The defending Class 6A state football champions, Northwestern will be seeking the school’s fourth state championship, in 2007. Northwestern scored a whopping 650 points in 15 games last season and allowed just 108 – with seven straight shutouts. Northwestern is part of Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Location: Miami, Florida Enrollment: 3,513 District and Class: Northwestern competes in the state’s largest classification, 6A. Region 4, District 13 (of 16 statewide) includes five other high schools: Hialeah, Hialeah American, Hialeah-Miami Lakes, Miami Central and Miami Goleman. The top two schools in the 13-6A standings after round-robin play advance to the playoffs and the 32-team bracket. Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) includes 31 high schools and is the largest school district in Florida and the fourth largest in the United States, with a student enrollment of 414,128. State Association: Florida High School Athletic Association.The Dodge FHSAA Football Finals for Class 6A will be held Saturday, December 15 at the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando. It will mark the first time that the football finals have been held in Orlando since the FHSAA began staging the event at a central site in 1989. Head Coach: Billy Rolle returned to Northwestern in late July. Rolle arrived from Miami Central, where he was readying for his first season at the school after being named head football coach in the spring. Rolle is the only football coach in Miami-Dade County history to lead two different high schools to state championships. Rolle led Miami Killian in 2004 to the Class 6A state title and in 1998 led the Bulls to a 6A state championship (he was defensive coordinator in '95 under Willie Goldsmith when Northwestern won its first title). Rolle's 22 years of coaching and teaching experience also include service at Miami Edison and Coral Gables high schools, as well as Orchard Villa Elementary School. At Northwestern, Rolle replaces Roland Smith after Smith and his eight assistants were dismissed on July 11. Smith was the 2001 High School Coach of the Year by the NFL and had compiled a record of 70-13 -- the best record in Miami-Dade County by any coach during that span. Nickname: Bulls Colors: Blue and Gold Home Stadium: Miami-Dade County Public Schools utilize several stadiums throughout its area, among them is 12,000-seat ‘Traz’ Powell Stadium. Motto: Prior to his departure, Coach Roland Smith said: "Books Before Football. We preach discipline and also that you have to take care of your academics to play at the collegiate level." 2007 Opener: Northwestern opened its slate with a 42-0 shutout at Miami Carol City (6A state champions in 1996, 1997 and 2003) on August 30, before 8,000 fans at Traz Powell Stadium. The Bulls held Carol City to only 16 yards of total offense and without a first down until the fourth quarter. QB Jacory Harris was 18-of-25 for a career-high 330 yards and three TDs. Junior RB Daquan Hargrett carried 11 times for 62 yards and two TDs, while Aldarius Johnson caught seven passes for 112 yards and one TD. Tommy Streeter hauled in four passes for 46 yards and two TDs and Kendal Thompkins caught three passes for 87 yards. The Bulls turn their attention to 6A Homestead on Sept. 7, before flying to Dallas on Sept. 13. Northwestern also readied for Southlake Carroll with a spring jamboree against Belle Glade (Fla.) Glades Central High School, which has sent more players to the NFL than any high school. Northwestern prevailed, 42-21, before 6,000 fans, including 40-plus college coaches, numerous NFL players ... and four coaches from Southlake Carroll 2006 Record: 15-0 as Class 6A state champions. History: Northwestern defeated Lake Brantley (Altamonte Springs, FL), 34-14, for the Class 6A state title last December. Northwestern won its first Class 6A state championship in 1995, and became champions again in ’98. (Northwestern also claims a state championship in 1963, before integration.) Only the 1998 and 2006 squads went undefeated. The 2006 title game was played in front of a state championship single-game record crowd of 24,368 at Dolphin Stadium. Pipeline: The state of Florida produces one NFL player for every three of its high schools; in Texas the ratio is 6:1. Notable Northwestern graduates include OT Vernon Carey (Miami Dolphins), DB Torrie Cox (Tampa Bay Bucs), WR Antonio Bryant (most recently the San Francisco 49ers), RB Vernand Morency (Green Bay Packers) and LB Nate Webster (Denver Broncos). Offensive Firepower: Jacory Harris (6-4, 185, 4.6) is one of the nation’s top quarterbacks. In his first season as a starter last season, Harris completed 71 percent of his attempts for 2,920 yards (No. 3 in state records) and 37 TDs, with just six INTs. His top seven WRs return in 2007, led by wideouts Aldarius Johnson (6-2, 195, 4.4) and Tommy Streeter (6-5, 200, 4.4). While Streeter hauled in 57 passes for 804 yards and 14 TDs, Johnson rewrote single-season marks by hauling in 72 passes for 1,361 yards and 19 TDs. Kendal Tompkins (5-11, 170, 4.5) and Robert Demps (5-11, 170, 4.5) will also be featured in 4- and 5-receiver sets. The O-Line has been strengthened with the transfer of left tackle Brandon Washington (6-4, 315, 5.2), who left nearby Miami Edison after a coaching change. Left guard Terell Killings (6-4, 290, 5.3) is also gaining strong collegiate attention. One huge hole to fill in the backfield was left by running back Antwain Easterling (Southern Miss-bound), who ran for 2,831 yards and 33 TDs in ‘06. A pair of speedy juniors will fill Easterling’s shoes: Dequan Hargrett (5-10, 170, 4.3) and Tyreese Jones (5-10, 175, 4.4). In the spring victory over Glades Central, Harris completed 14-of-23 passes for 236 yards and a TD, Jones carried 15 times for 125 yards and two TDs and Johnson tallied a game-high 100 yards on six receptions. Defensive Firepower: Marcus Forston (6-3, 305, 4.9) is regarded as one of the nation’s top tackles and is agile enough to play basketball for Northwestern. Forston motored (and quickly) down the field returning a fumble 52 yards for a TD in the victory over Glades Central in late May and will cause QBs havoc in the fall. Hard-hitting linebacker Sean Spence (6-0, 200, 4.5), who tallied 197 stops last season, helps lead a defense which last fall yielded only 124 yards (64 rushing/60 passing yards) and 6.4 points per game. Joining Forston on the line is Benjamin Jones (6-6, 280, 4.8), who played at Miami Springs as a sophomore, transferred to Northwestern but missed his junior season with a knee injury. Jones was held out of the Glades Central game for precautionary measures. Linebackers Quavon Taylor (6-0, 190, 4.6) and Levonte David (6-1, 195, 4.6) are also playmakers and will be joined by Anthony Jackson (6-0, 190, 4.7) who had two sacks and KO’d Glades Central quarterback Kentavious McCoy from the spring game. Verbal Commitments: Nearby Miami may offer scholarships to as many as eight Northwestern starters and has already landed a whopping four: OT Washington and QB Harris (who competed in the prestigious 'Elite 11' national QB camp in July) as well as WR Johnson and DT Forston. Johnson, who committed in late July after the arrival of Billy Rolle as head football coach, was also considering Florida State, Florida, LSU and Southern Cal. WR Streeter favors Miami, Florida, LSU and South Carolina. Forston also made his pick in late July, and chose Miami over Auburn, Clemson, Notre Dame, Southern Cal and Tennessee. DT Jones has Colorado, Florida, LSU, Miami, Mississippi, Mississippi State and North Carolina bookmarked as his favorites. Spence’s list includes Alabama, North Carolina and Rutgers, among others, but expect the big three in Florida to come calling. Notable : In addition to playing out of Florida for the first time in school history, Northwestern will also play by NCAA rules, which Texas high schools follow, instead of by NFHS rules. The differences are minor, but worth a mention.
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