Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Chaminade-Madonna At University School Preview

     The Chaminade-Madonna Lions challenge the University School Sharks at AutoNation Field in Davie on Friday night. Both schools are #1 seeds in their own region classifications for the upcoming FHSAA playoffs. The Lions defeated the Sharks 33-14 in a contest last year.
     Defending FHSAA Class 3A state champion Chaminade-Madonna(7-2) are 3-0 record on the road and have won their last four games. Their only losses were to Broward County schools Deerfield Beach and American Heritage. The Lions have piled up victories over Booker T. Washington and Doral Academy. They have outscored their opponents 320-116 this season.
     Quarterback Daelen Menard will call the signals on offense for the Lions. He has wide receivers John Dunmore, Jordan Cash and Rony Bourdeau to catch the ball down the field. Running backs Thaddius Franklin and Willie Davis IV are expected to get carries from the backfield.
     University School(9-0) is undefeated and compiled four shutouts this year. The Sharks have outscored their opponents 468-60 this season and averaged 52 per game. They last lost a game in a Class 4A state semifinal at Cocoa last season. They do have wins over Glades Central, Immokalee, Monsignor Pace, American Heritage and Champagnat Catholic in 2018.
     The Sharks are led by the powerful rushing attack of running backs Kenny McIntosh and Michael Hurt. Wide receivers Joshua Sanguinetti, Zay Flowers, Jordan Irizarry and Christian Wells will look to get open downfield for pass receptions from quarterback Nick Vattiato.

Soul Bowl 2018 Preview

     The Blanche Ely Tigers travel to Fort Lauderdale and take on the Dillard Panthers in the 55th annual Soul Bowl on Saturday night at Otis Gray Jr. Memorial Stadium. The game will not be played at Lockhart Stadium for the second straight season.
     The Panthers won the Soul Bowl last year for the first time since 2012. The Tigers won four consecutive contests from 2013 until 2016 and have been victorious in seven of the last nine games against Dillard.
     Blanche Ely(1-8) has been through one of their toughest seasons in school history. They won their season opener against Stranahan and are currently on an eight-game losing streak. The Tigers have been outscored 417-66 this season and were shut out last week by district foe St. Thomas Aquinas 58-0.
     Dillard(7-2) clinched the District 15 title in Class 6A last week as they blanked Boynton Beach 41-0 last week and they will host a regional quarterfinal game next week. The Panthers lost two of their first three games of the regular season to Booker T. Washington and Cardinal Gibbons. They have bounced back and have won six straight contests.
     The Panthers have quarterback Tyrese McConn who can run out of the pocket at anytime and can also pass the ball. His main targets include wide receivers Elijah Black, Sky Louis, Jarvis Lewis and Devaughn Mortimer. Expect running back Leonard Schoultz to get the majority of rushing attempts.

Muck Bowl 2018 Preview

     The Pahokee Blue Devils host the Glades Central for the annual Muck Bowl at Anquan Boldin Stadium on Saturday night. Both schools are expected to participate in the FHSAA playoffs.
     The Blue Devils have won the past two games against the rival Raiders. It included the first overtime victory in Muck Bowl history last year. The Raiders had won the contest eight consecutive times from 2008 to 2015.
     Glades Central(6-3) enters this game on a four-game winning streak after victories over Lake Worth, Boynton Beach, American Heritage and Cardinal Newman. They have outscored the last four opponents 147-35.
     The Raiders will rely on their passing attack. Their wide receiver core of Jymetre Hester, Ja'Vontae Williams, Densa Washington and Odieu Hilaire can get open for pass receptions from quarterback Davius Richard. Running Jaheim Humphries looks to get the bulk of the carries from the backfield for Glades Central.
     Pahokee(5-4) comes into this matchup with no momentum as they lost to Seminole Ridge and Cocoa in the last two weeks. The Blue Devils have a 2-3 record at home this season.
     Quarterback Jaeze Tracey formerly played with Glades Central and transferred to Pahokee during the summer. The Blue Devils have options on the ground with running backs Jaterie Washington and Levonski Williams rushing the ball. Wide receivers Kajavian Boldin and Lamonte Graham are expected to get passes from Tracey.

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Hornets Sail By Heat

     The Charlotte Hornets buzzed by the Miami Heat 125-113 at Spectrum Center on Tuesday night. The Heat lost their second straight and three of their last five games.
     Charlotte(4-4) had a 31-29 edge after one quarter and stayed ahead 65-55 at halftime. Miami(3-4) fell more behind in the third quarter and trailed 92-73. The made a 13-4 run during the fourth and came as close as 11 points with eight minutes left at 96-85.
     Dwyane Wade led Miami with 19 points and Josh Richardson had 15 points. Hassan Whiteside delivered a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Kelly Olynyk got 14 points and Rodney McGruder placed 13 points. Tony Parker put together a double-double with a game-high 24 points and 11 assists for Charlotte. Kemba Walker contributed 19 points along with eight assists.

Miami Ratings October 2018

     The Miami/Fort Lauderdale region surprisingly did not see any change in the ratings among sports format radio stations. All the local competitors saw just about no adjustments in their audiences as WQAM regained the top spot by themselves.
     Miami Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM showed no change and remained at a 0.9 in October. The Miami Dolphins blew a two-game, first-place  division lead over the New England Patriots.
     Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM fell from a 0.9 to a 0.8 in the period. The anticipation for the Miami Heat regular season was approaching with the final season for Dwyane Wade.
     Miami Sports 940 WINZ-AM stayed the same at a 0.2 for the third consecutive period. The addition of Carl Foster as their new mid-afternoon host during the period has not had an impact yet as the Miami Marlins season ended.
     640 The Hurricane WMEN-AM showed up in the Miami ratings even though they are based in West Palm Beach. They were able to remain flat with a 0.1 for the third straight month and without a local sports show for most of the recent period.

FHSAA Football Point Standings Week 10

     The FHSAA football playoff point standings were released after week 10 action which included the end of district play. All district champions were decided for top four seedings in Class 8A, 7A, 6A and 5A with one exception.
     Class 8A in Region 3 stayed the same among the top three seeds. They included #1 Atlantic(42.44), #2 Deerfield Beach(42.30) and #3 Palm Beach Central(40.56). There was a three-way tie in District 12 between Plantation(38.56), Miramar(38.11) and Western(38.00). The school that has the highest point mark following week 11 will become the district champion and fourth seed. Wellington(38.89), Piper(38.00), Park Vista(36.89) and Seminole Ridge(35.89) battle it out for the final four playoff spots.
     Region 4 had four outright district champions from Dade County and a lot of movement over the past week. Columbus(42.10), Miami Southridge(41.11), Belen Jesuit(38.00) and Hialeah(37.67) all finished on top of their districts. The other five schools that consist of Miami Palmetto(40.22), South Dade(39.78), North Miami(35.56), Coral Gables(35.00) and Homestead(34.67) look to get the final four playoff spots.
     The top two seeds in Class 7A for Region 4 seemed to be a foregone conclusion for several weeks with #1 St. Thomas Aquinas(43.22) taking District 14 and #2 Dwyer(43.10) getting District 13. McArthur(39.78) and #4 Doral Academy(38.70) chalked up the other district crowns. It is a scramble for the last four playoff spots with #5 Fort Lauderdale(38.67), #6 Miami Springs(38.00), #7 Mater Academy(37.67), #7 South Miami(37.67), #9 Palm Beach Lakes(37.44), #10 Forest Hill(36.89), #11 West Broward(36.67) and #12 Olympic Heights(35.00).
     Class 6A in Region 4 saw everything decided in District 16 as Carol City(40.89) wrapped it up while Dillard(36.67) took District 15. Miami Central(40.40) and Miami Northwestern(37.22) are likely to get a top eight playoff seed while #10 Norland(35.11) is on the border.
     Region 4 in Class 5A saw Cardinal Gibbons(41.11) clinch District 16. American Heritage(42.22) looks like they will be the top at-large seed. #9 Hallandale(36.33) and #11 Coconut Creek(35.56) may be out of reach.
     Class 4A in Region 4 had no changes with #1 University School(41.44), #2 Glades Central(39.56), #3 Monsignor Pace(38.56), #4 Booker T. Washington(38.20), #5 Gulliver Prep(35.89), #6 Key West(35.44), #7 Coral Springs Charter(34.75) and #8 Pine Crest(34.56).
     Region 4 in Class 3A has defending champion #1 Chaminade-Madonna(42.67), #2 Benjamin(40.10), #3 American Heritage(39.78), #4 Westminster Christian(38.75), #5 Palmer Trinity(37.56), #6 St. Andrew's(35.00), #7 Everglades Prep(34.89) and #8 Calvary Christian(34.00) going for the six playoff spots. Region 2 has two schools contending with Kings Academy(39.60) leaping to first and Cardinal Newman(35.78) remaining in fourth.
     Pahokee(38.44) dropped to the second seed in Class 1A of Region 4. Class 2A of Region 4 contains #2 Miami Christian(38.57), #4 Glades Day(37.33) and #5 Champagnat Catholic(36.88).

Monday, October 29, 2018

Kings Dethrone Heat

     The Miami Heat lost to the Sacramento Kings 123-113 at American Airlines Arena on Monday night. The Heat had their two-game winning streak stopped.
     Miami(3-3) powered out to a 28-17 after one quarter. Sacramento(4-3) rallied with a 24-14 run in the second quarter and tied it 51-51 by halftime. The Kings continued to roll in the second half as the moved ahead 94-83 after three quarters. The Heat gave up 43 points in the third which is the most they gave up to an opponent in a quarter this season. Miami could not cut the margin as the Kings pulled away during the fourth.
     The Heat were led by Josh Richardson with a game-high 31 points. Hassan Whiteside compiled a double-double of 16 points and 24 rebounds while Goran Dragic drained in 20 points. Willie Cauley-Stein had a team-high 26 points along with 12 rebounds for the Kings.

Sunday, October 28, 2018

District Winners Get In FHSAA Playoffs

     District winners in South Florida were decided over the past weekend for the upcoming 2018 FHSAA playoffs. Schools that played in classifications from Class 5A up to Class 8A qualified for a top four seed in the region. 
     Cardinal Gibbons captured the District 16-5A title and finished ahead of two-time defending state champion American Heritage.
     Class 6A in South Florida had Carol City take the tough District 16 over Miami Central and the defending state champion Miami Northwestern. Dillard was able to wrap up District 15. 
     Dwyer picked up the District 13 crown and St. Thomas Aquinas easily won District 14 in Class 7A. McArthur edged out District 15 and Doral Academy landed District 16. 
     Class 8A state finalist Atlantic ended up first in District 10, Palm Beach Central topped District 9 and Deerfield Beach took District 11 in Region 3. Plantation, Miramar and Western finished in a three-way tie in District 12 and the district winner will be decided by which school has the highest playoff points in the standings after games next week.
     Region 4 of Dade County schools had Hialeah in District 13, Columbus in District 14,  Belen Jesuit in District 15 and Southridge in District 16.

Saturday, October 27, 2018

Heat Top Trail Blazers

     The Miami Heat downed the Portland Trail Blazers 120-111 on Saturday night at American Airlines Arena. The Heat have won two straight games.
     Miami(3-2) broke out to a 33-22 lead after one quarter and extended it to 57-42 at halftime. Portland(3-2) chipped away and were down 89-79 after three quarters and could not come back in the fourth.
     Goran Dragic drained in a team-high 28 points for the Heat. Dwyane Wade and Kelly Olynyk both added 19 points. Damian Lillard led the Trail Blazers with a game-high 42 points and six assists.

Panthers Dazed By Devils

     The Florida Panthers completed a three-game stretch in the New York tri-state area and were topped by the New Jersey Devils 3-2 at Prudential Center on Saturday. The Panthers will fly to Europe and play two games in Finland against the Winnipeg Jets in the NHL Global Series next week.
     A controversial goal was scored by New Jersey(5-2-1) with 9.4 seconds left in the first period. Damon Severson fired a slap shot from the blue line and James Reimer made a blocker save. He was spun around by Kyle Palmieri in the blue paint and the puck ended up inside the Panthers cage.
     In the second period, Palmieri took the puck from Nico Hischier in the right corner and skated toward the right circle. His saucer cross-ice pass to the low slot was put in on a one-time shot by Taylor Hall at 3:05.
     The Devils expanded the gap to 3-0 with 6:39 remaining in the second. Travis Zajac passed the puck from the left-wing boards to Micro Mueller at the left point. He took a one-time slap shot that was redirected on the edge of the left circle by Blake Coleman into the Panthers net.
     Florida(2-4-3) finally broke the shutout with 4:57 to go in the third period. Jonathan Huberdeau fed a backhand pass in the top left circle to Mike Matheson in the high slot. He skated through the slot area and got his first goal of the season on a backhand shot.
     The Cats pulled their goalie for an extra attacker with just under three minutes to go. They scored with 14.1 seconds left and trailed 3-2. Evgenii Dadonov moved the puck from the right corner to Keith Yandle at the right point. He found Mike Hoffman above the top left circle and he scored on a wrist shot.

Friday, October 26, 2018

Hurricanes Fall To Boston College

     The Miami Hurricanes were defeated by the Boston College Eagles 27-14 on Friday night at Alumni Stadium. The loss by the Canes hurts their chance to repeat as Coastal Division champions in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
     Boston College(6-2, 3-1) scored initially at 9:01 of the first quarter. Wide receiver Jeff Smith caught a nine-yard pass from quarterback Anthony Brown.
     Miami(5-3, 2-2) tied it 7-7 at the 6:24 mark. Quarterback Malik Rosier connected a 13-yard pass to wide receiver Darrell Langham.
     The Eagles would extend their lead on their next two possessions. Brown rushed through the middle from five yards out with 3:01 left in the first. Colton Lichtenberg made it 17-7 on a 21-yard field goal at the 9:08 mark of the second quarter.
     The Hurricanes closed the gap late in the first half. Running back DeeJay Dallas scored on a run from 10 yards out with 4:56 to go in the second.
     The third quarter belonged to Boston College as Lichtenberg booted a 22-yard field goal at 7:52. Running back A.J. Dillon scored on a 14-yard touchdown run for B.C. with 6:32 remaining in the quarter.

Dillard Dumps Boynton Beach

     The Dillard Panthers made the trip to Palm Beach County and disposed the Boynton Beach Tigers 41-0 on Friday night. The Panthers clinched the District 15-6A title with the victory.
     It did not take long for Panthers to score as Devaughn Mortimer returned a 72-yard punt for a touchdown at 8:24 of the first quarter. Dillard(7-2, 4-0) made it 14-0 when they reached the end zone on a 25-yard carry at the 5:45 mark.
     The Panthers compiled 21 points in the second quarter. Quarterback Tyrese McConn brought the ball one yard for the score five seconds into the quarter. On their next possession, running back Leonard Shoultz sprinted up the middle of the field from 35 yards away with 7:35 left.
     Boynton Beach(1-8, 1-3) surrendered another touchdown with 43.4 seconds remaining in the first half. McConn rolled out to the right sideline and reached the end zone from eight yards out for a 35-0 lead.
     A running clock was used throughout the second half of play. Dillard received the kickoff and eventually scored again with 8:35 to go in the third quarter. Wide receiver Jarvis Lewis caught a 22-yard touchdown pass on the right sideline from McConn.

Thursday, October 25, 2018

Texans Slam Dolphins

     The Houston Texans defeated the Miami Dolphins 42-23 at NRG Stadium on Thursday night. The Dolphins have fallen in four of their last five games.

Blanche Ely At St. Thomas Aquinas Preview

     The Blanche Ely Tigers head down I-95 and take on the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders on Friday night at Brian Piccolo Stadium. The Raiders have won all eight meetings versus the Tigers since 2004. Both schools are at different ends of the spectrum in District 14-7A.
     Blanche Ely(1-7, 0-1) won their season opener against Stranahan and have lost seven consecutive games since then. They have been outscored 264-64 this year and shut out three times. The Tigers finish the regular season at their longtime rival Dillard for the annual Soul Bowl.
     St. Thomas Aquinas(7-1, 1-0) looks to capture their seventh consecutive district title and 21st in the last 22 seasons. The Raiders won their first four regular season games and then fell to Miami Central. They have bounced back with three straight wins and outscored their opponents 359-66 in 2018.
     The Raiders backfield consists of running back Daniel Carter along with Nigel White and both of them will got their rushing opportunities. Wide receivers Marcus Rosemy, Xavier Restrepo, Jamal Cooney and Jahvante Royal expect to get open downfield for quarterback Curt Casteel.

Palm Beach Central At Palm Beach Gardens Preview

     The Palm Beach Central Broncos travel to face the Palm Beach Gardens Gators on Friday night in a District 9-8A clash. The Broncos have already wrapped up the district with the head-to-head tiebreaker against Wellington.
     Palm Beach Central(7-1, 3-0) enters the contest on a seven-game winning streak after losing their season opener to Atlantic. The Broncos have outscored their opponents 294-57 and compiled three shutouts this year. They have not surrendered more than 14 points in a game.
     The Broncos have their choice at quarterback with Anarjahe Douriet and Mike Moreland. They can go with running backs Charles Stewart, Da'quan Hamilton,  Derrick Cruickshank and Tyler Willis on carries. Palm Beach Central has a wide receiver core of Bryan Robinson, Gen'taris Oliver, Kaishawn Curry, Kai Rosado and De'angelo Pompey.
     Palm Beach Gardens(4-4, 1-2) won their first three games to begin the regular season. They have not faired well lately and have lost two straight and four of their last five games.
     Gators quarterback David Studstill is expected to dictate the pace on offense. Running back Antonio Outler will likely get the bulk of their carries from the backfield. Studstill can rifle the ball to wide receivers Ja'varius Williams, Andrew Wilson, Belden Smith and Raphael Vasquez.

Cardinal Newman At Glades Central Preview

     The Glades Central Raiders host the Cardinal Newman Crusaders at Effie C. Grear Field on Friday night in a non-district game. The Raiders defeated the Crusaders 40-24 in 2017. Both teams are positioned to make the FHSAA playoffs.
     Cardinal Newman(7-1) handled Glades Day 42-19 last week and are currently on a four-game winning streak. Their only loss this year was against Pahokee. They have outscored their opponents 312-140 this season.
     Running back Chris D'or will got most of the carries from the backfield and Jayson Martin can be used in short yardage situations. Quarterback Ethan Deberardino looks to find wide receivers Daniel Sledge, Jacob Conley, Jomar Martinez, Tommy St. Julien and Eduardo Cuevas on pass completions.
     Glades Central(5-3) enters the contest on a three-game winning streak. They had an impressive win over American Heritage 34-16 last week. The Raiders face their local rival the Pahokee Blue Devils in the Muck Bowl next week.
     They mostly depend on their passing game with Davius Richard at quarterback. He has several targets with wide receivers Jymetre Hester, Ja'Vontae Wiliams, Odieu Hilaire and Densa Washington. Running back Jaheim Humphries will get the majority of rushing attempts for the Raiders.

Boca Raton At Atlantic Preview

     The Boca Raton Bobcats challenge the Atlantic Eagles on Friday night at Atlantic Stadium. The Eagles have already clinched a share of the District 10-8A title and is likely to be placed as the top seed in Region 3.
     Boca Raton(5-4, 2-2) come off an easy 41-0 shutout victory over John I. Leonard and have won two straight games. This will be their last regular season game and are unlikely to make the FHSAA playoffs.
     The Bobcats offense is led by quarterback Michael Pratt, who can run the ball and pass it too. He intends to find wide receivers Rashawn Faustine, Lamar Dollar, Brandon Holcomb, Jared Moorer and Joseph Melhi down the field. They will split the handoffs with running backs Stalens Demeus and Davion Maxwell.
     Atlantic(8-0, 5-0) is the only undefeated team in Palm Beach County besides Benjamin. The Eagles disposed of tough competition in the first four weeks of this season which included possible playoff schools Palm Beach Central, Dwyer, Pahokee and Park Vista.
      The Eagles will rely on Kalani Ilimaleota at quarterback to guide their offense. He will look to connect passes to wide receivers Kam Williams, Tyrese Blue and Tyler Burke. Their defense is spearheaded by defensive lineman Henry Bryant along with defensive backs Kael Williams and Javone Jackson.

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Heat Rip By Knicks

     The Miami Heat welcomed the New York Knicks and won 110-87 at American Airlines Arena on Wednesday night. The Heat picked up their first victory at home this season.
     Miami(2-2) began the contest up 13-8, however New York(1-4) scored 14 unanswered points to go up 27-16 after one quarter. The Heat took control of the second quarter and led 47-45 at halftime. The Knicks were outscored 35-14 in the third quarter and trailed 91-65. They were able to cut the deficit down to 20 points 98-78 with six minutes to go in the fourth.
     Hassan Whiteside put together a double-double with a game-high 22 points and 14 rebounds. Josh Richardson had 21 points and Rodney McGruder got 19 for the Heat. Goran Dragic poured in 13 points and Kelly Olynyk drained in 11 points. Damyean Dotson led the Knicks with a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds. Tim Hardaway Jr. was able to contribute 14 points for New York.

Islanders Sunk By Panthers

     The Florida Panthers continued their three-game stay in the New York tri-state area with a 3-2 overtime victory over the New York Islanders on Wednesday night at Barclays Center. The Panthers stopped a two-game losing streak. It was the Islanders first home game in 16 days.
     In the first period, New York(3-4-1) picked up an unusual goal with 1:24 left in the frame. Vincent Trocheck turned the puck over on a bad pass through the crease and Josh Bailey intercepted it in the low slot. The puck was poked away by James Reimer and Brock Nelson put a shot from the crease off Trocheck in the blue paint. Mike Matheson intended to clear the puck out, however it bounced off Trocheck's left skate and went into the Panthers net.
     The Islanders extended their lead to 2-0 at the 11:42 mark of the second period. Jordan Eberle scored a power-play goal on assists from Mathew Barzal and Anders Lee.
     Florida(2-3-3) got their first goal at 2:46 of the third period on the power play. Matheson placed a pass from the top of the zone to Aaron Ekblad for a one-time slap shot from the top left circle. Nick Bjugstad knocked down the puck, swept it to Frank Vatrano and he lifted a shot from the low slot over Robin Lehner.
     The Panthers tied the contest 2-2 midway through the period at the 10:35 mark. Aleksander Barkov got his own rebound following a shot from the top left circle. He went to behind the Islanders cage, centered the puck to the high slot and Evgenii Dadonov fired a wrist shot for his fourth goal of the season.
     Florida had a power play at the start of overtime and won the contest 33 seconds in. Barkov won the faceoff in the left circle and Hoffman backhanded it to Keith Yandle at the blue line. He returned it back to Hoffman at the top right circle for a one-time slap shot.

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Rangers Rise Above Panthers

     The New York Rangers dropped the Florida Panthers 5-2 at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night. The Panthers began a stretch in which they are playing five straight games away from Sunrise. The Rangers won their first game this season in regulation time.
     Florida(1-3-3) would get a power-play goal with 1:45 left in the first period. Jonathan Huberdeau wrapped the puck around the boards from behind the net to Vincent Trocheck on the right wing. He skated to the top right circle and then released a high wrist shot past Alexandar Georgiev.
     The second period belonged to New York(3-5-1). Mike Zibanejad scored a shorthanded goal on a feed from Adam McQuaid at 3:10.
     They took a 2-1 lead on a power-play goal at the 11: 36 mark. Mats Zuccarello put in his first goal of the season on assists from Neal Pionk and Zibanejad.
     The Blueshirts added another tally on the power play with 3:52 remaining in the second. Chris Kreider cycled the puck from the right wing to Pionk on the right point. His cross-ice pass was picked up by Zibanejad at the top left circle and he flicked a wrist shot by Michael Hutchinson for his second goal of the contest.
     The Rangers made it a three-goal margin 1:27 into the third period as Zuccarello compiled his second goal. Zibanejad was credited with an assist for his fourth point of game.
     The Panthers did not give up and the contest to 4-2 with 9:23 remaining. Mike Hoffman dropped the puck to Huberdeau at the left point. Hoffman received a return pass in the low left circle, skated around the Rangers cage and slid in a wraparound forehand shot.
     The Cats pulled out the goalie and brought out an extra attacker with three minutes to go. Kevin Hayes eventually scored an empty-net goal from the blue paint for New York with 51.9 seconds to go.  

FHSAA Football Point Standings Week 9

     The FHSAA announced the football playoff point standings following contests after week 9. The upcoming weekend is the final week of district competition. The top four playoff seeds from Class 8A down to Class 5A can be determined by the outright district champions.
     It is the same in Class 8A of Region 3 among the top four schools. This includes #1 Atlantic(43.00), #2 Deerfield Beach(41.67), #3 Palm Beach Central(40.88) and #4 Plantation(40.25). Six teams are battling it out for the final playoff seeds with #5 Western(39.63), #6 Wellington(39.44), #7 Seminole Ridge(38.50), #8 Piper(38.00), #9 Park Vista(36.50) and #10 Miramar(36.25).
     Class 8A with Dade County schools in Region 4 consists of #1 Miami Palmetto(43.38), #2 Miami Southridge(42.13), #3 South Dade(41.25) and #4 Columbus(40.33). The fifth spot was tied by Hialeah, Homestead and Belen Jesuit with 36.75 points. The eighth and final playoff spot was tied by Coral Gables and North Miami with 35.25 points.
     All the top eight places switched around in Region 4 of Class 7A. #1 Dwyer(44.56) surpassed #2 St. Thomas Aquinas(44.50). They were followed by #3 McArthur(38.75), #4 Fort Lauderdale(38.50), #5 Doral Academy(38.00), #6 Palm Beach Lakes (37.75) , #7 Forest Hill(37.38) and #8 Miami Springs(37.13). Mater Academy(36.13) is in ninth while Olympic Heights(35.88) and West Broward(35.88) are tied for tenth.
     Dade County saw some movement in Class 6A of Region 4. #1 Carol City(41.88) put some distance from #3 Miami Central(40.67) and #4 Miami Northwestern(38.75). Dillard(37.13) stands at #6 and Norland(36.63) at #8.  
     Region 4 of Class 5A had no major shifts from the previous week. #3 Cardinal Gibbons(41.88) and district rival #4 American Heritage(41.50) seem to be on target for the playoffs. #9 Hallandale(36.75) and #10 Coconut Creek(36.25) are on the outside.
     Class 4A in Region 4 did see some changes. #1 University School(41.25), Booker T. Washington(39.11), Glades Central(38.50), Monsignor Pace(37.44), Gulliver Prep(36.00) were the top five seeds while Pine Crest(35.75) and Key West(35.75) tied for the final playoff spot.
     In both areas of Class 3A, Chaminade-Madonna(41.38) leaped to first, Benjamin(41.22) moved to second and American Heritage(39.13) fell to third. They were followed by Westminster Christian(38.75), Palmer Trinity(38.11), St. Andrew's(35.00), Everglades Prep(34.88) and Calvary Christian(34.13). Region 2 has Kings Academy(38.44) at second and Cardinal Newman(36.75) at fourth.
     Class 1A is still controlled by Pahokee in the first spot with 40.38 points. Miami Christian(39.17) vaulted to first in Class 2A in Region 4, Glades Day(38.88) fell to second with a loss to Cardinal Newman and Champagnat Catholic(37.50) was fifth.

Monday, October 22, 2018

Park Vista Dominates Spanish River

     The Park Vista Cobras pounded the Spanish River Sharks 65-7 on Monday night in Boca Raton. The District 10-8A contest was postponed on October 12 and rescheduled.
     It did not start off right for Spanish River(0-9, 0-6) on their first play from scrimmage. A bad snap ended up over the head of quarterback Connor Tribby and it was batted out of the back of the end zone by a Cobras defender 16 seconds into the contest.
     Aydin Henningham returned the ensuing kickoff into Sharks territory. Park Vista(5-3, 4-1) scored on their first play of the drive at the 11:26 mark when quarterback Tyler Thomas threw a 41-yard pass to wide receiver Frantz Derival on the left sideline as he was behind the Sharks secondary to make it 9-0.
     The Cobras scored on their next possession when Thomas sent a swing pass to the right side and running back Nick King reached the end zone from 13 yards away at 6:33. Park Vista made it 23-0 with 3:58 left in the first quarter as King raced down the right hash marks on a 39-yard run.
     In the second quarter, Park Vista had a 30-point margin at 10:36. Running back Logan Hoffman ran it through the left side from five yards out.
     The Sharks broke the shutout with their only points of the contest. Tribby whipped a pass to the left sideline and wide receiver Blake Goldberg caught it for a 75-yard touchdown at the 9:33 mark and they were down 30-7.
     Park Vista regained a 30-point gap with 5:38 remaining in the second as Henningham took a shovel pass and raced around the right side to score from 19 yards. They added another touchdown with 3:56 to go when wide receiver Zacoldy Thaddies went around the left end on an inside handoff as sprinted in from 11 yards out.
     Spanish River surrendered another score with 7.4 seconds left in the first half and they trailed 51-7. Quarterback Matt Paulo found wide receiver Mason Proch on the right side of the end zone on a 38-yard touchdown pass. A running clock was used throughout the entire second half.

Sunday, October 21, 2018

Lions Strangle Dolphins

     The Detroit Lions came off a bye week and downed the Miami Dolphins 32-21 at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday. The Fins have lost three of their last four games.
     Detroit(3-3) roared out the lead at the 9:18 mark of the first quarter. Quarterback Matthew Stafford threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to tight end Michael Roberts. The Lions added a 29-yard field goal by Matt Prater early in the second quarter at 12:39 for a 10-0 lead.
     Miami(4-3) got on the scoreboard with 7:38 to go in the quarteras quarterback Brock Osweiler connected a five-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Kenny Stills.
     The Lions made it 17-7 with 1:06 remaining in the first half. Running back LaGrette Blount dashed to the left side and scored from two yards out. Prater connected on a 28-yard field goal at 8:37 of the third quarter.
     The Fins answered back quickly 82 seconds later. Running back Kenyan Drake raced around the left end and finished off a 54-yard touchdown run.
     Detroit expanded their lead with 3:22 left in the third. Stafford tossed a four-yard pass to Roberts for the score. They got a 15-point margin when Prater made another field goal from 35 yards at 10:09 of the fourth quarter.
     The Dolphins kept up with their opponent with 6:08 left in the final quarter. Wide receiver Danny Amendola caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Osweiler.
     Prater compiled his fourth field goal of the contest with two minutes to go. He was able to nail a 50-yard field goal and put the game away.

Saturday, October 20, 2018

Hornets Strike Heat

     The Charlotte Hornets got by the Miami Heat 113-112 at American Airlines Arena on Saturday night. It was the final home opener for Dwyane Wade in his 16-season NBA career.
     Charlotte(2-1) got up 34-29 after the first quarter and picked up the pace during the second and had a 20-point lead 72-52 at halftime. Miami(1-2) slowly cut the deficit and were down 92-82 after three quarters. The Heat came close to taking the lead in the final minute of the contest, however they fell short.
     Wade felt the impact of the home opener as he led the Heat with 21 points. Goran Dragic drained in 20 points while Rodney McGruder contributed a double-double with 19 points along with 10 rebounds. Hassan Whiteside had his own double-double of 11 points and 15 rebounds. Kemba Walker had a game-high 39 points and seven assists for the Hornets.

Red Wings Fly By Panthers

     The Florida Panthers fell to the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 in overtime at BB&T Center on Saturday night. The Panthers will not play another home game in Sunrise until November 8. The Red Wings stopped a seven-game winless streak to begin the regular season.
     In the first period, Florida(1-2-3) jumped onto the lead at 7:34. Evgenii Dadonov was at center ice and guided a pass ahead to Keith Yandle. He put a wrist shot from the left circle past Jimmy Howard.
     Detroit(1-5-2) had a goal waved off at the 9:31 mark. Trevor Dailey had the puck on the left-wing boards and sent it to toward the net. It was redirected into the Cats cage by Michael Rasmussen in the low slot, but it was negated because of goalie interference in the blue paint by Justin Abdelkader.
     The Panthers made it 2-0 with 3:50 left in the first period. Aleksander Barkov won a left-circle faceoff. He tapped it back to Nick Bjugstad and he lifted a high snap shot into the Red Wings net.
     The Red Wings got a 5-on-3 situation early in the second period for 1:56 and they capitalized on it with two power-play goals. Frans Nielsen won a right-circle faceoff, Andreas Athanasiou placed a pass from the right wing to Dennis Cholowski at the top of the zone and he wristed a shot in at 5:47. Moments later, Thomas Vanek gave up the puck to Nielsen at the Panthers blue line and received it back on the edge of the right circle. He blistered a slap shot for a tally at the 6:05 mark.
     The momentum continued for Detroit as they moved out in front 3-2 with 12:10 remaining in the second. Gustav Nyquist dropped a pass to Dylan Larkin in the left circle. Larkin performed a give-and-go pass with Darren Helm in the slot area and put the puck into a wide-open net.
     The Cats had the opportunity to tie the contest early in the third. Barkov was hooked from behind by Cholowski as he skated on net with a breakaway and was rewarded a penalty at the 1:29 mark. He slowly skated through the right circle, lost control of the puck on his stick and fanned on the penalty shot.
     Florida evened it up 3-3 with 1:16 left in the third. Yandle made a lead pass from the red line to Mike Hoffman. He was on the left-wing wall and flicked a shot that got by Howard.
     Detroit was able to get the last laugh with 1:16 to go in overtime. Larkin stripped the puck from Yandle at the Panther blue line. Nyquist raced to the loose puck, went through the slot alone and snapped in a shot for the game-winning goal.

Friday, October 19, 2018

Panthers Hold Off Capitals

     The Florida Panthers put up a surge of goals in the first period to get by the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals 6-5 in a shootout at Capital One Arena on Friday night. The Panthers finally got in the win column after being winless during their first four games of the regular season.
     Florida(1-2-2) jumped out to a 1-0 lead at 10:49 on a goal by Vincent Trocheck. The Caps evened it up as John Carlson got a goal at 15:26.
     The Panthers retook the lead 32 seconds when Evgenii Dadonov scored on the power play. The Cats made it 3-1 as Colton Sceviour put in his first goal of the season at 16:36. Jared McCann added a tally with 1:08 left in the first for a three-goal margin.
     The second period belong to Washington(3-2-2) as they mounted a comeback. Brett Connolly hit the twine at 1:28, Jacub Vrana scored at 8:36 and Devante Smith-Pelly tied the contest 4-4 at the 13:15 mark. Jonathan Huberbeau helped the Panthers as he connected on a power-play goal with 51 seconds remaining in the second.
     In the third period, the Capitals waited until 1:25 to go and tied it 5-5. Nicklas Backstrom nailed a goal on the power play.
     The contest went into a shootout and T.J. Oshie converted on their first attempt. Aleksander Barkov was able to match it for Florida in the first round. Evgeny Kuznetsov quickly put the Capitals  ahead during the second round. Trocheck kept the Panthers alive on their third attempt. In the fourth round, Backstrom missed for the Caps and Huberdeau made it for the victory.

Forest Hill Drive Down Olympic Heights

     The Forest Hill Falcons handled the Olympic Heights Lions 34-6 at Bobby Riggs Stadium on Friday night in a District 13-7A game. The Falcons, who defeated the Lions by six points last year, bounced back from their loss last week to Dwyer.
     Forest Hill(7-1, 3-1) was able to score on their first possession. Quarterback Darius McClendon faked an option to the right and sprinted down the right hash marks for a 20-yard touchdown at 9:40 of the first quarter. The Falcons increased their lead to 13-0 when running back Bry'yon Jones plunged in up the middle from one yard out at the 4:22 mark.
     Olympic Heights(4-4, 2-3) had bad luck on numerous offensive plays. They were deep in Falcons territory late in the first quarter when defensive back Major Bernard intercepted a pass in the end zone. Lions quarterback Connor Hone threw a 77-yard touchdown pass down the right sideline to Jack Coulson which was negated due to a holding penalty three minutes into the second quarter.
     The Lions had another touchdown pass to Coulson waved off because of a penalty less than two minutes into the third. They scored on their next play when running back Ricky Brown went around the left end and angled to the left sideline for a 36-yard touchdown run at 10:00 to make it 13-6.
     It was a quick response by Forest Hill as they scored on their next possession. They added another touchdown by Jones from 15 yards out with 7:10 left. Falcons wing back Chaz Eaton reached the end zone on a run from nine yards away with 1:20 remaining in the third quarter for a 27-6 lead.

Monarch At Deerfield Beach Preview

     The Deerfield Beach Bucks host the Monarch Knights at Butler Stadium on Friday night in a District 11-8A game. The Bucks must not look beyond this contest with the distict title on the line at Piper next week.
     Monarch(3-4,1-3) is in last place in the district, however they have a 3-1 record outside of district play. The Knights were victorious in their first two regular season contests and enter this game having lost their last two games.
     Deerfield Beach(7-1, 3-0) began the regular season with a six-game winning streak before they lost at home to St. Thomas Aquinas. They bounced back last week with a 21-6 victory over Marjory Stoneman Douglas. The Bucks have outscored their opponents 245-98 this year.
     The first thing you look at on the Deerfield Beach offense is running back Jaylan Knighton. He will got the majority of handoffs from the backfield and can score on any play. The Bucks passing attack have Tyler Herring at quarterback and he can toss the ball to wide receivers Dashaun Davis, Deajaun McDougle, Bryce Gowdy and DeRohn King.

Thursday, October 18, 2018

Heat Get By Wizards

     The Miami Heat got a Kelly Olynyk basket with 0:02.2 left to defeat the defending Southeast Division champion Washington Wizards 113-112 at Capital One Arena on Thursday night. The Heat played in a league-high 10 one-point games last season.
     Washington(0-1) barely led 25-24 after one quarter and 59-58 at halftime. Miami(1-1) fell behind 89-85 after three quarters. The contest would get down to the last possession in the final quarter. Dwyane Wade fired a 16-foot shot from the left wing which hit the back of the rim and Olynyk followed with a shot inside the paint.
     Josh Richardson had a team-high 28 points for the Heat and Rodney McGruder contributed a career-high 20 points along with eight rebounds. Derrick Jones Jr. also reached a career-high as he dropped in 17 points. Hassan Whiteside fell short of a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds while Wade added nine points and eight rebounds. John Wall led the Wizards with 26 points and 10 assists.

Boca Raton Blanks John I. Leonard

     Boca Raton quarterback Michael Pratt compiled four touchdown runs as the Bobcats shut out the John I. Leonard Lancers 41-0 in Greenacres on Thursday night. Both District 10 schools in Class 8A look to finish up the regular season.
     Boca Raton(5-4, 3-2) scored on the first play of the contest. Lamar Dollar caught the ball, delayed for several seconds and then ran down the left sideline for an 86-yard kickoff return just 17 seconds in.
     The Bobcats reached the end zone on their second possession. Running back Stalens Demeus went through the right side of the side from five yards out for a touchdown at the 7:07 mark.
     John I. Leonard(1-7, 1-4) quarterback Jadiel Cruz threw an interception to the left side and Dollar brought it back 24 yards to the Lancers 10-yard line. Two plays later, Pratt raced through the middle and scored from 10 yards away at 3:02 for a 21-0 lead.
     There would be one more score by the Bobcats before the end of the first half. Pratt busted into the end zone and scored a one-yard touchdown with 8.4 seconds left in the second quarter.
     The Lancers began the second half horribly as they fumbled the ball on the kickoff. On their second possession of the third quarter, a lateral pass to the right side on their first play was recovered by Boca Raton. The Bobcats scored on the second play of their drive at 10:05 as Pratt sprinted through the middle of the field from 24 yards out to make it 34-0.
     John I. Leonard then fumbled the ball away after a short gain just one minute later. Boca Raton made them pay on the next play when Pratt ran into the end zone untouched from 31 yards out with 8:42 to go in the third. A running clock was then used for the remainder of the game because to the 41-point margin.

Rick Sanchez Joins RT America

     Former Florida International University radio football analyst Rich Sanchez will be joining RT America as a weekday studio host on October 22. He worked for three seasons alongside Tony Calatayud from 2011 to 2013.
     Sanchez is most known for being a weekday news anchor on WSVN-TV Channel 7 during the 1980s and 1990s. He was a studio host on several national cable television networks which included MSNBC, CNN, Fox News Channel, Fox News Latino, Mundo Fox and America TeVe.
     He did have a stint as a local studio host and news anchor on WTVJ-TV Channel 6 in the mid 2000s. Sanchez found a role as an afternoon show host and later a late morning show host on News Radio 610 WIOD-AM earlier this decade.

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Heat Lose Season Opener To Magic

     The Miami Heat played their season opening game in Orlando on Wednesday night and were defeated by the Magic 104-101 at Amway Center. The Heat now head to Washington and face the Wizards tomorrow.
     Miami(0-1) got in front 31-25 after one quarter and were down 54-51 at halftime. Both teams mainly stayed within distance of each other in the second half. The Heat were slightly behind 79-78 after three quarters and Orlando(1-0) scored the final couple of points at the end of the fourth quarter.
     Dwyane Wade made his season debut with Miami for the first time in three years and contributed nine points with 11 rebounds. Goran Dragic was the leading scorer for the Heat with 26 points while Josh Richardson added 21 points. Hassan Whiteside compiled a double-double with 12 points and 18 rebounds. Aaron Gordon led the Magic with 26 points and 16 rebounds.

American Heritage At Glades Central Preview

     The American Heritage Stallions visit the Glades Central Raiders in Belle Glade at Effie C. Grear Field on Friday night. The Raiders broke a five-game losing streak to the Stallions in 2017. Both schools are in contention to make the FHSAA playoffs in their own classifications.
     American Heritage(5-2) has played a schedule in which all of their opponents are based outside of Palm Beach County. The Stallions have put on a ton of miles to get to their last four games over the past four weeks which included stops in Fort Lauderdale, Pensacola, Davie and Fort Myers. They began the regular season 5-0 before losses to University School and Bishop Verot.
    Running back Steve Barrett transferred from Glades Central during the summer and will face his former school. He and Dallis Small look to pour on a rushing attack against the Raiders defense. Zachary Bohannon steps in as quarterback for the Stallions and can connect passes to wide receivers Conner Hindsley, Winston Hill, Fredrick Cage, Deion Small and Jamal Potts.  
     Glades Central(4-3) finally won two straight games for the first time this year. They hope to keep the momentum up toward the Muck Bowl in two weeks. They have outscored their last two opponents 72-13.
     Quarterback Davius Richard will call the signals for the Raiders on offense. He intends to find wide receivers Jymetre Hester, Ja'Vontae Williams, Densa Washington and Odieu Hilaire for completions. Running back Jaheim Humphries is expected to get the bulk of the rushing attempts from the backfield for them.

Atlantic At Lake Worth Preview

     The Atlantic Eagles challenge the Lake Worth Trojans at Bill Harvey Stadium on Thursday night in a district match. Atlantic is on the verge to wrap up the District 10 crown in Class 8A with a victory. The Eagles have the tiebreaker with wins over the two second-place schools Park Vista and Santaluces.
     Atlantic(7-0, 4-0) is undefeated as they have non-district wins over Palm Beach Central, Dwyer and Pahokee. They have outscored their opponents 234-48 and have three shutouts to their credit.
     The Eagles main emphasis is their defense with defensive lineman Henry Bryant along with their defensive backs of Javone Jackson, Kael Williams and Deandre McCray. Quarterback Kalani Ilimaleoata looks to connect passes to wide receivers Kam Williams, Tyler Burke and Tyrese Blue.
     Lake Worth(1-6, 1-3) is currently on three-game losing streak. Their only victory this season was over Spanish River 22-6. The Trojans have been outscored 222-46 this year.

Royal Palm Beach at Dwyer Preview

     The Dwyer Panthers host the Royal Palm Wildcats in a Class 7A, District 13 clash on Thursday night at Blum Stadium. Dwyer has a chance to clinch the district title with a victory. They have the tiebreaker on their side with wins over second-place teams Forest Hill and Palm Beach Lakes.
     Royal Palm Beach(0-7, 0-3) have not won a game this season and are currently on a 17-game losing streak. The Wildcats have not won a game since November 4, 2016 against Palm Beach Central. They have been outscored 281-45 this year.
     The team looks to quarterback Peyton Mainofli to bring the ball down the gridiron as the Wildcats puts a heavy emphasis on their passing game.. His main targets will be wide receivers Ricardo Rosier, Dishon Francis and Latirrious Terry.
     Dwyer(7-1, 4-0) took a dominant hold on the district as they knocked off undefeated Forest Hill 40-6 last week. The Panthers have a six-game winning streak following a loss to Atlantic. They have outscored their opponents 334--74 this season.
      The Panthers offense is evenly balanced with the run and pass. Quarterback Gio Richardson will dictate the pace for the team. He can toss the ball to wide receivers Tanner Franklin, Reggie Gadsen, Jamari Gaines, Myron Levy, Nick Bingo and Connor Nagle. The rushing attack will depend on running backs Bobby Armes, James Meeks, Ernest Blackshear, Cedric Tucker and Sataria Haliburton.

Boca Raton At John I. Leonard Preview

     The Boca Raton Bobcats head up to Greenacres and face the John I. Leonard Lancers on Thursday night. Both schools are in the middle of the standings in District 10 of Class 8A.
     Boca Raton(4-4, 2-2) snapped a three-game losing streak last week with a 24-6 win over the Lake Worth Trojans. The Bobcats began the regular season with a 3-1 record. They have lost all three of their road contests this year.
     They have quarterback Michael Pratt to lead their offense. Running backs Stalens Demeus and Davion Maxwell will get their opportunities from the backfield. Pratt has several choices to choose from to connect passes with that includes wide receivers Deltavian Jenkins, Brandon Holcomb, Rashawn Baustine and Jared Moorer.
     John I. Leonard(1-6, 1-3) will be playing their third game in the last seven days and tiredness could be a factor. Their only victory this season was against Spanish River two weeks ago. The Lancers have been outscored 182-62 this year and have averaged seven points per game.
     Quarterback Jadiel Cruz will call the signals on offense for the Lancers. He can find wide receivers Jonel Dieujuste, Hansen Dominique, Dorrien Haskins, Ahmed Orange, Cedric Evans and Jose Gonzalez down the field for completions. They will split the rushing attempts between running backs Kenneth Charles and Andre Rosier.

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Panthers Fold To Flyers

     The Florida Panthers extended their winless streak to four games to open the regular season as they were dropped by the Philadelphia Flyers 6-5 in a shootout at Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday night. It was the beginning for the Cats where they play seven of the next eight games away from South Florida.
     Florida(0-2-2) waited to late in the first period to get the lead. Frank Vatrano was in the low slot and put the puck by Brian Elliott with 2:02 left in the period. Denis Malgin and Jared McCann were credited with assists on the play.
     The second period would belong to the Flyers. Wayne Simmonds scored at the 1:18 mark and Jordan Weal followed at 5:54 to give Philadelphia(3-3-0) a 2-1 lead. Aaron Ekblad turned the puck over in his own zone on a pass through the slot and Claude Giroux directed a one-time wrist host past Michael Hutchinson 8:50 in.
     The Panthers stopped three unanswered Philly goals later in the stanza. Vatrano picked up his second goal of the game on an assist from McCann with 7:29 remaining in the second.
     Philadelphia made it a two-goal margin again with 4:31 to go in the frame. Christian Folin sailed a pass from his own goal line diagonally to Scott Laughton on the left side of the Panthers blue line. He centered a pass to Simmonds in the slot and he switched to a backhand shot for his second tally of the contest.
     The Flyers increased the gap to 5-2 with 2:57 left. Giroux got his second goal on a feed from South Florida native Shane Gostisbehere.
     Florida responded with a power-play goal just 22 seconds later. Keith Yandle moved the puck across the ice to Mike Hoffman on the left point. He skated down the left wing. tried to connect a pass to Barkov in the crease and the puck went past the goalie. It was the first goal by Hoffman in a Panthers uniform.
     The Panthers chipped at the deficit during the third period and tied the game 5-5. Evgenii Dadonov found the net from the low slot on a lead pass by Borgan Kiselevich from the right point at 5:06. Barkov evened it up as he sprinted up center ice into the Flyers zone on a breakaway and scored on a backhand shot at the 8:07 mark.
     The contest moved into a shootout with no goals in the overtime session. Jacob Voracek scored on the Flyers first attempt with a low wrist shot. Vincent Trocheck shot for the Cats was wide right with a forehand and a Giroux snapshot was saved with the blocker. Barkov tied it on the Panthers second attempt with a backhand shot. Weal put in a snap shot through the five-hole on Philadelphia's third attempt. Vatrano placed a wrist shot which was kick-saved to give the Flyers a victory.

FHSAA Football Point Standings Week 8

     The playoff point standings were released by the FHSAA following Week 8 competition. District play for schools will be completed either this weekend or next weekend.
     The top two spots reminded the same in Class 8A of Region 3 with #1 Atlantic(43.43) and #2 Deerfield Beach(41.88) while other district leaders tied for the third seed with (40.29) Palm Beach Central, Plantation and Weston. Other playoff contenders includes #6 Piper(38.43), #7 Wellington(37.75), #8 Park Vista(36.71) along with #9 Seminole Ridge and #9 Miramar(36.43).
     Dade County schools in the point standings for Region 4 has South Dade(42.43), Miami Palmetto(41.29), Columbus(41.00), Miami Southridge(41.00), Hialeah(39.14), Homestead(38.00), Belen Jesuit(37.00), Coral Gables(35.88), North Miami(35.29) and Braddock(34.43).
     Class 7A in Region 4 had the same eight playoff teams for playoff positions from last week. The list has #1 St. Thomas Aquinas(44.71), #2 Dwyer(43.50), #3 McArhur(36.86). #3 Miami Springs(38.86), #5 Doral Academy(39.25) #6 Fort Lauderdale(37.86), #7 Mater Academy(37.71) and #8 Palm Beach Lakes(37.43). #9 Forest Hill(37.00) is on the doorstep along with #10 West Broward(36.29).
     District 16 in Class 6A had no significant change from the previous week. Carol City(42.43) is first, Miami Central(41.00) in second, Miami Northwestern(38.14) in fourth and Norland(36.86) in eighth. Dillard(37.13) remains the lone school from District 15.
     Region 4 in Class 5A changed slightly in South Florida with a #3 Cardinal Gibbons(41.00) victory over #4 American Heritage(40.29) last week as both schools switched rankings. #8 Coconut Creek(37.14) and #9 Hallandale(36.57) are fighting it out for the final playoff spot.
     Things remained unchanged for Region 4 in Class 4A among the top four seeds with #1 University School(41.43), #2 Booker T. Washington(39.88), #3 Monsignor Pace(39.25) and #4 Glades Central(37.14). #5 Gulliver Prep(36.14) moved up two spots while #6 Pine Crest(35.43) and #7 Key West(35.14) dropped one spot.
     Class 3A of Region 4 had the same top three schools. It has #1 American Heritage(41.43), #2 Chaminade-Madonna(40.43) and #3 Benjamin(40.13). Westminster Christian(38.75), Palmer Trinity(38.50) and Everglades Prep(34.86) round out the last three playoff position with #7 St. Andrew's(34.29) barely on the outside. In the northern bracket of Region 2, Kings Academy(37.63) stayed at #2 and Cardinal Newman(36.29) fell from third to fourth.
     Pahokee(41.14) remained the only representative in South Florida as the #1 seed in Class 1A of Region 4. Glades Day(39.71) became the top seed in Region 4 of Class 2A, Miami Christian(38.57) dropped from first to third and Champagnat Catholic(37.14) remained in the fifth hole.

Monday, October 15, 2018

Park Vista Outlasts John I. Leonard

     The Park Vista Cobras breezed by the John I. Leonard Lancers 37-8 on Monday night at GL Homes Stadium. The Class 7A, District 9 game was postponed several weeks ago. John I. Leonard is in the middle of a stretch of playing three games in seven days.
     The Lancers punted at the end of their first possession and Aydin Henningham returned the ball 45 yards for a touchdown at 9:59 of the first quarter to give the Cobras a 7-0 lead.
     In the second quarter, Daniel Castaneda kicked a 40-yard field goal at the 9:23 mark. The Cobras made it a 17-point margin when quarterback Tyler Thomas connected a 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Cole Polnasek with 1:53 left in the first half.
     After a scoreless third quarter, John I. Leonard(1-6, 1-3) got on the scoreboard as quarterback Jadiel Cruz threw a seven-yard pass to wide receiver Jonel Dieujuste in the front of the end zone 46 seconds into the fourth. They added a two-point conversion as wide receiver Hansen Dominique made a leaping catch in the back of the end zone on a pass reception from Cruz and cut the gap to 17-8.
     Park Vista(4-3, 3-1) responded when running back Nick King blasted through the middle, broke some tackles and scored from 19 yards away at 8:07.
     Cobras defensive end Victor Miller intercepted a middle screen pass by Cruz. They scored on their first play of the drive as wide receiver Frantz Derival pulled in a 22-yard pass on the right side from quarterback Matt Paulo at the 7:49 mark.
     The Park Vista lead was extended to 37-8 with 2:31 remaining when quarterback Chase Lawson sneaked in from one yard out.

Kevin Rolston Back On 640 The Hurricane

     Kevin Rolston returned to host Kevin's Other Show on Monday at 640 The Hurricane  WMEN-AM. The one-hour show has been shifted from the 3PM hour to the 5PM hour. The Andy Slater Show now occupies the 3PM time slot at that station.
     Rolston left the program back on September 18. It was then carried by his show sidekick and producer Steve Diener for the next two weeks and eventually moved to being a podcast after that. Rolston continues as the morning co-host of the KVJ Show on sister-station WRMF-FM which he has been involved with since 2014.
     He began his sports show on 640 The Hurricane in late February. Rolston has been in the West Palm Beach market for almost 20 years. He was the morning co-host on WLDI-FM from 1999 until 2013 and WFLC-FM from 2013 to May 2014.

Andy Slater Joins 640 The Hurricane

     Andy Slater joined 640 The Hurricane WMEN-AM on Monday as their mid-afternoon host. His program is on weekdays from 3PM to 5PM. He was recently at Miami Sports 940 WINZ-AM until this past July.
     It is a return for Slater to his previous location as he had a long reign at 640 Sports. He first began as a weekend co-host in April 2008 one month after they flipped to a sports talk format. Slater was elevated to the afternoon co-host spot with "The Amigo" Larry Milian in late 2009. He became the evening host in January 2010 when Ed Kaplan was hired. Slater was promoted to the midday position in April 2011 when the New York Yankees Radio Network reemerged on the station.
     He also co-hosted a Saturday midday show with Hank Goldberg during the football season from 2011 to 2013. Slater had his weekday program cut to two hours and shifted to the early afternoon shift when Dan Sileo arrived in August 2013. He regained the midday shift with an extra hour in November 2013 when Sileo was fired. Slater finally left WMEN in December 2013.
     Slater, a Franklin Pierce Univeristy grad, moved closer to home in Miami as he joined WINZ at the start of 2014. He held the position as mid-afternoon host on that station from January 2014 until July 2018. Slater had a slew of guest co-hosts which included Troy Stradford, Uncle Luke Luther Campbell, Tommy Hutton, Sergeant Mark Wysocky, Marlins Man Laurence Leavy and Sid Rosenberg.

Sunday, October 14, 2018

Dolphins Survive Bears

     The Miami Dolphins edged the Chicago Bears 31-28 in overtime on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium. The Dolphins were able to snap a two-game losing streak.

Saturday, October 13, 2018

Virginia Upsets Hurricanes

     The Virginia Cavaliers surprised the Miami Hurricanes 16-13 on Saturday night at Scott Stadium. The Canes will not play again until October 26 against Boston College.
     Virginia(4-2, 2-1) struck first at 13:48 of the second quarter on a 26-yard field goal by Brian Delaney. They made it 10-0 when running back Jordan Ellis rushed up the middle for a seven-yard touchdown at the 11:19 mark.
     The Hurricanes chipped away at the lead on their next two possessions. Bubba Baxa kicked a 47-yard field goal at 7:22 and a 28-yard field goal with 3:14 remaining.
     The Cavaliers got Delaney to connect with a 46-yard field goal with four seconds left in the first half. He later added a 32-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter at 10:53 for a 16-6 lead.
     Miami(5-2, 2-1) finally reached the end zone with 3:13 left in the fourth. Quarterback Malik Rosier was able to run the ball from 11 yards away.

Canucks Swipe Down Panthers

     The Florida Panthers lost to the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 on Saturday night at BB&T Center. The Panthers play seven of their next eight games away from South Florida following this contest.
     Roberto Luongo was honored in a pregame ceremony by the team and the National Hockey League for becoming the third goalie in league history to play in 1,000 games. Luongo played most of his NHL career with the Panthers and Canucks.
     After a scoreless first period, Florida(0-2-1) scored at the 12:31 mark in the second to go ahead 1-0. Vincent Trocheck dropped a pass in the high shot to Jonathan Huberdeau. His initial shot was blocked by traffic and he raced in to put the backhand shot over the body of Anders Nilsson.
     Vancouver(3-2-0) responded a couple of minutes later on the power play with 5:12 remaining in the second period. Sven Baertschi connected a cross-ice pass from the low left circle to Elias Petterson and he snapped a high shot from the right circle past James Reimer.
     The Panthers got the lead back 2-1 with 2:40 to go. Mike Hoffman made a short pass from the right circle to Keith Yandle at the top of the zone. He sent the puck to the left circle and Vincent Trocheck blasted a one-time slap shot.
     Antoine Roussel was rewarded a penalty shot when he went through the slot area and was hooked on a breakaway by Bogdan Kiselevich with 1:45 left. He was able to squeeze a wrist shot by the left glove of Reimer to tie the contest 2-2.
     The Canucks took their first lead of the game at 13:49 of the third period. Bo Horvat was in the neutral zone and banked the puck off the right-wing boards at the Panthers blue line. Baertschi got it above the right circle and backhanded a pass across. Horvat tipped the puck into the Cats cage as he was falling down in the low slot.

Friday, October 12, 2018

Cardinal Gibbons Finally Beats American Heritage

     The Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs at last got a win over the American Heritage Patriots 24-14 at Heritage Field in Plantation on Friday night. The Chiefs stopped an 11-game losing streak to the Patriots, which did include a triple overtime loss in a regional final last year. Both schools have been District 16 rivals in Class 5A for the past six years.
     Cardinal Gibbons(5-2, 3-0) got up early in the first quarter at 10:15. Nik Scalzo tossed a 10-yard pass to the back right corner of the end zone to wide receiver Troy Stellato.
     The Patriots, after the ensuing kickoff, fumbled the ball away on the first play of their drive at their own 17-yard line. Several plays later, running back Tajae Davis punched the ball up the middle and scored from one yard away at the 8:54 mark for a 14-0 lead.
     American Heritage(5-2, 2-1) chalked up a score with 33 seconds left in the first. Quarterback Edwin Rhodes connected a 38-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Douglas Emilien.
     The Patriots would tie the contest 14-14 with 5:58 remaining in the second quarter. Running back Lavelton Williams rushed through the right side of the line and scored from 12 yards out.
     In the third quarter, the Chiefs regained the lead. Daton Montiel kicked a 25-yard field goal with 2:12 to go for a three-point margin.
     American Heritage had one more scoring opportunity in the final minute of the game deep in Cardinal Gibbons territory. Rhodes threw a pass to the left side which was tipped and Chiefs defensive back Sidney Porter returned it 74 yards for a touchdown with 23 seconds left. 

Cardinal Gibbons At American Heritage Preview

     It is a Class 5A playoff rematch on Friday night as the Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs challenge the American Heritage Patriots at Heritage Field in Plantation. The Patriots won both meetings last season and it included a 58-57 triple overtime victory in a regional final.
     Cardinal Gibbons(4-2, 2-0) have not upended their District 16 rival for the past decade. The question being asked is can the Chiefs finally defeat the Patriots. The Chiefs enter the game on a four-game winning streak following losses to Miami Central and Milton to open the regular season. They have outscored their opponents 148-42 in the last four games.
     The Chiefs return just about all their offensive skill players from last year with quarterback Nik Scalzo leading the way. Both their running backs Vincent Davis and Tajae Davis can have an impact on any carry from the backfield. Scalzo will connect passes to a core of wide receivers that includes Dimon Stewart, Dijon Senior, Nikolas Ognenovic, Chris Benestad and Jordan Freeman.
     After an opening game defeat to Carol City, American Heritage(5-1, 2-0) has put together five consecutive victories. The Patriots are the defending FHSAA Class 5A champions and have captured the state title in four of the past five years. They have outscored their last five opponents 141-47.
     The Patriots offense has two running backs to depend and carry the ball with Tyler Jones and Lavelton Williams. Edwin Rhodes set in as quarterback and intends to find wide receivers Tyler March and Douglas Emilien along with tight end Beau Johnson down the field on passes.

Thursday, October 11, 2018

Panthers Lose Home Opener To Blue Jackets

     The Florida Panthers held their home opener at BB&T Center on Thursday night and fell to the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-4. The Panthers organization had a 25th anniversary pregame ceremony to honor their opening season. 14 players from the inaugural 1993-94 team did show up and made an appearance. 
     Florida(0-1-1) set National Hockey League records that campaign with the most wins(33) and most points(83) by a first-year expansion franchise. Those milestones were broke by the Vegas Golden Knights last season.
     Columbus(3-1-0) moved ahead 1-0 at 13:29 of the first period on a 5-on-3 power play. Antemi Panarin made a cross-ice pass from the top left circle to the high slot and Zach Werenski blasted a one-time slap shot past James Reimer. Cam Atkinson was credited with a secondary assist on the play.
     The Blue Jackets expanded their lead to 2-0 with 2:40 remaining. Keith Yandle lost possession of the puck as he was bringing the puck out of the Panthers zone. Pierre-Luc Dubois made a lead pass to Panarin for a breakaway and he scored on a snap shot.
     The Panthers closed the gap with 10.6 seconds left in the first. Aleksander Barkov skated into the Blue Jackets zone on the left side during a 2-on-1 breakaway. He sent a pass to Evgenii Dadonov in the right circle and he lifted a wrist shot by Joonas Korpisalo.
     The Cats tied the contest up 2-2 at 6:29 of the second period. The Blue Jackets lost control of the puck in the offensive zone and Florida escaped into the neutral zone on an odd-man attack. Barkov skated into the right circle, put a diagonal pass to Dadonov in the low left circle and he released a high shot for the goal.
     Florida get their first lead of the game a couple of minutes later at 8:57. Mark Pysyk fired a wrist shot from the right point that was redirected into the Blue Jackets cage by Troy Brouwer in the low slot. It was the first goal for Brouwer in a Panthers uniform.
     Columbus struck back on the power play with 7:44 left in the second and made it 3-3. Panarin placed a quick pass from the right-wing wall to the left-circle dot. Anthony Duclair smacked the puck through traffic for the tally.
     The Panthers again scored for the second straight period in the final seconds. Yandle passed from the left point and Dadonov in the low right circle. He centered it to the crease area and Nick Bjugstad shot the puck in with 8.3 seconds left to take a 4-3 lead.
     In the third period, the Blue Jackets evened it out 4-4 at 1:!5. Boone Jenner went to the left-wing wall, blindly directed the puck toward the net and it trickled by Reimer for a score.
     The Blue Jackets regained the lead 5-4 with 2:46 to go. Markus Nutivaara took a slap shot from the top of the zone which was saved. Atkinson shoveled in the rebound with a backhand shot from the crease. 

Forest Hill At Dwyer Preview

     First place for District 13 in Class 7A will be on the line as the Dwyer Panthers challenge the Forest Hill Falcons at Blum Stadium in Palm Beach Gardens on Friday night. The winner has the inside track to capture the district crown while the other will have to battle it out for a top eight playoff seed in Region 4.
     Forest Hill(6-0, 2-0) looks to avenge their loss last year to Dwyer 42-22 which cost them the district title. The Falcons are off to their best regular season start since 1985. They are undefeated and have outscored their opponents 233-68 this season.
     Dwyer(6-1, 2-0) comes into this contest on a five-game winning streak following a loss at Atlantic. The Panthers have won all their games this season by at least 27 points. They have outscored their opponents 294-71 this year and outdueled their last three opponents 159-14.
     Quarterback Gio Richardson will lead the Panthers offense onto the gridiron. They have numerous options for their rushing attack which consists of running backs James Meeks, Bobby Armes, Ernest Blackshear, Cedric Tucker and Sataria Haliburton. Richardson can spread the ball around to wide receivers Reggie Gadsen, Jamari Gaines, Tanner Franklin, Myron Levy, Connor Nagle and Nick Bingo.

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Boynton Beach At Glades Central Preview

     The Glades Central Raiders play the Boynton Beach Tigers at Effie C. Grear Field in Belle Glade on Friday night. The Raiders have dominated their rivalry over the Tigers in the past decade.
     Boynton Beach(0-6) is winless this year and had a bye last week. The Tigers have mainly played their home games on Thursday night this season. They have been outscored by their opponents 174-79.
     Guenson Alexis is the quarterback for the Tigers and he can run or pass the ball. Wide receivers Charles Bryant, Shemar Jerome and Verwayne Alexander are his intended targets downfield.
     Glades Central(3-3) has been unable to gain momentum this season as they have interchanged wins and losses on their schedule. They came over from The Muck last week and defeated Lake Worth 23-6. Regardless of the Raiders defeats this season, their strength of schedule has kept them in playoff contention in Region 4 of Class 4A.
     Raiders quarterback Davius Richard can rifle the ball to wide receivers Jymetre Hester, Ja'Vontae Williams and Odieu Hilaire. Jaheim Humphries will get the majority of carries from the backfield for the team.

Park Vista At Spanish River Preview

     The Park Vista Cobras travel to Boca Raton and face the Spanish River Sharks on Friday night. Both schools are unlikely to overtake Atlantic for the District 10 crown in Class 8A.
     Park Vista(3-3. 2-1) have gone by a pattern of win one game and lose one game during the regular season. The Cobras were beaten by top Palm Beach County teams Dwyer, Atlantic and Wellington. They are 3-1 on the road and did got a victory at Boca Raton 24-14 last week.
     The Cobras will depend on their rushing attack with running back Nick King getting most of the opportunities followed by Joshua Jean. The primary targets for quarterback Tyler Thomas are wide receivers Aydin Henningham, Mason Proch and Lucas Deininger.
     It has been a tough campaign for Spanish River(0-7, 0-4) this season. The Sharks have only lost one game by less than double digits and been shut out twice. They have been outscored 298-58 this year.
     Connor Tribby leads the offense for the Sharks. He will look to connect passes to wide receivers Benny Alfonso and Blake Goldberg.

John I. Leonard At Atlantic Preview

     The Class 8A state finalist Atlantic Eagles host the John I. Leonard Lancers at Atlantic Stadium on Thursday night. The Eagles are alone on top of District 10 while the Lancers are in the middle of the pack.
     John I. Leonard(1-4, 1-1) have shown improvement this year and are not fighting in the cellar of the district. They stopped a four-game losing streak last week with a 47-6 victory over Spanish River. The Lancers have been outscored 166-95 in their five games this season.
     Their quarterback Jadiel Cruz can launch the ball anywhere on the field. He intends to find wide receivers Jonel Dieujuste, Ahmad Orange, Cedric Evans and Dorrien Haskins for pass completions.
     Atlantic(6-0, 3-0) stands in first place in the FHSAA playoff points standings for Region 3 and could have home-field advantage throughout the postseason should they remain undefeated. The Eagles ran the gauntlet with wins over Palm Beach Central, Dwyer, Pahokee, Park Vista, Spanish River and Santaluces. They have outscored their opponents 192-48 this year and compiled two shutouts.
     The Eagles have Kalani Ilimaleoata to call the signals on offense for them. He has several wide receivers to throw the ball to that includes Kam Williams, Tyrese Blue and Tyler Burke.

Tuesday, October 9, 2018

FHSAA Football Point Standings Week 7

     The FHSAA released the playoff point standings following week 7 action. School have either four or three games left in the regular season.
     Class 8A in Region 3 have the top four schools show their dominance so far in their individual districts with #1 Atlantic(44.83), #2 Deerfield Beach(42.86), #3 Palm Beach Central(40.33) and #4 Plantation(39.83). The rest of the following seeds are in for a mad scramble for a top eight spot to reach the FHSAA playoffs. It includes #5 Piper(39.00), #6 Wellington(38.86), #7 Weston(38.17), #8 Taravella(37.33), #9 Park Vista(36.17), #9 Miramar(36.17), #11 Santaluces(35.86), and #12 Seminole Ridge(35.83).
     Dade County schools represent teams in Region 4. The top ten have in order South Dade(43.67), Columbus(41.14), Miami Southridge(41.00), Miami Palmetto(39.83), Homestead(38.83), Hialeah(37.67), Belen Jesuit(37.33), Coral Gables(36.00), Braddock(35.50) and North Miami(34.50).
     South Florida in Class 7A had the traditional powers on top with #1 St. Thomas Aquinas(44.17) and #2 Dwyer(42.57). The rest in the chase has #3 McArthur(40.33), #4 Miami Springs(38.67), #5 Doral Academy(38.43), #6 Palm Beach Lakes(37.83), #7 Mater Academy(37.33), #8 Fort Lauderdale(37.00), #9 Forest Hill(36.83), tied for #10 Olympic Heights(36.50) and West Broward(36.50).
     Class 6A of Region 4 has four schools from District 16 battling it out for position with #1 Carol City(43.17), #2 Miami Central(41.86), #4 Miami Northwestern(38.17) and #9 Norland(36.14). #5 Dillard(37.43) is all by themselves as District 15 leader.
     Class 5A in Region 4 has several Broward County schools in playoff contention. It has American Heritage in third at 41.50, Cardinal Gibbons in fourth at 40.67 and Coconut Creek in sixth at 38.67. The American Heritage Patriots host the Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs in Plantation this Friday night in a playoff rematch that can have implications on the standings.
     Region 4 of Class 4A continues to be a dogfight among different schools for the top six seeds. It now stands as #1 University School(41.17), #2 Booker T. Washington(40.14), #3 Monsignor Pace(39.43), #4 Glades Central(37.83), #5 Pine Crest(36.33), #6 Key West(36.00), #7 Gulliver Prep(34.67), #8 Miami Edison(33.57) and #9 North Broward Prep(33.00).
     Class 3A of Region 4 sees the resurgence of American Heritage(41.17) in the top spot. They are followed by defending champion Chaminade-Madonna(40.83) in second, Benjamin(40.14) third, Palmer Trinity(40.00) fourth, Westminster Christian(37.86) fifth, Westminster Academy(36.67) sixth and St. Andrew's(35.83) seventh.
     In the northern bracket of Region 2, two local teams do appear. Kings Academy(38.29) is at #2 and Cardinal Newman(37.00) is at #3.
     Region 4 in Class 2A has seen different schools get to the top of the standings. They include #1 Miami Christian(41.67) and #2 Glades Day(39.71) in the top two. Champagnat Catholic(37.83) is currently in fifth.
     The only representative from South Florida in Class 1A of Region 4 is Pahokee. The Blue Devils are the top seed with 42.17 points.

Monday, October 8, 2018

Carl Foster And Anita Marks On Local Radio

     Carl Foster and Anita Marks returned to South Florida radio last week on Miami Sports 940 WINZ-AM. Foster is hosting the mid-afternoon shift and Marks is joining the program as a co-host on Mondays and Fridays. The show takes the spot on the station that Andy Slater held until this past July.
     Foster was a Cleveland television sportscaster earlier in his broadcasting career. He has had numerous radio stints in South Florida over the past 20 years.
     He hosted an evening sports show on WDJA-AM for several years. Foster joined WAXY-AM as a morning host in 2001 and stayed there until December 2001. He first teamed up with Marks on a morning program at Fox Sports Radio 940 WRFX-AM from January 2002 until 2004.
     Foster and Marks moved their program to 1400 The Fan WFLL-AM in April 2004. He also became the program director and general manager at that station. Foster stepped back from an on-air role in early 2006. He kept his two management positions until WFLL flipped its format from sports talk in June 2006. Foster was an afternoon drive talk host and Monday midday sports host from August 2008 until September 2018 at WYBP-FM in Fort Lauderdale.
     Marks, a Miami native, played quarterback in the Women's Professional Football League from 2000 to 2004. Her broadcasting career began as an intern and sports producer at WFOR-TV Channel 4. She joined Foster as the morning co-host on Fox Sports Radio 940 in 2002. Marks moved with Foster to 1400 The Fan in April 2004 and they teamed together for almost two years. Marks was given the afternoon show in early 2006 and left the station in May 2006.
     She was employed at ESPN 1300 WJFK-AM in Baltimore as their new afternoon host. She added Scott Garceau as an afternoon co-host when the program was placed on sister-station 105.7 The Fan WJZ-FM. It was later picked for a television simulcast on Mid-Atlantic Sports Network. Her last show on that station in January 2010.  During her tenure in Baltimore, she was a television sideline reporter for the United Football League on Versus in 2009 and 2010.
     Marks returned to Miami in February 2010 and had the tough task with Curtis Stevenson to replace Jim Mandich as the afternoon co-host on Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM. The show ended in June 2010 and they were replaced by Sid Rosenberg.
     She made the major career jump to New York City later that year and has held several positions there for the past eight years. She first began as a reporter at the New York Giants.com website. Marks then added roles as a sports reporter, NFL channel sportscaster and fantasy football afternoon co-host at SiriusXM Radio. She also did television work on MSG Network as a studio co-host for the New York Giants weekly football show.
     Marks received a great opportunity and became the pregame and postgame studio host for the New York Giants Radio Network. She returned to terrestrial radio in 2012 to occasionally host weekend and overnight shows on Sports Radio 66 WFAN-AM.
     She joined NBC Sports Radio Network when it launched in January 2013 as the weekend midday host and stayed there until May 2015. Marks landed at ESPN New York 98.7 WEPN-FM during May 2015 as a Sunday midday host and weekday sports anchor. She currently co-hosts a Sunday morning sports show, a fantasy football program. a golf podcast and fills in as a sports host at that station.
     Marks was a studio host on That Other Pregame Show at CBS Sports Network in 2014. She has been a part of ESPN fantasy football shows in the last couple of years.

Sunday, October 7, 2018

Dolphins Blow Lead To Bengals

     The Miami Dolphins blew a 17-point lead in the second half and lost to the Cincinnati Bengals 27-17 on Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium. The Dolphins had their two-game lead in the AFC East Division evaporate in the last two weeks and are now tied with the New England Patriots for first place.
     The first half belonged to Miami(3-3) as they got out 14-0. Quarterback Ryan Tannenhill threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to running back Kenyan Drake at the 7:28 mark of the second quarter. Jakeem Grant ran back a punt return 71 yards for a score with 40 seconds left in the second.
     Both clubs added three points during the third quarter. Jason Sanders made a 42-yard field goal at 9:30 for a Fins 17-point margin. The Bengals began to cut into the lead with 5:12 to go in the third as Randy Bullock kicked a 51-yard field goal.
     Cincinnati(4-1) compiled 24 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to take the contest. Quarterback Andy Dalton connected an 18-yard pass to running back Joe Mixon on the right hash marks for a touchdown on the first play of the quarter.
     Tannenhill would throw an interception off the helmet of one of his offensive lineman and it was returned by Michael Johnson for a 22-yard touchdown at 11:51 to tie it 17-17.  Bullock gave them the lead on a short 20-yard field goal with 3:33 left. Tannenhill then fumbled the ball on an attempted pass attempt and Sam Hubbard ran it back 19 yards into the end zone with 2:46 remaining.

Saturday, October 6, 2018

Hurricanes Overcome Florida State

     The University of Miami Hurricanes overcame a 20-point deficit to defeat the Florida State University Seminoles 28-27 on Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium. The Hurricanes stopped the Seminoles for the second straight year after losing the previous seven games between both schools.
     FSU put up the only points during the first quarter. Quarterback Deondre Francois threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Keith Gavin at 9:59.
     The Canes tied it up 7-7 at the 11:30 mark of the second quarter. Quarterback N'Kosi Perry tossed a 10-yard pass into the end zone to wide receiver Lawrence Cager.
     Ricky Aguayo kicked a 42-yard field goal for Florida State(3-3, 1-3) with 4:26 left to regain the lead. Wide receiver Tamorrion Terry caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Francois with 1:38 remaining. Aguayo nailed a 53-yard field goal with six seconds remaining which gave them a 20-7 at halftime.
     The Seminoles final score of the contest happened at 12:07 of the third quarter. D.J. Matthews sprinted into the end zone on a 74-yard punt return for a score.
     Miami(5-1, 2-0) came back with 21 unanswered points for the rest of the second half. Cager made his second touchdown reception from Perry from three yards away at 4:59. They scored again just 42 seconds later as Perry connected a 17-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jeff Thomas.
     The Hurricanes finally took the lead with 12:00 left in the fourth quarter. Perry fired a 41-yard strike to tight end Brevin Jordan for the go-ahead touchdown.

Panthers Drop Season Opener To Lightning

     The Florida Panthers opened up their 25th season in the National Hockey League and fell to the  defending Atlantic Division champion Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in a shootout at Amalie Arena on Saturday night.
     Florida(0-0-1) moved out to a 1-0 lead at 5:58 of the first period. Vincent Trocheck carried the puck down the right side to the goal line. He sent a pass to the left-circle dot where Jonathan Huberdeau stopped it and Jacob MacDonald scored his first goal of the his NHL career. MacDonald, a Cornell University grad, made his National Hockey League debut in the contest.
     Roberto Luongo left the game due to an injury with 7:39 left in the second period and he was replaced in net by James Reimer. Neither club was able to score in the second.
     In the third period, Tampa Bay(1-0-0) compiled a shorthanded goal with 9:15 left. Ryan McDonagh made a long lead pass up the right-wing boards to Anthony Cirelli at the red line. He came in on a 2-on-1 attack, tried a cross-ice pass through the slot that the puck returned to him and put in a shot from the low right circle.
     In the shootout, J.T. Miller flipped the puck over the right shoulder of Reimer on the Bolts first attempt. Mike Hoffman, in his first game with the Panthers, followed and hit the left goalpost. Both Brayden Point and Aleksander Barkov missed in the second round. Nikita Kucherov scored on a wrist shot by Reimer's left glove and gave Tampa Bay the victory.

Friday, October 5, 2018

St. Thomas Aquinas Smokes Deerfield Beach

     The St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders hammered the Deerfield Beach Bucks 38-6 at Butler Stadium on Friday night. Both schools are looked upon in Broward County to possibly win a FHSAA state championship this year.
     St. Thomas Aquinas(5-1) scored on the first play of the game just 14 seconds into the first quarter. Wide receiver Xavier Restrepo got a pitch-out handoff from quarterback Curt Casteel and then fired an option pass to wide receiver Marcus Rosemy for a 50-yard touchdown.
     A bad snap on a punt by the Bucks ended in their own end zone where linebacker Anthony Solomon recovered it for a score at the 8:23 mark. The touchdown gave the Raiders a 14-0 lead.
     In the second quarter, running back Daniel Carter pounded through the middle and scored from one yard away at 10:36. STA made it a 28-point margin with 58 seconds remaining in the second as running back Nigel White sprinted up the middle from eight yards out. Billy McConnell connected with a 26-yard field goal with two seconds left in the first half.
     The Raiders continued to roll in the third quarter for a 38-0 lead. Quarterback Derohn King was stripped of the ball by Solomon and he returned it for his second touchdown of the game. A running clock was implemented for the rest of the contest.
     Deerfield Beach(6-1) broke the shutout near the end of the third. King connected a 12-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Dashaun Davis.

Thursday, October 4, 2018

West Palm Beach Ratings September 2018

     The West Palm Beach region had a surprising effect on all three local competitors in the market during the month. Even though ESPN West Palm WUUB-FM is not registered in the ratings, they did see a positive trend with the return of Florida Atlantic University football and high school football broadcasts.
     640 The Hurricane WMEN-AM dropped again as they went from a 0.4 to a 0.2 in September. It is a shock that a combination of the New York Yankees and the University of Miami Hurricanes football team game broadcasts could not help. Kevin's Other Show stopped being broadcast in the mid-afternoon shift at the end of the period after Kevin Rolston cut back from hosting the program.
     1230 The Zone WBZT-AM did not show any stability and fell from a 0.1 to a 0.0 during the period. It seems that they could not garner an audience with the Miami Marlins just about eliminated from entering the playoffs.

Wednesday, October 3, 2018

St. Thomas Aquinas At Deerfield Beach Preview

     It is battle between two of the best large-size schools in Broward County as the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders take on the Deerfield Beach Bucks on Friday night at Butler Stadium. The Raiders look to go deep in Class 7A while the Bucks intend to go far in Class 8A for the upcoming FHSAA postseason.
     St. Thomas Aquinas(4-1) won their first four games of the regular season. They fell to Miami Central in their last contest and then had the week off due to a bye. The Raiders have outscored their opponents 214-49 this year. They face their two district foes in the next three weeks.
     The Raiders have a balanced offense with Curt Casteel at quarterback. Their rushing attempts will be split between running backs Daniel Carter and Nigel White. They have a slew of wide receivers with Marcus Rosemy, Jamal Cooney, Xavier Restrepo and Jahvante Royal to catch the ball from Casteel.
     Deerfield Beach(6-0) is undefeated through six games this year, have outscored opponents 218-54 and allowed only nine points per game. They will face district opponents for their remaining three games of the regular season.
     Running back Jaylan Knighton comes off a Bucks school record for most rushing yards in a game last week against Taravella and can score on any carry from the backfield. Wide receivers Deajaun McDougle, Dashaun Davis, Bryce Gowdy and DeRohn King will try to get open downfield for quarterback Tyler Herring.

American Heritage At University School Preview

     The American Heritage Stallions head down from Delray Beach and challenge the University School Sharks in Davie on Friday night at AutoNation Field. Both teams look to get into the FHSAA playoffs this season.
     After a tough campaign last year, American Heritage(5-0) started their first five games victorious. The Stallions have outscored their opponents this season 191-80. They played their first three games at home and are currently on a five-game stretch on the road.
     Quarterback Zachary Bohannon gets to control the Stallions offense. Running back Dallis Small can be elusive against big defenders on carries. Their other running back Steve Barrett, who transferred from Glades Central, lost twice to the Sharks last year in a regular season and postseason game. Wide receiver Conner Hindsley is the primary target for Bohannon in their passing attack.
     University School(5-0) have blasted the opposition in every game this season and have outscored their opponents 257-32. They have not allowed a point in their last two games with shutouts over Village Academy and Monsignor Pace.
     The Sharks had the majority of starters return from their squad last year on both sides of the ball. Running back Kenny McIntosh will get plenty of opportunities from the backfield along with their other running back Michael Hurt. Quarterback Nick Vattiato calls the signals and intends to find wide receivers Zay Flowers, Joshua Sanguinetti, Jordan Irizarry and Christian Wells down the field on passes.

Dwyer At Wellington Preview

     The Dwyer Panthers visit the Wellington Wolverines on Friday night in a non-district game. Both schools are near the top of their individual districts.
     Dwyer(5-1) have dominated in all of their games in Palm Beach County this season with the exception of their only loss at Atlantic. The Panthers are outscoring their opponents 239-64 this year following a 62-0 shutout victory at Olympic Heights last week.
     They have a number of options at running back with James Meeks, Ernest Blackshear, Cedric Tucker, Bobby Armes and Sataria Haliburton. Gio Richardson is the Panthers quarterback and he will look for wide receivers Tanner Franklin, Reggie Gadsen, Jamari Gaines, Myron Levy, Nick Bingo and Connor Nagle on pass receptions.
     Wellington(4-2) began the regular season with five of their first six games on the road and still have a winning record. They beat Palm Beach Central on the final play of the game last week. It does help that they host three of their last four games which includes their last two district contests.
     Running back Marc-Antony Richards is the one to concentrate on for the Wolverines offense. He can also set up as a wide receiver and occasionally run the ball out of the wildcat formation. Look for running back Jadien Durant to also carry the ball for them. The quarterback duties can be split between Austin Wallace and Blake Kendall Jr.

Park Vista At Boca Raton Preview

     The Park Vista Cobras travel to face the Boca Raton Bobcats on Friday night. Both schools are in the middle of the pack in the District 10, Class 8A standings.
     Park Vista(2-3, 1-1) has performed better on the road than at home this year. The Bobcats are winless at home with a 0-2 record and 2-1 on the road. They come in well rested after having last week off.
     The Cobras will rely more on their rushing attack with running back Nick King. Quarterback Tyler Thomas handles the offense and looks to connect passes with wide receivers Aydin Henningham, Mason Proch and Lucas Deininger.
     Boca Raton(3-3, 1-1) has been on a roller coaster this season. After winning three of their first four contests, the Bobcats lost in consecutive weeks on the road to Santaluces and Palm Beach Central. They have a record of 3-0 at home this year.
     The Bobcats offense is led by Michael Pratt at the quarterback position. He has wide receivers Deltavian Jenkins, Rashawn Baustine, Brandon Holcomb and Jared Moorer to pass the ball to. Running backs Stalens Demeus and Davion Maxwell are expected to get the bulk of the carries from the backfield.

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Miami Ratings September 2018

     There was a tie for the top sports talk format station in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale region. Miami Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM finished alone on top in the previous two periods.
     WQAM moved up from a 0.8 to a 0.9 in the period. The great start by the Miami Dolphins to begin the regular season certainly did entice the audience along with how the Miami Hurricanes have played.
     Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM finally halted a three-month drop in the ratings as they rose from a 0.6 to a 0.9 in the month. The station had local game broadcasts on the air for the first time in three months with FIU football.
     Miami Sports 940 WINZ-AM remained at a 0.2 for the second straight month. The station continues with one local show hosted by Jeff DeForest in morning drive and Fox Sports Radio around the clock.
     640 The Hurricane WMEN-AM once again appeared in the ratings even though they are based in Palm Beach County. They finished again with a 0.1 this month.

Monday, October 1, 2018

Florida Panthers Announce 2018-19 Roster

     The Florida Panthers have announced their 23-man roster for the 2018-19 season. It will be the 25th season for the franchise in the National Hockey League.
     Their season opener is on October 6 in Tampa Bay against the Lightning. The Cats will host the Columbus Blue Jackets in their home opener at BB&T Center on October 11.
     Forwards on the squad consists of Aleksander Barkov, Nick Bjugstad, Jonathan Huberdeau, Evgenii Dadonov, Vincent Trocheck, Mike Hoffman, Derek MacKenzie, Colton Sceviour, Micheal Haley, Jared McCann, Troy Brouwer, Frank Vatrano, Denis Malgin, and Maxim Mamin
     The defensemen core includes Aaron Ekblad, Keith Yandle, Mark Pysyk, Alex Petrovic, Michael Matheson, MacKenzie Weegar and Jacob MacDonald. Goalies for the club will be Roberto Luongo and James Reimer.
     Three players will start the season on the injured reserve list. Forward Jamie McGinn, defenseman Borgan Keselvich and defenseman Josh Brown are on that list.