Phantom Stang
09-09-2007, 04:18 PM
Bulls on the road to greatness
Miami Northwestern has a chance this
Miami Northwestern senior Marcus Forston came to a realization this summer while he was leading a players-only team workout in the blazing heat with no coach hired by the school.
''We must have something special here,'' said Forston, who is rated the No. 2 defensive tackle in the country by Rivals.com. ``I mean what else can happen to us and we're still here. I don't think any team in the country can do some of the things that we can do.''
High school football analysts, former players and some of South Florida's legendary coaches have echoed Forston's sentiment, and posed a question.
Could this Northwestern team be the best to ever come out of South Florida?
It's a bold statement.
But one that Northwestern, ranked No. 1 nationally by ESPN.com, has a chance to back up if it goes undefeated again this season and beats No. 2 Southlake Carroll, the three-time defending Texas champion, in a nationally televised matchup in Dallas at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Doug Huff, a retired journalist for 35 years who has put together national high school football polls for The Associated Press, Sports Illustrated and now Rivals.com, said the winner of Saturday's game will control its destiny for the national title -- as long as they finish the season undefeated.
''There's no doubt in my mind this is a game between the best of Florida and the best in Texas, and that's something we've never really been able to see before,'' Huff said. ``There is going to be a lot of athleticism on the field, and whoever comes out is going to have a stranglehold on No. 1.''
RECORD ON HORIZON
Should Northwestern accomplish this feat, it would end the season on a 30-game winning streak, which would break the Dade record of 29 held by Miami Southridge and Carol City.
''With the adversity they've gone through and changing coaches, if they run the table, I think they'd be the best team ever,'' former Coral Gables athletic director Harold Cole said. ``This group is very disciplined, as well as talented. I think in Texas will be the only time this year that they will likely see similar athletes and speed.''
Although the Bulls are considered the best by some, there are several teams that have staked their claims throughout Dade and Broward's rich football history.
I skipped a whole lot of Florida HS Football history right here. If you want to read it, feel free to click the link.
Larry Blustein, a national recruiting analyst for MSLSports.net, said what separates this Northwestern team from the rest is an abundance of talent.
''With all due respect to teams that have won in the past with elite players, I don't know if anyone has ever had as many on one team as this Northwestern team,'' Blustein said. ``I mean it's freakish. Long Beach Poly of California had about about 15 guys sign a few years ago. Usually teams only have about eight to 10. Lakeland had 12 to 14 last year. But what this team has is unheard of. It's one of those things you may never see again. I think by season's end, all 22 starters could have some sort of college football offers.''
Huff said even though Northwestern's potential accomplishment could put it among the greatest teams ever in the country, it likely would still pale in comparison to some other teams. Huff said Concord (Calif.) De La Salle's 151-game winning streak still impresses him the most.
''It's hard picking an all-time No. 1,'' Huff said. ``There have been so many great teams like De La Salle, Valdosta, Georgia, which was great in the late 1980s. In Ohio, they still talk about the Moehler team coached by Jerry Faust in the early 1970s, before he went to Notre Dame. Then, you got these Texas teams, Carroll and some old-time teams from Waco and Abilene.''
Miami Herald sportswriter Bob Emanuel Jr. contributed to this report.
www.miamiherald.com/620/story/230965.html
Miami Northwestern has a chance this
Miami Northwestern senior Marcus Forston came to a realization this summer while he was leading a players-only team workout in the blazing heat with no coach hired by the school.
''We must have something special here,'' said Forston, who is rated the No. 2 defensive tackle in the country by Rivals.com. ``I mean what else can happen to us and we're still here. I don't think any team in the country can do some of the things that we can do.''
High school football analysts, former players and some of South Florida's legendary coaches have echoed Forston's sentiment, and posed a question.
Could this Northwestern team be the best to ever come out of South Florida?
It's a bold statement.
But one that Northwestern, ranked No. 1 nationally by ESPN.com, has a chance to back up if it goes undefeated again this season and beats No. 2 Southlake Carroll, the three-time defending Texas champion, in a nationally televised matchup in Dallas at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Doug Huff, a retired journalist for 35 years who has put together national high school football polls for The Associated Press, Sports Illustrated and now Rivals.com, said the winner of Saturday's game will control its destiny for the national title -- as long as they finish the season undefeated.
''There's no doubt in my mind this is a game between the best of Florida and the best in Texas, and that's something we've never really been able to see before,'' Huff said. ``There is going to be a lot of athleticism on the field, and whoever comes out is going to have a stranglehold on No. 1.''
RECORD ON HORIZON
Should Northwestern accomplish this feat, it would end the season on a 30-game winning streak, which would break the Dade record of 29 held by Miami Southridge and Carol City.
''With the adversity they've gone through and changing coaches, if they run the table, I think they'd be the best team ever,'' former Coral Gables athletic director Harold Cole said. ``This group is very disciplined, as well as talented. I think in Texas will be the only time this year that they will likely see similar athletes and speed.''
Although the Bulls are considered the best by some, there are several teams that have staked their claims throughout Dade and Broward's rich football history.
I skipped a whole lot of Florida HS Football history right here. If you want to read it, feel free to click the link.
Larry Blustein, a national recruiting analyst for MSLSports.net, said what separates this Northwestern team from the rest is an abundance of talent.
''With all due respect to teams that have won in the past with elite players, I don't know if anyone has ever had as many on one team as this Northwestern team,'' Blustein said. ``I mean it's freakish. Long Beach Poly of California had about about 15 guys sign a few years ago. Usually teams only have about eight to 10. Lakeland had 12 to 14 last year. But what this team has is unheard of. It's one of those things you may never see again. I think by season's end, all 22 starters could have some sort of college football offers.''
Huff said even though Northwestern's potential accomplishment could put it among the greatest teams ever in the country, it likely would still pale in comparison to some other teams. Huff said Concord (Calif.) De La Salle's 151-game winning streak still impresses him the most.
''It's hard picking an all-time No. 1,'' Huff said. ``There have been so many great teams like De La Salle, Valdosta, Georgia, which was great in the late 1980s. In Ohio, they still talk about the Moehler team coached by Jerry Faust in the early 1970s, before he went to Notre Dame. Then, you got these Texas teams, Carroll and some old-time teams from Waco and Abilene.''
Miami Herald sportswriter Bob Emanuel Jr. contributed to this report.
www.miamiherald.com/620/story/230965.html