FSU target hoping to lead Goleman to breakthrough, plus more high school football notes
Goleman sophomore safety Darryl Bell has six FBS-level scholarship offers including one from Florida State University.
The most eye-opening part of that sentence was probably the first word.
Throughout its nearly three decades of existence as a football team, the Gators have rarely had such young talent draw such attention from major college programs.
It seems like times are changing at Goleman.
Bell is one of several players from a talented core that is hoping to end the Gators long playoff drought.
“My mindset was to build my own legacy, start low and bring it up,” Bell said. “I’m trying to build a team that hasn’t been seen at Goleman, put them on the map and attract other players to the school. The education is good here and I knew I could make a name there and face great competition.”
Goleman played its first varsity season in 1998.
The Gators have since made the playoffs only once in 2004.
That season, Goleman also picked up its only postseason victory with a win over Miami High before losing to Miami Killian in the regional semifinals.
The engine driving those many of those early Gators teams was a hard-nosed single-wing offense that often neutralized the size and talent gap against some of the county’s larger powerhouses.
But this season, the gap might not be as wide.
After playing as an independent in recent years, the Gators went 5-5 last season in their first year back in district play in a division that included eventual Class 4M state champion Columbus, Doral Academy and Miami High.
Titletown South Florida: Our football season preview begins with a look at Class 4M
“I think it’s just about honesty and time. It takes a lot of little steps to get back to this point,” said Goleman coach Ariel Cribeiro, who played at the school and is entering his 11th season as coach. “We did it the right way. We went the independent route. And we just told the parents of these kids our expectations, not just in terms of football, but academically, attendance, everything.
“These kids understand that Goleman is an academic school and those kids have fully bought in. We’re proud of where we’re at now where we can compete. We expect to make the playoffs and I’m not sure if that’s been said going into a season at Goleman before.”
Bell (6-0, 182 pounds), who will play mostly free safety this season, is an example of that change for the Gators.
“He’s a kid that’s going to continue to develop and become a natural leader,” Cribeiro said. “His playmaking ability as a freshman, blocked two punts, forced eight turnovers. We need those game-changing plays at a school like ours. He has a knack for doing that and has a feel for how to shift the momentum in a game.”
But Bell is not alone.
Junior running back/linebacker Anthony Rodriguez, sophomore defensive end RJ Alphonse and senior linebacker Dylan Celeide are all players Cribeiro credits for helping Goleman’s successful transition back to district play and being able to compete against some of the county’s better teams.
“We’ve been working hard and this is a totally different team with our mindset and everything,” Bell said. “We’re on a mission this year.”
THIS AND THAT
▪ Three South Florida standouts were recently named to the MaxPreps preseason All-America team highlighted by Chaminade-Madonna wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, an Ohio State commit who earned first team honors. Smith amassed over 1,000 yards receiving and 20 touchdowns last season.
Central defensive end Armondo Blount, rated the No. 1 overall prospect in the state for the class of 2025 by 247Sports, and St. Thomas Aquinas punter Michael Kern, were each named to the second team.
Blount, who transferred to the Rockets from Dillard, had 29 sacks combined over the past two seasons. Kern, a Texas commit, averaged over 41 yards per punt last season.
▪ Miami Carol City alum Vernon Wilder is back at his alma mater this season as the Chiefs’ head coach. Wilder played for the last Carol City state championship team in 2003, which included future NFL players Ricky Jean-Francois and Kenny Phillips.
Wilder spent last season coaching at Miami Coral Park. He replaces Dorrean James, who is now the head coach at Miami High. The Chiefs went 5-6 last season, losing in the Class 2M regional quarterfinals to Booker T. Washington.
▪ Miami Jackson’s coaching staff, ironically, has a noticeable flavor of one of its biggest rivals. Offensive coordinator Alwan Lee and defensive line coach Joseph Jackson - two notable graduates of Booker T. - are on staff working with longtime Generals head coach John Harris this season.
Lee played quarterback for the Tornadoes and Jackson played defensive end as both were instrumental in the revival of Booker T.’s football program in the early 2000s.
The Generals are coming off a 7-4 season that ended with a first-round playoff exit against Miami Norland. Jackson plays Booker T. on Sept. 28.
