PLANTATION, FLA. – The stage is set, and all ineligible players have been cleared from the situation.

With what should’ve been the state title matchup last year, has officially taken its form in a playoff matchup between two powerhouse programs in the South Florida region, and just another piece of the famed Broward Vs. Dade county rivalry.

Both teams were heavy state favorites coming into the season, but now their paths cross and only one can move on, but who has the upper hand going into this matchup?

American Heritage

Heritage has been steamrolling their opponents with major victories over Naples, Plantation, and an upset over St. Thomas Aquinas. With an offensive unit which has been revered as one of the best in the state and one of the more prominent units in the country.

This offense has been headlined by three major powers –

Dia Bell: 5-Star Commit to the University of Texas – 2597 Passing Yards, 29 Passing Touchdowns, Averaging 236 Yards Per Game

Byron Louis: 4-Star Commit to the University of Florida – 1313 Rushing Yards, 13 Rushing Touchdowns, Averaging 131 Rushing Yards Per Game

Malachi Toney: 4-Star Commit to the University of Miami – 1008 Receiving Yards, 12 Receiving Touchdowns, Averaging 91 Yards Per Game

While on paper this seems like a formidable trio, there’s only one thing to takeaway from this list – Dia Bell will be inactive for Friday’s matchup. After suffering a gruesome leg injury, Bell’s season is officially over, luckily for him, he still has one more year left of high school ball and will be back in the mix next season.

Heritage’s offense did have the momentum going into the regular season matchup between the two teams, as Byron Louis ran through the Norland defense, putting up 218 yards and two touchdowns in what would be a last second loss to the Vikings.

However, Heritage got the last laugh as Norland would be charged with an ineligible player by the FHSAA and be forced to forfeit the win.

But does that really count?

Miami Norland

Miami Norland took this season to the heart, using this season as a “revenge tour”, as they made it all the way to state finals last season only to get upset by Berkley Prep out of Tampa in a heartbreaking loss.

Norland retained most of their weapons much like Heritage, here’s how the squad matches up.

Ennio Yapoor: 3-Star Uncommitted QB – 2905 Passing Yards, 19 Passing Touchdowns, Averaging 264 Passing Yards per Game

Jerrard Smith: Fourth Ranked CB in the state of Florida with 8 Interceptions and 40 Tackles

Mandrell Desir and Adrian Farrow: Fourth and Fifth Ranked LBs in the state of Florida with 12 Sacks each

Norland had the upper hand in the last matchup and will be looking to keep that form coming into Friday’s matchup.

Chasing History

Ennio Yapoor has been the topic of conversation in South Florida over the past couple of seasons.

Last season, Yapoor led Miami Norland to an undefeated record and broke the all-time passing record in Miami-Dade County with 10,489 yards.

This season, Yapoor is only 158 yards away from breaking the all-time passing record in the whole state of Florida, which currently belongs to Tucker Israel who set the record in 2014 with 14,082 yards.

Can it be done? Yapoor has been no stranger to adversity and being overlooked, so it’s pretty clear that Friday’s game will just be another simple statement to be made by the Senior QB.