Happy Cotton Bowl day football fans! We are just a few short hours away from the highly anticipated matchup between Ohio State and Miami.
All week, I’ve highlighted South Florida’s brightest stars as they prepared to ball on the biggest stage of the game, and this piece will be no different. For this one however- I wanted to take a trip down memory lane, in remembrance of the greatest high school football games South Florida has seen this decade.
Back in 2022, the #10 Chaminade Madonna Lions faced off against the #13 American Heritage Plantation Patriots in a game that would send shockwaves into the College Football scene as we know it today. This game featured the best of the best, as Chaminade boasted the 5-star WR duo of Jeremiah Smith and Joshisa Trader, while Heritage had 5-Star WR Brandon Inniss, 4-Star RB Mark Fletcher and an unknown at the time freshman WR named Malachi Toney.
While the ‘NadeBoyz’ would ultimately emerge victorious with a 42-34 victory, the point of this article is to highlight the ramifications this game had on College football.
The Legend of Mark Fletcher
In September of 2022, Mark Fletcher was proudly committed to Ohio State, and was heralded as one of the top RB’s in the country. Fletcher has always been a thundering down-hill back, bullying opposing defenses and earning extra yards off contact on every rush. This game was no different, as the 4-Star Buckeye commit totaled 194 yards and 2 scores from scrimmage on the day.
Exactly two months after this legendary performance, Mark Fletcher announced he was de committing from Ohio State, and would eventually sign with Miami in December. Now as a Hurricane, Mark has recorded 1,978 yards and 24 touchdowns and counting over the last three seasons, emerging as the team’s feature back in 2025.
Freshman WR Malachi Toney Take Over
Somehow this header is not about Malachi Toney’s collegiate career yet. It’s become a tale as old as time, when the stage gets big and the lights get bright- Malachi Toney will shine the most. The young man that’s now considered a freshman phenom and household name once upon a time was just an underrated gem. But that all changed in this game.
Toney was unguardable, recording over 100 yards and two touchdowns on the night; breaking onto the scene in the most dramatic of fashions.
5-Star’s Doing Their Thing
During this game, there were 3 five-star prospects on the field as Chaminade brought out the best 2024 WR duo in the country of Jeremiah Smith and Joshisa Trader, while Heritage had 2023 WR/S Brandon Inniss. Per usual, Jeremiah Smith would steal the show after breaking off a 84 yard touchdown reception.
As for Joshisa Trader, despite not getting into the end zone he still recorded a very solid multi catch night.
Finally for Brandon Inniss, the 5-Star senior would record a 39 yard touchdown and force a fumble on defense.
This was a fun blast from the past to re dive into. As the New Year looms upon us, sometimes it’s a good idea to have a ‘remember when’ moment. To quote the great Mark Fletcher ‘The Crib produces Legends’, and this Battle for Broward certainly proved his point.
Cover Photo Credits- MaxPreps
X Credits- Luke Chaney, ON3 (@LChaney_ /X)
