South Florida Well-Represented At State High School Football Championships
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Students at Carol City High School in Miami are celebrating its undefeated football team with a pep rally send-off to the state championship.
It is high school state championship weekend where six teams from Miami-Dade and Broward counties are playing in Orlando for the coveted championship title, including the Carol City Chiefs.
The Chiefs (Class 6A) will play Lakeland's Lake Gibson on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. at Camping World Stadium.
"It's a tremendous opportunity for the school, and not only for the school, but the community, as well," said Assistant Head Coach Costello Guiton. "Through our coaching staff, the administration, the kids buying into the program and what we're trying to accomplish, we were able to meet those obstacles and here we are today."
Carol City will be looking to notch its fifth state title in program history and first since 2003.
"We came off from the bottom, we started 0-2," said offensive lineman Chris Valembrum. "And you know we rise up to the top. We put God first and everything, and you know, we came through. And now we're going to Orlando."
After the title drought, the road to state has caused a shift in the school and it's quite contagious.
"Goodness! Thank gracious that we are at this point," said Assistant Principal Mimose Morgan-Rose. "12 years and here we are."
Their fans and students, from the freshmen to seniors, family and staff, wouldn't miss it for the world.
"Some kids changed their ACT dates just to go out there and support," said one student.
And the coaches are confident in their gameplan.
"Hours and hours of going through tapes with coaches," said Guiton. "And we emphasize that with the kids, that there are keys to certain teams, that I won't tell you, of course, but we know what to do."
The other five South Florida teams playing in a state championship game are Champagnat Catholic (Class 2A), Chaminade-Madonna (Class 3A), American Heritage (Class 5A), which is seeking its third state championship in the past four years, St. Thomas Aquinas (Class 7A), and Southridge (Class 8A).
Southridge will try to win its first state title since 1993 against Orlando's Dr. Phillips at 8:00 p.m. Saturday.
Game update: Champagnat Catholic lost 24-8 on Friday morning in the Class 2A state championship game.
