings Glades Central to the Stallions’ 43, but two false starts kill the drive. Dominique Gibson and Brockman tackled Heritage’s Greg Bryant and Davis for losses on two consecutive plays, and Delbert Clarke and Marcus Clentscale combine for a huge 4th-and-1 stuff at the Glades Central 37.

Down 10-7 with 8:24 left in the fourth, Rowley hits Jaqavein Oliver for a 59-yard pass, and two plays later, runs in a 2-yard TD to make it 13-10.

Benjamin was on the bench for that, but he called his own number when the Raiders needed him most, breaking tackles on a busted wheel to pick up a crucial first down late in the game. Read more about that here and see a really cool mashup video here. What’s a mashup? It’s a music video, with pictures and video from the game, that our multimedia staff produces for every Game of the Week. Check it out. Also, click here to see a huge (107 photos) gallery of images from last night’s game.

Glades Central got what it needed from Benjamin, Rowley (in the second half) and Gibson, who was a beast of a ballcarrier on the final two drives. Brockman, Wilson and Johnson were standouts on D, and they didn’t let American Heritage get anything going in the passing game (Davis: 2-5, 29 yards, TD, INT; Herve Coby: 0 catches).

The Stallions were able to gain some ground with Davis (14 carries, 56 yards) and Jeramy Gaskins (7 carries, 36 yards). If they hadn’t shot themselves in the foot so often, we might be talking about a real shakeup in the Top 10 rankings (which come out Monday).

Back to Dwyer for a moment: With or without Glades Central’s near-scare, Coach Daniels has every reason to feel good about his chances against the Raiders. The No. 2 Panthers dismantled Pahokee (and I can’t believe I’m typing this) 52-0 [see photos]. Dwyer is on a mission, and the 7th-ranked Blue Devils are young and inexperienced, but Jeff and I both expected this one to be a bit closer.

More games: Jupiter Christian again showed it has one of the best offenses in the area, outgunning Lake Worth, 49-28. A good QB battle there, between Jupiter Christian’s Keddy Bostic and Lake Worth’s Evan Moore, and Trey Pendergrass turned some heads. See photos here . . . Fort Pierce Westwood must have had the Porter Magic working for them: I predicted they would upset Vero Beach on the road, 22-20, and last night, they scored 15 fourth-quarter points to beat Vero, 21-20 . . . Clewiston put up some points against Glades Day, but it sure looks like Kelvin Taylor is back to full health. He had 288 yards on 30 carries in a 29-20 win . . . James Blackshell and Chris Fair combined to lift Fort Pierce Central over Port St. Lucie, 20-17 . . . Cardinal Newman keeps rolling on, stomping winless Forest Hill, 55-0. The Crusaders get Pahokee next . . . Pope John Paul II needed to stop a two-point conversion try to secure a 27-26 win over John Carroll . . . Atlantic overcame a bad first half for a 41-0 win against Boynton Beach.

John Carney, a 1983 Cardinal Newman graduate, is one of the 91 former Newman players expected to attend Friday’s game against Pahokee, the marquee event of the school’s celebration of 50 years of Crusaders football.

Longtime Cardinal Newman coach Sam Budnyk, who retired after the 2003 season after spending 44 years on the sideline, has spent weeks reconnecting with former players, inviting each player personally. He was part of the eight-member selection committee that chose a 103-member All-Newman team. Those players will be honored at halftime of Friday’s game.

“It’s going to be very emotional,” said Budnyk, the first football coach at the school, which in 1925 was founded as St. Ann’s. “This thing has blossomed into something bigger than anyone expected.”

Carney, the longtime NFL kicker who won a Super Bowl with last year’s New Orleans Saints, will watch the game Friday night with other alums, including former NFL players Craig Erickson (Class of 1987) and Chris T. Jones (’90).

Current NFL players who played at Newman: Cleveland Browns safety Abram Elam (’00) and Oakland Raiders wide receiver and 2010 draft pick Jacoby Ford (’05). They are not expected to be in attendance.

Budnyk, 76, says he attends a few Cardinal Newman games a season. One is always away from Newman’s home field, which is named after him. (Side note: Carney donated the goalposts at the stadium, which was built in 1993.) “I have to see how we play on the road,” he said.

He says Cardinal Newman coach Steve Walsh is doing an excellent job.

“They look much better than they did last year,” Budnyk said. “They’re well-coached. They’re absorbing [Walsh's] schemes, I can tell that just by looking at them.”

Also, he’s proud of this year’s Crusaders team, which is off to a 3-0 start, but he knows Pahokee is a tough test. Though after seeing one half of Pahokee’s 52-0 loss to Dwyer last week, he isn’t sure what Pahokee will bring to the table.

“I know Dwyer is very good,” Budnyk said. “But I’m not sure if Dwyer is that superior, or Pahokee is that down. I mean that sincerely. I don’t know.”

“I just hope Newman wins. But of course I’m biased.”

* * *

Here is the All-Newman team, broken down by offense, defense and special teams.

Note: NFL players in bold

Like many small-school teams, Cardinal Newman hasn’t been entirely healthy this season.

But heading into their big District 7-2B matchup against Pahokee Friday, the Crusaders could be without two big pieces.

Two-way linemen Sean Gannon and Trey Tucker have yet to practice this week.

Gannon, a 6-foot-2, 250-pound junior, suffered a sublaxation (partial dislocation) of his left shoulder in the first half of last week’s 55-0 home win over Forest Hill. He did not finish the game. Coach Steve Walsh called him “doubtful” for Friday’s game.

Tucker, a 6-foot-1, 230-pound senior, was called “possible” by Walsh. He sprained his ankle in Week 2 against Benjamin.

This week’s top 10 doesn’t have too many changes from last week. Three top-10 teams were idle and two of them played each other. Only one top-10 lost. 

Let’s break down why we ranked these 10 teams and why we didn’t rank a few others.

 That lone losing ranked team, Boca Raton, dropped out, making way for a new school, Cardinal Newman. Other than that, literally nothing changed.

Here’s this week’s top 10:

1. Glades Central 4-0
2. Dwyer 2-1
3. Park Vista 4-0
4. Seminole Ridge 4-0
5. Jupiter Christian 3-0
6. American Heritage 2-2
7. Fort Pierce Westwood 4-0
8. West Boca Raton 3-1
9. Cardinal Newman 4-0
10. Atlantic 2-1

Seminole Ridge crushed Boca Raton, 49-14, in the Game of the Week. At 1-2, Boca has struggled offensively this season. Seminole Ridge showed why its our fourth-ranked team with a methodical destruction of the Bobcats. Gary Holmes and Tyler Butler are a tough duo to handle, and Trevor Vanscoy, Alex Pierre and Thomas Fragale give the Hawks some nice secondary options in their run-heavy offense, too.

Like I said, losing dropped Boca out and opened up a spot for a newcomer. Ladies and gentlemen, Cardinal Newman.

At 4-0, the Crusaders are conjuring up memories of yesteryear. Honestly, we took a wait-and-see approach with them when they reached 3-0. We wanted to see how they did against Pahokee. A 14-7 win without two of its key players was enough to convince Matt and I that Newman needs to be ranked.

Park Vista played without stud linemen Cody Preble and Mike Matulis, but Tre Mason still ran for 296 yards and three scores in a 35-13 win over Palm Beach Central. Mason has 667 rushing yards and averages a cool 9.9 yards a carry. He has 10 touchdowns, too.

Top-ranked Glades Central (4-0) started slow and won a sloppy game over Royal Palm Beach. That’s two shaky wins in a row for the Raiders, who committed five turnovers and racked up 163 penalty yards against Royal Palm. QB Jamarious Rowley will line up at linebacker this week against Clewiston, a game the Raiders expect to win.

American Heritage (2-2) absolutely rolled Pope John Paul II, 70-0. The Stallions took out their frustration on PJP after losing 20-18 to Glades Central the week before. They rushed for 343 yards in the blowout.

A lot of people are talking about Fort Pierce Westwood rising in the ranks in 3A. The Panthers kept rolling with a 27-7 win against Titusville. Travares Copeland and Wonderful Terry have provided a powerful punch for a defensively-sound Westwood club.

Speaking of defense, West Boca’s showed up (again) this week, closing down an athletic Palm Beach Lakes team in a 22-7 win. At 3-1, the Bulls are the 5A team to beat in the county. Robert Lockhart is making a name for himself at receiver. He has 233 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Alex Prakas is off to a nice start, too.

West Boca’s game against Wellington will all but decide the District 13-5A title, and given the way the teams are playing, the Bulls have to be the strong favorites.

Dwyer and Atlantic were idle, and now they get to play each other in Delray. Standout  tight end Nick O’Leary will be back for the Panthers.

Jupiter Christian (3-0) was also off this past weekend, and now the Eagles get Berean Christian in a game they should win.

Teams we also considered (in no particular order): Fort Pierce Central, Glades Day, Lake Worth, King’s Academy, Santaluces.

Cardinal Newman, welcome to the spotlight.

The resurgent Crusaders are ranked fifth in the state among Class 2B teams, according to the Associated Press rankings released Monday.

Glades Central is ranked second among 2A squads, Dwyer is second in 4A, American Heritage is third in 1A, and Fort Pierce Westwood is sixth in 3A.

Also receiving votes in their respective classes were Park Vista (6A), Treasure Coast (6A), Fort Pierce Central (4A), King’s Academy (1A) and Glades Day (1B).

The Associated Press Top 10 Florida high school football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records, rating points and previous rankings:

Class 6A
Record Pts Prv
1. Miami Northwestern (8) 3-0 98 1
2. Miami Central 3-1 87 2
3. Dr. Phillips (2) 4-0 85 3
4. Miramar 2-1 65 4
5. DeLand 4-0 57 6
6. Christopher Columbus Catholic 3-0 45 8
7. Winter Park 3-0 42 7
8. Apopka 3-1 34 9
9. Olympia 2-1 14 10
10. South Dade 3-1 8

Others receiving votes: Miami Southridge 7, Park Vista Community 6, Treasure Coast 2.
Class 5A
Record Pts Prv
1. St. Thomas Aquinas (6) 3-0 96 1
2. Manatee (4) 3-0 94 2
3. Lakeland 4-0 79 3
4. Blanche Ely 4-0 70 4
5. Plant 3-1 59 5
6. St. Petersburg 4-0 51 6
7. Countryside 4-0 40 7
8. Fleming Island 3-0 27 8
9. Boyd Anderson 3-1 16 9
10. First Coast 4-0 13 10

Others receiving votes: Venice 3, Bayside 1, Dillard 1.
Class 4A
Record Pts Prv
1. Armwood (9) 4-0 99 1
2. Dwyer (1) 2-1 91 2
3. Charlotte 4-0 80 3
4. Niceville 4-0 70 4
5. Columbia 4-0 60 5
6. Palm Bay 4-0 41 7
7. Kathleen 3-1 38 6
8. Lincoln 3-1 26 10
9. Edgewater 2-2 22 8
10. Harmony 3-0 6

Others receiving votes: Ida S. Baker 5, Mosley 5, Lake Gibson 5, Bartow 1, Fort Pierce Central 1.
Class 3A
Record Pts Prv
1. Jefferson (8) 3-0 98 1
2. Pensacola (1) 4-0 90 2
3. Lake Wales (1) 3-0 71 T3
4. St. Augustine 4-0 69 T3
5. Miami Washington 4-0 63 5
6. Fort Pierce Westwood 4-0 48 6
7. Miami Belen Jesuit Prep 3-1 33 7
T8. Naples 4-0 28 9
T8. Winter Haven 3-1 28 8
10. North Marion 3-1 6 10

Others receiving votes: Southeast 5, Merritt Island 4, Miami Norland 3, Pasco 1, Key West 1, Ocala Vanguard 1, Sebring 1.
Class 2A
Record Pts Prv
1. Cocoa (10) 3-0 100 1
2. Glades Central 4-0 90 2
3. Robinson 3-0 78 3
4. Madison County 4-0 64 4
5. Jones 4-0 42 5

Others receiving votes: Jesuit 20, Raines 6.
Class 2B
Record Pts Prv
1. Bolles School (10) 4-0 100 1
2. Pensacola Catholic 4-0 87 2
3. Ocala Trinity Catholic 4-0 82 3
4. University Christian 3-0 62 4
5. Cardinal Newman 4-0 25

Others receiving votes: Lake Highland 18, Fort Lauderdale University 8, Yulee 6, Monsignor Pace 6, Taylor County 6.
Class 1A
Record Pts Prv
1. Fort Meade (9) 3-0 98 1
2. Melbourne Central Catholic 2-0 81 2
3. Delray American Heritage (1) 2-2 74 4
4. Trinity Christian-Jacksonville 2-2 73 3
5. Berkeley Prep 3-1 55 5

Others receiving votes: Providence 7, Dade Christian 6, King’s Academy 6.
Class 1B
Record Pts Prv
1. Jupiter Christian (10) 3-0 100 1
2. Warner Christian 4-0 89 2
3. Victory Christian 4-0 73 3
4. Hawthorne 4-0 63 4
5. Jefferson County 3-1 37 5

Others receiving votes: Admiral Farragut 12, Deltona Trinity Christian 12, Glades Day 8, Out-of-Door Academy 6.

Beef O’Brady’s All-Classification statewide poll

Maybe it was the bye?

After stomping Palm Beach Gardens and Pahokee by a combined 87-0 score, Dwyer was off last week. For that (or any other) reason, the Panthers dropped from second to fourth in the Beef O’Brady’s All-Classification statewide poll.

Dwyer received one first-place vote, which is one more than Armwood, the Panthers’ 4A rival who sits at No. 3 in the poll. Class 2B power Cocoa is second, behind new statewide No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas (5A).

Glades Central slipped from 11th to 13th after beating Royal Palm Beach at home, 24-7.

No teams moved into or dropped from the poll, as none of the top 25 teams lost last week.

RN School (FPV) Class W/L LW Pts.

1 St. Thomas Aquinas (4) 5A 3-0 1 262

2 Cocoa (5) 2A 4-0 5 248

3 Armwood 4A 3-0 3T 236

4 Dwyer (1) 4A 2-1 2 235

5 Pensacola 3A 3-0 3T 233

6 Manatee (1) 5A 3-0 6 227

7 Jefferson 3A 4-0 7 219

8 Dr. Phillips 6A 4-0 9 209

9 Miami Northwestern 6A 3-0 8 206

10 Miami Central 6A 3-1 10 172

11 Lakeland 5A 3-0 12 161

12 Miami Washington 3A 4-0 13 149

13 Glades Central 2A 4-0 11 145

14 Deland 6A 4-0 16 116

15 St. Augustine 3A 4-0 14 111

16 Jacksonville Bolles 2B 4-0 17 108

17 Tampa Plant 5A 3-1 15 102

18 Pompano Beach Ely 5A 4-0 18 92

19 Tampa Robinson 2A 3-0 19 70

20 Jacksonville First Coast 5A 4-0 20 68

21 Niceville 4A 4-0 21 53

22 Punta Gorda Charlotte 4A 4-0 22 47

23 Lake Wales 3A 3-0 25 27

24 Miramar 6A 2-1 23 16

25 Apopka 6A 3-1 24 15

Others receiving votes: — Miami Columbus (6A, 3-1, 10); South Fort Myers (3A, 3-0, 9); Lake City-Columbia (4A, 4-0, 8); Naples (3A, 4-0, 7); Clearwater Countryside (5A, 4-0, 6); Madison County (2A, 4-0, 5); Melbourne Palm Bay (4A, 4-0, 2) Miami Norland (4A, 4-0, 1)

The No. 10 spot in our rankings continues to be a battle. This week, another newcomer breaks through.

Olympic Heights (3-1) avenged last year’s blowout loss to Boca Raton with a convincing 28-21 win. The Lions’ lone loss this year was a tight one on the road against Hallandale, which knocked off defending Class 6A state champs Miramar last week.

Olympic Heights’ next big test will be Oct. 22, when it hosts No. 7 West Boca Raton.

Interestingly, Olympic Heights beat Boca without completing a pass (1 attempt). However, they ran the ball 53 times for 352 yards. David Tanis (21 carries, 155 yards) and Tavon Jenkins (12-148) did whatever they wanted to do in the first half.

Here’s how the rankings shake out:

1. Glades Central (5-0)
2. Dwyer (3-1)
3. Park Vista (4-0)
4. Seminole Ridge (4-0)
5. Jupiter Christian (4-0)
6. Fort Pierce Westwood (4-0)
7. West Boca Raton (3-1)
8. American Heritage (2-3)
9. Cardinal Newman (5-0)
10. Olympic Heights (3-1)

No. 1 Glades Central, who hosts Boca Raton this week, took care of Clewiston on the road. No surprise there.

Bolstered by the return of Nick O’Leary, No. 2 Dwyer jumped all over Atlantic in a 41-15 win. The Panthers are still in search of a clean ballgame — they were flagged 17 times for 188 yards. They host Palm Beach Lakes this week in a District 15-4A battle.

No. 3 Park Vista and No. 4 Seminole Ridge were idle — we won’t know who’s better until Oct. 29, when the teams play in Loxahatchee. This week, Seminole Ridge has Palm Beach Central; Park Vista has Atlantic. Park Vista travels to Dwyer next Thursday in what should be one of the season’s best games.

No. 5 Jupiter Christian routed Berean Christian thanks to star running back Trey Pendergrass, who carried five times for 132 yards and two touchdowns, and QB Keddy Bostic, who threw for 87 yards and two TDs. The Eagles’ offense is averaging more than 46 points a game.

No. 6 Fort Pierce Westwood and No. 7 West Boca Raton were idle. West Boca can plant its flag at the top of District 13-5A when it hosts Wellington (1-4).

No. 8 American Heritage (2-3) lost, but we can’t drop them too far because Orlando-Jones (no, not that Orlando Jones) is quite good. Jones (5-0) was ranked No. 5 among 2A schools last week, and escaped Delray with a 15-7 win.

No. 9 Cardinal Newman won despite all their ailments. Senior running back Troy Campana (hip) carried 14 times for 76 yards and two touchdowns, and the Crusaders’ banged-up offensive line offered more than enough protection for QB Brett Benes (12-17, 248 yards). Benes threw an 85-yard TD pass to Travis Rudolph to clinch a 28-20 win at Fort Lauderdale-Pine Crest.

Also considered, in no particular order: Atlantic (2-2), Fort Pierce Central (4-0), Jensen Beach (3-1), King’s Academy (5-0), Lake Worth (4-1) and Glades Day (3-2).

Will Oct. 8 be remembered as the Night of the Upset in 2010? Park Vista, our former third-ranked team, and West Boca, our former No. 7 team, both lost at home in rather surprising fashion. Atlantic beat Park Vista, 26-7. Wellington topped West Boca, 20-14.

Atlantic, No. 7 in our new rankings, just bullied Park Vista, holding the area’s best running back Tre Mason to 80 yards. The win gives Atlantic a much-needed leg up on Park Vista in a very difficult District 8-6A. The team to beat remains Seminole Ridge, which topped Palm beach Central 21-10 on Friday, but Atlantic is now in prime position to fight for the district title.

As close as the score looks, Wellington dominated West Boca for a solid 40 minutes of gametime before the Bulls woke up. A late flurry of points almost saw West Boca complete a furious rally, but Wellington (2-4) held on. The win puts the Wolverines in the driver’s seat in District 13-5A, something few expected heading into Friday’s game.

Anyway, here is the new top 10:

1. Glades Central (6-0)
2. Dwyer (4-1)
3. Seminole Ridge (5-0)
4. Fort Pierce Westwood (5-0)
5. American Heritage (3-3)
6. Jupiter Christian (4-1)
7. Atlantic (3-2)
8. Park Vista (4-1)
9. Fort Pierce Central (5-0)
10. Cardinal Newman (5-1)

West Boca (3-2) and Olympic Heights (3-2) both dropped out.

Heights lost 23-7 to Archbishop McCarthy, a respectable loss. The only problem is, Heights is now 0-2 in District 14-3A and in serious danger of missing the playoffs. That doesn’t mean O Heights isn’t a good football team — we think the Lions are — but struggling to win in district hurts. Humorously enough, West Boca travels to Olympic Heights in two weeks for what should be a pretty good game.

Inside the rankings. Glades Central held off Dwyer for another week. At this point, it’s simple, as long as Glades Central keeps winning, there’s no reason to drop them from the top spot. But boy, Dwyer wasn’t kidding about blowing everyone out after losing its opening game in Ohio. Matt and I have had plenty of interesting discussion about who should be No. 1, and it boils down to philosophical differences.

I usually argue that a team should hold its spot in the rankings until it loses, regardless of how close a game is. Matt puts a little more weight in the strength of each victory. Both of us are right, which makes the arguments fun. Where do you stand?

Fort Pierce Westwood wins again. The Panthers are 5-0 for the first time since 1989. They’re doing it with defense and timely playmaking. Not too many folks down in Palm Beach County know a lot about Treasure Coast teams, but these kids can play. Junior quarterback Travares Copeland has emerged as a top talent, along with lightning-quick deep threat Wonderful Terry. FPW has become a legitimate Class 3A power, with a chance to make a run in the playoffs.

American Heritage leapfrogs Jupiter Christian. We didn’t want to penalize Jupiter Christian (4-1) too much for losing to a very good Clermont-East Ridge team on Friday. American Heritage jumps back up to No. 5 with a dominant 50-20 win over Pahokee. Both teams beat Pahokee this year, although Jupiter Christian’s win was a kickoff classic. Bottom line is, we’d love to see these two teams play. They figure to be major state title contenders in their respective classes this year.

Enter Fort Pierce Central. Much like their Fort Pierce counterparts, the Cobras have run to 5-0 with their defense. Massive linemen Giorgio Newberry and Mike Marsaille give FPC some nice size, and a Nov. 12 showdown with Westwood should make for some fantastic drama.

Cardinal Newman, hangin’ by a thread. Like Jupiter Christian’s loss to East Ridge, Cardinal Newman’s 42-14 loss to Fort Lauderdale-University isn’t too bad. University is a very good football team. Cardinal Newman (5-1) might even feel less pressure now that it has lost a game. Either way, we rate the Crusaders just ahead of King’s Academy, Lake Worth, Glades Day, Martin County and Treasure Coast for the 10th spot in the rankings.

Friday night’s District 8-6A showdown between Seminole Ridge and Atlantic came down to the final minute. In a game that lived up to its pre-game hype, Atlantic drove down to the Seminole Ridge 18-yard line before turning the ball over on downs. Seminole Ridge held on to win 28-21.

The win put Seminole Ridge (7-0, 3-0 in 8-6A) in the fast lane to a district title. If the Hawks beat Park Vista (5-2, 1-1 in 8-6A), Seminole Ridge will win its first-ever district title. That’s a testament to how good Seminole Ridge is this year.

And that’s why we kept Atlantic in this week’s rankings (and didn’t drop the Eagles too much). The Eagles now get Boca Raton and Palm Beach Central to finish the season. Beating Park Vista means that Atlantic just needs to win its other two district games and hope that Ridge upends Vista.

We moved up Fort Pierce Central after the Cobras topped district rival Martin County. The win secured Fort Pierce Central’s fourth district title in six seasons under coach Chris Hutchings.

Cardinal Newman also climbed after Atlantic lost. But we couldn’t in good conscience put Park Vista ahead of Atlantic, so we dropped those two and jumped Cardinal Newman up.

1. Dwyer
2. Glades Central
3. Seminole Ridge
4. Fort Pierce Westwood
5. American Heritage
6. Jupiter Christian
7. Fort Pierce Central
8. Cardinal Newman
9. Atlantic
10. Park Vista

Interesting fact: In its two district games, Dwyer outscored Palm Beach Lakes and Okeechobee 112-6. The Panthers play Royal Palm, West Boca and Jupiter to finish the year. None of those games will be close, but it’ll be fun to see some of the area’s top players take on the Dwyer secondary. Royal Palm junior receiver Tremaine McCullough, West Boca receiver Robert Lockhart and running back Marquis Jones and Jupiter quarterback Tyler Cameron will all get a chance to test their mettle against a good Dwyer defense.

Glades Central has this week off. That means the Raiders can use the extra week of practice to regroup their offense now that Kelvin Benjamin has moved on. There’s no shortage of candidates: seniors Davonte Allen and Jaqavein Oliver and junior Jaime Wilson have all put up big numbers this year.

Fort Pierce Westwood plays in its biggest game of the year at Jensen Beach on Friday. Jensen’s Tevin Wilson has quietly put up the second-best rushing numbers among big schools running backs. Westwood’s defense has been great this season, allowing 10.8 points a game. Jensen scores 36 a game. Something’s gotta give.

I saw American Heritage for the first time when the Stallions crushed King’s Academy. American Heritage has so many offensive weapons that it almost doesn’t know what to do with all of them. The Stallions will be a tough out in the playoffs, and should continue rolling with games against Benjamin, Calvary Christian and Inlet Grove.

Jupiter Christian gets the always-fun task of playing two games in one week. Summit Christian asked JCS to play tonight (Monday) instead of playing on Friday. So the Eagles will get four days to prepare for Zion Lutheran on Saturday. Coach Bill Powers will be hoping his players can avoid injuries on Monday, especially with a Class 1B-sized roster.

The other teams we considered for the top 10 include Lake Worth, Glades Day, Jensen Beach, West Boca Raton, King’s, Martin County and Treasure Coast.

For better or worse, here we are.

Tomorrow night, two districts will be settled. Districts 12-5A and 7-2B are going to the always-interesting three-team tiebreaker.

In 12-5A, John I. Leonard hosts Royal Palm Beach and Santaluces. At 7 p.m., Royal Palm Beach plays Santaluces for one 12-minute quarter. The winner plays John I. Leonard. The winner of that game is runner-up to Lake Worth, the district champ.

I’ll be there, and Jeff will be at Cardinal Newman for the 7-2B shootout. By virtue of Friday’s win over Inlet Grove, the Crusaders host North Broward Prep and Pine Crest.

The 7-2B scenario is similar. Pine Crest and North Broward play one quarter beginning at 7 p.m., and Newman gets the winner for one quarter. The winner is the district runner-up to Fort Lauderdale-University.

The FHSAA runs the show, and charges $6 at the door. Teams are allowed no more than 20 minutes for warm-up between quarters. Also, there are no marching bands allowed, so supply your own noise.

So, let’s turn it over to you. Who do you think wins? And is there a better way for the FHSAA to settle district ties?

Cardinal Newman (7-2) knew it would be in this spot if it topped Inlet Grove on Friday night. The Crusaders will play in a three-way tiebreaker to determine second place — and a playoff spot — in District 7-2B. Here’s a quick primer on what to expect at Cardinal Newman tonight.

Newman will host Pine Crest and North Broward Prep, two Broward County teams that also finished 3-2 in the district. North Broward Prep beat Cardinal Newman 35-18 back on Oct. 29. Cardinal Newman defeated Pine Crest 28-20 on Oct. 1.

The bad news. In both of those games, Newman gave up more than 300 yards of offense. North Broward racked up 363 total yards (226 rushing, 137 passing) vs. Newman. Traveon Henry’s 232 rushing yards helped Pine Crest compile 279 yards on the ground against Newman. North Broward bottled up Newman star running back Troy Campana (34 yards).

The good news. The good news is that Cardinal Newman moved the ball against Pine Crest and got a big play against North Broward Prep, and one big play may be all the Crusaders need on Monday night. Brett Benes threw for 248 yards and two touchdowns vs. Pine Crest, and Travis Rudolph popped off an 80-yard touchdown run against North Broward Prep. Plus, coach Steve Walsh said both opponents are similar, making his staff’s preparation process a little easier.

“They both play 40 defenses and what they like to do coverage-wise is very similar,” Walsh said. “Offensively, they are similar, too. North Broward passes a little better, but Pine Crest has an unbelievable running back.”

Everyone’s in the same boat. All three teams played on Friday night, making the challenge an exhausting exercise in mental and physical stamina. Walsh said his team took it easy on Saturday and had some fun, watching film from the Inlet Grove game and talking about the game plan for Monday night.

Cardinal Newman gets to watch the first tiebreaker unfold as it stays loose on the sidelines. The Crusaders get the winner of the first 12 minutes and the advantage of only needing to win one quarter.

Players to Watch:

Traveon Henry (Pine Crest): Rushed for 1,383 yards and 18 touchdowns through nine games this season.

Brett Benes (Cardinal Newman): The QB has 984 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions.

A.J. Sebastiano (North Broward Prep): Extremely talented WR has 682 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.

I will be there following all the action. Follow me on Twitter to get up-to-the-second updates from the tiebreaker and check PBGametime.com after the game for more.

Well, the top of our rankings started and ended the same way. Dwyer was tops, Glades Central was second. But you’ll notice the rest of our final top 10 football rankings are pretty different from the original top 10 in our preaseason top 25.

Only one area team finished undefeated, but a few of them are pre-playoff favorites to make runs deep into the state playoffs.

Here’s the top 10:

1. Dwyer 9-1
2. Glades Central 9-1
3. Fort Pierce Westwood 9-0
4. Seminole Ridge 9-1
5. American Heritage 7-3
6. Jupiter Christian 9-1
7. Fort Pierce Central 8-1
8. King’s Academy 9-1
9. Lake Worth 8-2
10. Cardinal Newman 7-3

The other teams who stuck in our top 10 after we ranked them there in the preseason: Seminole Ridge, American Heritage and Jupiter Christian. Fort Pierce Central and Fort Pierce Westwood worked their way in from just outside our preseason top 10, and Westwood climbed all the way up to third at season’s end.

But three teams jumped up from the 20s — or even from outside the preseason top 25 — to land a spot in the final top 10. Lake Worth (22) and Cardinal Newman (24) won a combined 15 games this year, and Lake Worth won its first district title in 24 years. Newman made the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

One team made the biggest jump: King’s Academy. The Lions went 9-1, losing only to American Heritage. They beat a preseason top 10 team in Glades Day and followed that blowout up with a 21-0 rout of Cardinal Newman.

There are 18 playoff games across every class involving teams from our area. This week, Matt and I will break down every matchup.

Next up is Cardinal Newman, which reached the playoffs with a boot and a prayer. Newman takes on Miami’s Monsignor Pace, an undefeated power.

Cardinal Newman was shut out last week against King’s, now the Crusaders face a fantastic secondary and linebacking corps at Monsignor Pace. It won’t be easy, but Newman has the athletes to compete. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Admission is $7.

BY THE NUMBERS

CARDINAL NEWMAN
Record: 7-3
How they qualified: Won District 7-2B tiebreaker for second place.
Average points per game: 26.5
Average points allowed per game: 16.9
Offensive yardage totals: 2,610 (1,529 rushing, 1,081 passing)
Offensive stars: QB Brett Benes (1,076 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 58.4% completion rate), RB Troy Campana (652 rushing yards, 7 touchdowns), ATH Travis Rudolph (601 receiving yards, 10 touchdowns)
Defensive stars: DB Xavier Swinton
Common opponents with Monsignor Pace: None.

MONSIGNOR PACE
Record: 9-0
How they qualified: District 8-2B champions.
Average points per game: 37.1
Average points allowed per game: 7.8
Offensive yardage totals: 2,801 (1,541 rushing, 1,260 passing)
Offensive stars: QB Aryenton Cooper (943 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 60.6% completion rate), RB Anthon Samuels (1,129 rushing yards, 9.3 yards per carry, 19 touchdowns), WR Travis Greene (563 receiving yards, 8 touchdowns)
Defensive stars: CB Anthon Samuels (5 interceptions), S Jabari Gorman (43 tackles, 6 interceptions)
Area opponents: None.

Last week, the Crusaders poured all of their energy into a Monday night tiebreaker with North Broward Prep and Pine Crest. Cardinal Newman’s Ryan Hullihan kicked a walk-off field goal that whipped the home Cardinal Newman crowd into a frenzy. It was quite the celebration. But because of the tiebreaker, Newman had one fewer day to practice for King’s Academy and spent the weekend watching film for the tiebreaker instead of preparing fully for King’s.

Newman was smoked by King’s, 21-0.

This week, Cardinal Newman goes back to normal. Coach Steve Walsh can focus on Miami-Monsignor Pace’s talented defense, which allows 7.8 points a game. Monsignor Pace has forced 24 turnovers. Walsh hopes his home-run hitters Troy Campana and Travis Rudolph can make some things happen. And he fully expects quarterback Brett Benes to return to form after struggling against King’s. To use an old sports cliche, that Newman offense will have to be firing on all cylinders to beat Monsignor Pace.

Monsignor Pace runs a 4-3 defense with “active linebackers,” Walsh said. The Spartans blitz well and flow to the ball. It helps to have a lockdown corner in Anthon Samuels and an electrifying safety in Jabari Gorman, who is a ball hawk and a big-time BCS prospect.

“When the guys came back on Monday, they refocused and were ready to work,” Walsh said. “We need to have success running the ball on first and second down. If we’re in third-and-long against these guys, their linebackers will really give us some problems.”

Starting fast will be huge. Monsignor Pace outscored its regular-season opponents 98-21 in the first quarter and 73-9 in the second.

“You need to have some success early,” Walsh said. “If you can have some success and positive plays going early, you can get into the flow of things.”

On offense, Monsignor Pace mixes it up. Walsh expects to see some spread formations and even some I formation. Newman will need to shoot the gaps and keep Pace’s athletic outside players in front of them. That quarterback Aryenton Cooper runs the ball effectively makes it a little tougher to plan.

“They can do a little bit of everything,” Walsh said. “They’re very athletic.”

For a prediction of this and every first-round playoff game, click here.

St. Andrew’s senior Jan Chanpalangsri is the 2010 Florida Dairy Farmers girls Golfer of the Year, and Cardinal Newman coach Toby Hill is boys Co-Coach of the Year, as selected by a statewide panel of high school golf coaches.

Chanpalangsri

Chanpalangsri finished ahead of Spanish River’s Christina Ocampa, who was selected as Class 2A girls Golfer of the Year. Chanpalangsri was named the 1A girls Golfer of the Year after winning the Class 1A girls individual state title with a two-day score of 137. A native of Thailand, she has signed to play at Ohio State.

Hill, whose team won the Class 1A boys state title with a combined score of 575, tied with Port Orange-Spruce Creek coach Mark Grose for the statewide Coach of the Year honors. Hill was also selected as 1A boys coach of the year.

It isn’t hard to figure out where Oakland Raiders rookie Jacoby Ford got his tremendous speed. Ford, a graduate of Cardinal Newman High in West Palm Beach, is the son of Patricia Ford, who anchored the state championship 4×100 relay team at Glades Central in the mid-’70s.

He and his brother Davy, who played at Florida State, both won the 100 and 200 meters in the Florida state high school meet.

Just 10 days ago, Jacoby electrified the NFL when he returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown and had six receptions for 148 yards in a 23-20 overtime win over Kansas City.

Sunday, the Dolphins will try to contain Ford when they visit Oakland.

Click here to read the full story.

In his 45 years of coaching at Cardinal Newman High School, Sam Budnyk figures he had “maybe 15-20″ players who stood out above the rest. Abram Elam is near the top of that exclusive list.

Now the starting free safety for the Cleveland Browns, who face the Dolphins Sunday at Sun Life Stadium, Elam, 29, played quarterback and defensive back for Budnyk from 1996-99.

“He’d be the first guy at practice, waiting for me when I got there, and I’d have to shag him off the field when we were done,” Budnyk recalled. “He had a love of the game, and the guys I had who excelled were almost to a man hard workers. That was Abram. He was almost too good to be true.”

Click here to read the full story.

Kevin Fleury loves his current situation, but the pull of being a head coach is too strong to resist.

Fleury in 2008 as Palm Beach Gardens' head coach. (Steve Mitchell/The Palm Beach Post)

“I started out coaching in 1994 and my goal was to always be a head coach,” Fleury said. “I think it’s putting your name on something. I feel that every school that I’ve been at, as an assistant or as a head coach, I’ve had an influence. I think that as a head coach your influence is more profound.”

Fleury, who coached Palm Beach Gardens to a state championship in 2005 but was fired in 2008, has applied for two open coaching positions: Royal Palm Beach and Vero Beach.

Currently the defensive coordinator at Cardinal Newman, Fleury said he’s very happy coaching with Crusaders head coach Steve Walsh, and that the school’s academics are top-notch. He’s excited to help bring the football program back to prominence.

“It’s a great situation there, and there’s nothing but good things that are going to happen, whether I’m there or not,” Fleury said. “I’m really happy at Newman, and Steve’s a great coach.”

“As I told Steve, it’s the difference between being in a good spot and going to achieve your goals.”

In his first three seasons at Gardens, Fleury posted a 31-7 mark and won the school’s first state title, but put up a 2-8 season in 2008 before he was dismissed.

Former Royal Palm Beach head coach Frank Kunf resigned last month, citing health troubles. The Wildcats went 1-9 last year, advancing to a District 12-5A tiebreaker thanks to a regular-season win over John I. Leonard.

“It reminds me a lot of what Gardens was like,” Fleury said of the Wildcats’ program. “There’s a lot of talent, it just needs to go in the right direction.”

Fleury called the Vero Beach job, which became available after Gary Coggin was fired two weeks ago, a “high-level” coaching position.

“It’s high school football, bar none,” Fleury said. “The stands are full, there’s the band, you have everything you need for coaching, a great stadium. It’s everything you can ask for and more.”

Fleury said he and Walsh have an understanding, and he would love to return as Newman’s defensive coordinator if he isn’t selected for either head coaching position.

“I’m split between my love for Newman in the short period of time I’ve been there, and my ambition. I’ll see what’s out there,” Fleury said. “You do this job as a calling, and where you’re going to make your mark the best.”

Cardinal Newman released its All-Newman 50-Year Basketball Team on Wednesday. The Crusaders released a similar list for football in the fall.

Jackie Manuel and Abram Elam headline the list of 30 honorees.

The 30-player team was selected by a seven-person panel that included coaches, players and community leaders, the release said. Several criteria came into play: professional and Division I careers, high school All-American, all-conference, all-regional and all-district selections. The honorees will be commemorated during pregame and halftime festivities of the Cardinal Newman-Pahokee game on Friday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m.

Here’s the list of players and where their careers took them:

Bucky McGann (1961) — Notre Dame

Tom Moloney (1963) — Colgate

David McIntosh (1964) — Florida (football)

Chuck Smith (1964) — Marian (Ind.)

Jose Fernandez (1967) — Memphis State

Bill Esposito (1970) — Palm Beach Junior College/Florida

Jim Bambrick (1972) — Stetson

Theondrade Hawkins (1973) — Florida (football)

Matt Teahan (1975) — Denver

Tony Reich (1978)

Kris Kearney (1985) — Florida Southern (played pro ball in England)

Shaun Fitzmorris (1986) — Florida Southern

Jim Stewart (no year given)

Chris Graefe (1990) — Spring Hill

Chris Jones (1990) — Miami (football) and the Philadelphia Eagles

David Stevens (1991) — Palm Beach Atlantic

Bob Hueller (1992) — Coast Guard Academy

James Carpenter (1994) — UTEP (football)

Jim McCoobery (1994)

Jason Sewer (1994) — Brown

Jason Groce (1994)

Eddie Shannon (1995) — Florida (played professional in Europe)

Badi Oliver (1996) — Georgia

Donald Banks (2000) — Rawlins

Gregg Collucci (2000) — Washington

Abram Elam (2000) — Notre Dame/Kent State (football) … now starts for Cleveland Browns

Jackie Manuel (2000) — North Carolina

Demetrius Hodges (2001) — East Carolina (football)

Michael Lee (2004) — St. Bonaventure

Anthony Gugino (2006) — Long Island/Palm Beach Atlantic

Coaches honored

Jim Arbogast (now the coach at Palm Beach Gardens)

Tom Bornhorst

Sam Budnyk

Vince Eldred

Ed Foley

Tavarus Harris (now coaching Cardinal Newman)

Larry Krepps

Jorge Marban

Bucky McGann

Vince Merriweather

Brian Mullican

Steve Passinault

Murray Smith (now coaching Summit Christian)

Art Steffes

Chris Travers