All-Star Football Game on Saturday. Plus basketball and football honors, soccer and wrestling
The 13th Annual Tru Sports Foundation Private/Public All-Star Football Game, which has established a tradition of exciting plays and dramatic finishes in the short history of the game, is set once again.
The contest -- pitting the best private school seniors from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties against the public school all stars -- will kick off this Saturday, Jan. 7 at 4 p.m. at Betty T. Ferguson Sports Complex (3000 NW 199th St.) in Miami Gardens. Tickets are $15.
The game itself has developed a history of close, tight finishes as nine of the 12 contests have come down to the final possession. The Public All Stars lead the series 7-5.
Dave Simmons, who was on the staff at Pahokee High School this past season and who coached the Public squad to a 31-21 victory two years ago, will once again head up the Public team. Isaac Harris, the defensive coordinator at TRU Prep Acadaemy, will handle head coaching duties for the Private squad.
A total of 80 players will suit up for Saturday’s game will be joined on the sideline but current college football players and former NFL players. In order to be considered for participation, students are required to maintain 2.5 Core grade point average and have taken the ACT or SAT exam.
“We are extremely excited to host an All-Star Game that not only allows players, parents and fans alike, the opportunity to experience an action-packed and competitive contest between some of the state’s top ranked schools, but incorporates time in the schedule for athletes to go out and make a difference in the lives of others, said Mario Smith, CEO of TRU Sports Foundation and the head coach at TRU Prep Academy.
“We’ve worked hard to make this a truly community-wide event and looking forward to another great contest.”
One of those ex-NFL players on the sideline will be former Denver Broncos cornerback Kayvon Webster who played for Smith at Monsignor Pace High School before moving on to play at the University of Miami and then won a Super Bowl with Denver in 2015.
“I commend TRU Sports Foundation for providing this type of opportunity and exposure to these players,” said Webster..
“Coming from the same neighborhood as many of these kids, programs like these are so necessary in helping to ensure talented athletes, who may have been overlooked, have an opportunity to be seen by college coaches. That second or third look might be the one to make a difference, and help them realize their dream of getting a college education and playing football.”
—Bill Daley
More Football
The finalists for the 2022 Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Football and Football Coach of the Year have been announced following balloting by a statewide panel of high school football coaches and prep media representatives.
Every finalist was the leading vote-getter in his classification, making each one the Player of the Year or Coach of the Year in his class. The two overall winners will be announced following a final round of balloting by coaches and media.
Locals who placed in the Top 5 in their respective class.
CLASS 4M: 1. Alberto Mendoza (Columbus) 115 pts; 3. Mark Wilder (Doral Academy) 55 pts. Coach: 1. Dave Dunn (Columbus) 131 pts. CLASS 3M: 2. Jadyn Glasser (South Plantation) 69 pts; 3. Joshua Townsend (Homestead) 58 pts; 5. Jalyn Jackson (Fort Lauderdale) 30 pts. Coach: 1. Phillip Simpson (Homestead) 124 pts; 2. Roger Harriott (St. Thomas Aquinas) 103 pts; 5. Mike Bailey (Blanche Ely) 34 pts. CLASS 2M: 3. Mark Fletcher (American Heritage-Plantation) 60 pts; 4. Rueben Bain (Central) 30 pts. Coach: 1. Gibudale (Jube) Joseph (Central) 180 pts; 2. Mike Smith (American Heritage-Plantation) 94 pts; 3. Matt DuBuc (Cardinal Gibbons) 35 pts.
CLASS 1M: 1. Cedric Bailey (Chaminade-Madonna) 147 pts; 4. Zac Katz (True North Classical) 27 pts; 5. Jason Barket (Westminster Christian) 22 pts. Coach: 1. Dameon Jones (Chaminade-Madonna) 153 pts; 5. James Callier (Westminster Christian) 17 pts.
Wrestling
From Ricky Marcus at The Florida Wrestling Room on Facebook:
“Fun Facts about South Dade High School wrestler Sawyer Bartelt. No.1: He has won the Knockout three times. No.2: He has not allowed a takedown since he officially started high school in 9th grade. That’s 81 consecutive high school matches without giving up a takedown. Mind boggling to say the least because that includes post-season wrestling. Sawyer Bartelt may go down as the greatest to ever come out of the state of Florida. We have had many great ones, and Sawyer is right there with them.”
Basketball
The Junior Orange Bowl Basketball Classic All-Tournament teams.
GIRLS: MVP Aaliyah Hunt (Peachtree Ridge, Georgia), Nia Anderson (Peachtree Ridge, Georgia), Sanaa Tripp (Peachtree Ridge, Goergia), Alexia Sanchez (Miami Central), Joelle Wilson (Miami Central), Bryann Preston (Lovejoy, Georgia), La’Nya Foster (Lovejoy, Georgia), Emily Montes (Palmer Trinity).
BOYS: MVP Christian Reid (Mater Lakes), Michael Bradley (Mater Lakes), Gabriel Fajardo (Mater Lakes), Carl Parish III (Norland), Triston Wilson (Norland), Jakes West (Archbishop Carroll, Pennsylvania), Dean Coleman-Newsome (Archbishop Carroll), Nathan Dudukovich (Lakota West, Ohio).
Soccer
BOYS: NSU University School 4, Archbishop McCarthy 1: Rafael Guerra 1 goal; Nicolas Marques 1 goal; Evan Herman 1 goal; Gabriel Ciffoni 1 goal; Raul Leyva 2 assists. Univ (8-0-1).
BOYS: Ransom Everglades 2, American Heritage-Delray 0: Nico Sosa, 2 goals; Nico Goldberg 1 assist; Gkp Martin Piedahita shutout. RE (7-1-3).
Submit sports results
For high schools in Broward and Miami-Dade, if you have Winter varsity results along with top performers and their stats for this column, email hssports@miamiherald.com.
Basketball, soccer, wrestling.
They will run in the newspaper and online. Photos accepted, too. No deadline. Send after the game, the next day or weekly. You will be alerted when it will appear in the newspaper and online.
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Roundup compiled by Jim Varsallone
jvarsallone@miamiherald.com
