Vote: Who should be the South Florida football Player of the Week (12/4/2023)?
The dominance of South Florida football has been on display throughout the playoffs.
Heading into last week, seven of the semifinalists in the four metropolitan divisions were from either Miami-Dade or Broward counties. Of that group, five are now advancing to the state finals this week in Tallahassee.
South Florida once again has a chance to sweep all four metro classifications, as it did a year ago. Chaminade-Madonna seeks a three-peat in Class 1M, while Miami Norland is the top seed in Class 2M. St. Thomas Acquinas in Class 3M goes for its fifth straight state championship. The Raiders will be in a rematch with Homestead. And in Class 4M, Columbus also is in position to repeat.
With so many highly caliber teams still playing, SBLive Sports Florida continues to recognize top performers in our weekly poll.
During the season we ran separate polls for top offensive and defensive players. In the playoffs, we’ve consolidated just one.
Now, it’s up to the fans to decide who should be the South Florida football Player of the Week for Dec. 1. Vote as often as you’d like, and spread the word! Voting will end on Saturday, December 9th and the winner will be announced next week.
Congratulations to last week's winner: Bryce Fitzgerald of Columbus.
Here are this week's nominations:
Jabari Brady, WR, Monarch: Brady scored on a 60-yard pass play that gave Monarch a 21-16 edge halfway through the third quarter. However, the tide turned, and Monarch lost 51-21 to Jacksonville Mandarin, which will take on Columbus in the championship game. The outcome didn’t go Monarch’s way, but the Knights enjoyed a terrific season, and Brady had a big season, averaging 95.5 yards per game in receptions.
Ryan Castro, QB, Archbishop Carroll: In terms of the game itself, the Bulldogs didn’t seriously threaten Chaminade-Madonna in their 47-7 loss in the Class 1M semifinals. But in terms of earning respect, the Miami-based school played hard and its 11-2 overall record earned the praise of their passionate fans, which cheered loudly during and after the game before the team got onto the bus. Castro rushed for 77 yards on 15 carries, and he scored the Bulldogs’ lone touchdown on a 1-yard run. Castro attempted just four passes, completing two for 44 yards.
Robert Czeremcha, PK/P, Columbus: Columbus has a tremendous special teams’ weapon in Czeremcha. In a 27-7 win over Tampa Plant, Czeremcha connected on a 51-yard field goal, while also adding a 25-yarder for three more points. As a punter, he repeatedly placed Plant in poor field position.
Bryce Fitzgerald, DB, Columbus: You’d be hard pressed to find any defensive player in the state who has made more of an impact in the playoffs than Fitzgerald. In the Explorers’ win over Plant, the Columbus safety had two interceptions, giving him a school-record 10 on the season. Keep in mind, in the state quarterfinals against Western, Fitzgerald had three interceptions, including a pick-six, and a fumble recovery. He’s had five interceptions in his last two games.
Denzel Johnson, DB, Chaminade-Madonna: Facing an almost exclusively run-first offense in Archbishop Carroll, Johnson was active from his safety position, logging 12 tackles, including one for a loss.
Byron Louis, RB, American Heritage: An otherwise outstanding season for the Patriots came to a disappointing end with a 17-14 loss to Tampa Berkeley Prep in Class 2M. Heritage, the second seed, was primed to get back to the state finals for the second straight year, before letting a 14-9 halftime lead slip away. Still, Louis, a four-star junior, had another stellar game, rushing for 135 yards and two touchdowns.
Jordan Lyle, RB, St. Thomas Aquinas: The Ohio State commit has really stepped up as the season has progressed. The Raiders dominated Tampa Gaither, 50-14, to reach the Class 3M finals. Lyles ran for 131 yards on 11 carries, scoring three touchdowns. In the state finals, St. Thomas will take on Homestead in the finals.
Francisco Pileggi, PK, St. Thomas Aquinas: With so much overall depth on St. Thomas, you can honestly recognize many players in this week’s poll. We are singling out Pileggi for booting two field goals, including a 42-yarder that gave the Raiders 50 points in the state semifinals for the first time in school history.
Sir Robertgeau, DB, Homestead: Homestead’s 42-35 win over Orlando Jones may have been a high-scoring affair, but a key defensive play was turned in by Robertgeau, who had a 33-yard fumble return for a touchdown that gave the Broncos a 28-21 lead at the time.
Joshisa Trader, WR, Chaminade-Madonna: The 5-star receiver and Miami commit set the tone early in the Lions’ 47-7 rout of Archbishop Carroll. On the first play, Trader hauled in a 70-yard reception on a flea-flicker pass from receiver Jeremiah Smith. The play set up Trader’s 10-yard TD reception. In one half of playing, Trader had three receptions for 100 yards, and two touchdowns.
Joshua Townsend, QB, Homestead: For the second straight year, the Broncos are returning to the state championship game. Townsend continues to lead the way, throwing for 308 yards and three touchdowns. The senior also rushed for a score in the semifinals against Orlando Jones.
Juan Rodriguez, RB, Miami Norland: The undefeated Vikings are headed to the state Class 2M finals. Rodriguez helped lead the way with 251 yards rushing and a touchdown in a 28-7 win over Jacksonville Bolles.
