Fact Or Fiction: Heritage Streaks, 5A-14, And Somerset’s Woes

This is the inaugural of our new HSBN feature, Fact or Fiction. In this feature, we will tackle some of the pressing questions in Broward with HSBN Co-Founder Anthony Uttariello and Editor-in-Chief Rick Duteau. Enjoy!

1. American Heritage is currently sitting at 7-0. The Patriots will have two or less losses on the season.

Anthony: Fiction. While the Patriots clearly look like the team to beat in 6A, their schedule gets much tougher moving forward. On top of having to navigate through Calvary Christian, Westminster Christian, Doral, Jupiter, Dwyer, and Canterbury, Heritage is also heading to the National High School Invitational in Cary, North Carolina. If this ends up being fact, the Patriots will have earned it.

Rick: Fact. Even with the incredibly tough schedule that American Heritage has, this team is tough to beat. The lineup does not stop coming and they have not given up many runs to speak of. They have outscored the opposition 88-5 so far in seven games. I don’t know if anybody will beat them this season.

2. 5A-14 will continue to be the most competitive district race in 2018.

Anthony: Fiction. While this district may contain the best teams in one district, nobody as of yet has shown that they can unseat Pompano as the district champion. I believe 9A-12 will be the most compelling district down the stretch. In 5A-14, all the teams make the district playoffs, while in 9A-12, only four of the six teams qualify. Currently, after Flanagan at the top, the next four teams, Cypress Bay, West Broward, Everglades, and Western, are seperated by one game, and one of these teams will be left out of the playoffs.

Rick: Fact. These six teams bring out the best in each other, and every year an underdog pulls off an upset in the district tournament. It is as easy as picking a #12 seed to win an upset game in the NCAA March Madness Tournament.

3. Somerset will turn their early season struggles around.

Anthony: Fact. Somerset’s record looks ugly right now at 1-6, but they only have two district losses. This could be a case where the overall record may not look great, but their district record could find the Panthers in the top three seeds going into the playoffs. This team is too talented to stay down for long, and I expect the Panthers to start turning things around soon.

Rick: Fact. The Panthers are a better team than their record shows, and they traditionally play their best baseball down the stretch. I wouldn’t be surprised if they go into the district playoffs on a winning streak, much like they seem to every season.

4. Archbishop McCarthy will finish the season with a record better than .500.

Anthony: Fact. In what what have been a given in previous years, you really have to dig deep into the Mavericks schedule to try and figure out if they can stay above .500 in 2018. While I think they will end up above .500, I don’t think it will be by much, so one or two upset losses could find the Mavs entering the post-season with a losing record.

Rick: Fact. The Mavericks have their work cut out for them with the schedule they play. However, they have a lot of home games left and they have traditionally been very tough to beat on their home turf.

5. Nova will be the last undefeated team standing in Broward.

Anthony: Fact. Considering we only have two undefeated teams left in Broward, Nova and American Heritage, Nova would have to be the default choice due to the upcoming schedule. Nova faces Cooper City, McArthur, and Hollywood Hills in their next three games, while Heritage faces traditional Southwest Florida power Bishop Verot, Calvary Christian, and Gulliver Prep in that time period.

Rick: Fiction. The Titans play five straight road games, including their annual road trip where they traditionally take on defending-state champions from neighboring states. It will be tough to come back to Florida still undefeated.

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