With the 2007 Boys Basketball season coming to an end, Florida Prospects releases our top 10 candidate for the Mr. Basketball award this season.

Over the past five years, Orlando Edgewater High School has been the standard for High School football in the Central Florida area. During that span, they have produced many players who have gone on to play Division One College football. This year will be no different as the Eagles return a dominant team and will be one of the favorites to make the state championship. One player who will be key in their playoff run will be rising senior safety Leonard Smith.

Orlando Dr. Phillips junior Justyn Watkins loves playing against Orlando Olympia. In the two previous games this year, he has led the Panthers in scoring and to two wins over the Titans. Last night was a different night, but ended in the same result as Watkins had 25 points to lead Dr. Phillips to an 81-59 victory over Olympia and sent Dr. Phillips back to the state final four for the first time since 1998.

After losing in the regional finals two years in a row, the Jensen Beach Lady Falcons are one game away from winning their school’s First state championship after a 48-43 victory over Orlando Bishop Moore.

Playing linebacker in the city of Miami is not an easy feat. It seems each year that the area produces the best linebackers in the nation that go on to star in college and in the pros. Players include Marvin Jones, Nate Webster, Lamont Green, Jonathan Vilma and many others who have become legend in Dade County. Miami Northwestern’s star linebacker Sean Spence knows history of the top players from the area and is ready to add his name amongst the best.

Finish the Job! That's been Winter Haven's message from the day basketball season started. This game will be no different as they defeated Naples Barron Collier 55-44 to advance to the 5A state championship to play Clearwater.

When Parkway Academy Senior guard Taquarius Napier talk about their first two seasons as a basketball program she is quick to say that they were seasons to forget. They lost so many games she can’t count them all. That’s why it is so special for her and the rest of the Panthers to advance to the state championship game after a 63-54 victory over number one ranked Gainesville P.K. Yonge in the 3A semifinal game in Lakeland.

Coming into the 2006 football year, Seffner Armwood running back Eric Smith expected to have a very big year. He had just enjoyed a sophomore year which saw him rushed for over 1500 yards and help to lead his team into the state championship game. Unfortunately for Smith, he dislocated his elbow in the first game of the year missed most of the season. He did return to help lead Armwood to the second round of the playoffs and after a 180 yard performance against eventual state champion Tampa Plant, he left no doubt that he will be one of the best running backs in 2008.

Four years had passed since the last time Orlando Dr. Phillips beaten Orlando Edgewater. For three and a half quarters, it appeared that the Panthers would have to wait another year to attempt to defeat their cross town rivals as Edgewater seemed in control and was on track of winning their fifth game in a row in the series. That’s when Panthers senior guard Chris Warren took over the game and willed his team to an 88-82 overtime victory over the Eagles.

Last night match-up between Altamonte Springs Lake Brantley and Winter Park Lake Howell was supposed to be a game between two of the best teams in the state.

The second annual Florida Prospects MLK Classic had some of the best teams in the state of Florida competing against each other. Here are my observations of the loaded field.

At the end of Friday’s night game between Lakeland and St. Thomas Aquinas, there wasn’t a dry eye on the field. Both teams had played in one of the best high school games you will ever see and both teams left everything they had on the field. For St. Thomas they came up just short. Literally as they lost in double overtime to Lakeland 45-42.

The 2006 football year will be remember as a season filled with many highs and lows for he Glades Central Raiders. They started the season with great expectations ranked 15th in the nation and returning one of the best teams their school has ever had. The season didn’t begin the way the Raiders would have liked as they lost three games in the regular season including a national televised game against Byrnes High School and the coveted Muck Bowl against Pahokee, but the Raiders was able to erase all of their disappointments of the season as they won the 3A state championship 39-27 over Pensacola Pine Forest.

Edgewater waited seven months to get back on the basketball court after getting upset by Orlando Evans last year in the district semifinals preventing Edgewater from making the playoffs for the first time in seven years. The wait ended last night as they were able to gain a level of revenge as they defeated the same Evans Trojans 77-55 to start the season at 1-0.

With the regular season done and the playoffs starting this week, Florida Prospects will begin to look back at the past year. Today we start with this year's surprise teams.

Martavious Odoms remembers the play like it was yesterday. Two years ago while playing in his first Muck Bowl as a freshman, Odoms dropped the winning touchdown pass on the last play for Pahokee causing them to lose the game. Two years has passed since then and nothing soothes the pain than sweet revenge for Odoms and Pahokee as they defeated Belle Glades Central 28-21 to win the annual Muck Bowl in front of over 5,000 screaming.

In front of over 5,000 screaming fans Jefferson High School was the setting for what was anticipated to be the game of the year for Hillsborough County fitting undefeated Tampa Plant with their All State Quarterback and Alabama commit Robert Marve against Tampa Jefferson and they’re All State Quarterback Stephen Garcia.

In front of over 2,000 fans, Lakeland Kathleen proved to the rest of the state that they are more than just an offensive team as they shutout Bradenton Manatee 13-0 in a non district match-up.

After a somewhat disappointing season last year, Jacksonville Bolles High School is off to an undefeated start defeating opponents by an average of 30 points. Their offense, is averaging over 40 points a game and their defense is holding opponents to under 10 points a game. One player who has helped Bolles to a great start is defensive back Richie King.

Palatka’s senior running back Tyshawn Anderson was on a mission to show the rest of the state that he was back from an early injury that sidelined him for the first three weeks of the season. After rushing for over 150 yards and four touchdowns in a 28-27 victory over Ocala North Marion, he has left no doubt in everyone’s mind that he’s back.

Playing in front of over 3,000 scream fans, Winter Haven Senior Offensive Lineman Matt Timmons walked off the field with tears of joy streaming down his face as the Blue Devils came back from a 14-0 deficit to defeat top ranked Seffner Armwood 26-25 in overtime in a key district game.

For Boys Basketball, the most important time of the year is the summer. During the summer, many players are able to raise their stock with improve play and showcase their talents throughout the nation. One player who was able to raise his stock South Florida Forward, Jamal Owens has gone from one of the best players in South Florida to one of the best players in the state.

Every Monday Florida Prospects Analyst Robert Sumpter will give you a tour around the state in his weekly Monday Morning Quarterback column. Here is what happen during week four.

Every Monday Florida Prospects Analyst Robert Sumpter will give you a tour around the state in his weekly Monday Morning Quarterback column. Here is what happen during week four.

Every Wednesday during the football year, Florida Prospects will showcase an athlete who may not be known throughout the state, but could easily be a Division One athlete. Today we showcase Winter Park star athlete Darnell Williams.