5 South Florida high school football players to watch in 2024

American Heritage running back Byron Louis tops our list of the best high school football players to watch in South Florida

Byron Louis of American Heritage Plantation is one of five South Florida football players in the spotlight heading into the 2024 season. / Matt Christopher

High School football is back in session in South Florida. Well, at least it is for public schools in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties.

That means, football season is around the corner. Preseason games are scheduled for later this week, and the major Broward National Football Showcase at St. Thomas Aquinas (which will have nationally televised games on ESPN) takes place next week. 

Ready or not, high school football is upon us, and SBLive Florida will be tracking all the action. 

Leading into the rapidly approaching football campaign, we’ve been spotlighting players and teams to focus on in 2024. This week, these five players have captured our attention:

1. Byron Louis, Running Back, American Heritage

Byron Louis is back at American Heritage after rushing for more than 1,200 yards and 18 touchdowns last season. / Joe Frisaro

One of the top backs in South Florida, Louis earned a 4-star ranking and is being heavily recruited by major schools like Miami, Florida State, Georgia, Wisconsin and others. As a junior, Louis rushed for 1,224 yards and 18 touchdowns. The Patriots have an explosive offensive, featuring quarterback Dia Bell (Texas commit) and receiver Malachi Toney (Miami).  

Heritage plays a grueling schedule, and Louis expects to carry a heavy workload in his senior season. 

So what’s Louis’ mindset in ’24?

“Just to win,” the senior season. “Complete the mission. The main thing is to ultimately knock them down, one by one.”

Individually, Louis has high expectations.

“I feel I am leading better,” he said. “I’m encouraging the team. Everybody is chiming in. Everybody wants the same ultimate goal.”

2. Chris Ewald, CB, Chaminade-Madonna

Chris Ewald is among a group of Chaminade-Madonna football seniors tasked with keeping the standards high for one of the winningest high school football programs in America. / Joe Frisaro

When the bar is raised as high as Chaminade-Madonna has set it, the next graduation class carries the burden of not wanting to be part of a downfall.

The Lions once again are loaded, even though the Class of ’24 graduating class featured one of the greatest collections of skill-position players in Florida prep history. 

Entering this season, Chaminade also is talented on defense. One of its leaders is four-star cornerback Chris Ewald, a University of Miami commit. 

As always, the Lions are eyeing state and national championships.

“The standard is still the same,” Ewald said. “We’re still trying to get to Tallahassee, and leave Tallahassee with a medal around our neck. The standard is still the same. It’s a different team, but the same standard.”

As a junior, Ewald had two interceptions and 20 passes defensed. Now a senior, he’s also one of the team leaders.

“It helps tremendously, because he can let other guys know what to expect,” Lions coach Dameon Jones said. “Because, I can say one thing, but when it’s coming from a teammate, you know it’s a little bit different. That youth, they tend to talk to each other a little differently.”

Chaminade has won three straight state titles and six in the last eight seasons. The drive to keep winning titles remains the same.

“You don’t want to be the talk of the town,” Ewald said. “We’ve got a big target on our back. It just keeps us going. We’re not trying to be the downfall of Chaminade. You don’t want to be known for that, so this keeps us going.”

3. Ryan Miret, C/DT, Southridge

Ryan Miret is a two-way star lineman for the Southridge football team as well as stud wrestler. / Joe Frisaro

Talk about a consummate student athlete. Miret, listed at 6-foot-4, 285-pounds, is a football/wrestling standout with a 4.4 GPA. According to On3, the  junior is the University of Miami’s top center recruit for the ’26 class. 

As a defensive tackle last year, the 3-star athlete logged 23 tackles.  

Southridge is a serious playoff contender, and sophomore James Perrone is a rising star at quarterback.

Miret makes it clear that his job is to give Perrone “as much time in the pocket as possible.”

Miret’s immense wrestling skills help him as an offensive lineman, as well, especially when it comes to using his leverage.

“Wrestling translates well with O-line,” Miret said. “You learn leverage. That’s the biggest thing. You learn how to move people.”

As a sophomore, Miret wrestled in the 285-pound weight class, and finished third in the state in Class 3A.

“You have to be in great shape to be a wrestler,” he said. “You have to be very athletic. I think that definitely helps with football.”

4. Travares Daniels, LB, St. Thomas Aquinas

St Thomas Aquinas linebacker Travares Daniels. / Joe Frisaro

Championships are certainly cherished and savored at St. Thomas Aquinas. So is hard work, preparation and dedication.  

The drive to succeed is unwavering, which is why just days after winning their fifth straight state title last December, the coaching staff and players already were turning the page and focusing on competing for more in ’24.

Linebacker Travares Daniels, committed to Maryland, embraces the challenge of craving more championships. 

“We get it,” Daniels said. “Everybody in the program wants to win. Everybody is on the same page. Everybody wants to succeed. We all get along like this.” 

St. Thomas gets things rolling on Thursday at Bishop Verot Fort Myers, and then on Aug. 24, the Raiders play host to national power Bishop Gorman Las Vegas in the Broward National Football Showcase. That game will be featured on ESPN.

“The way we look at it is, we enjoy our wins, and the next day we [wipe our hands], and go on to the next,” Daniels said. “The culture is crazy. Our coaches do a great job of preparing us, and getting us ready for our schedule. Not only our schedule, but it prepares us to be great young men in the future.”

5. Zachary Davis, MLB, Homestead

Homestead linebacker Zachary Davis. / Joe Frisaro

From Oregon to Homestead, the Broncos have added a new addition to their defense.

 New to the program at middle linebacker is Zachary Davis, who has moved to South Florida after being part of state championship teams at Central Catholic in Oregon.

Davis steps into a Homestead program hungry for a state championship. The past two season, the Broncos lost to St. Thomas Aquinas in the Class 3M championship game. This year, under the new classification system, Homestead is now in Class 6A. St. Thomas is in 5A. 

Still, with as much talent as the Broncos have, they have the makings of a championship-caliber team.

“Everybody is a hard worker,” Davis said. “Everybody has one common goal. We have a championship mindset. We’re all going to keep pushing each other. That’s how we’re going to get there.”

After coming up short in back-to-back seasons, Homestead is driven to win the title.

“We’re hungry,” Davis said. “We want to work. They have that championship expectation, year after year. The coaches and the players. We hold ourselves to a high standard.”

Homestead coach Ronnie Thornton Jr. has established a tightly knit team culture, where players are free to voice their opinions. 

Thornton noted that he listens to the players concerns. If the players need a day to scale back a bit, the staff will listen, and may have a “yoga” day.

“I think it’s great having a coach that listens to the players,” Davis said. “He has a lot of respect for us, and we have a ton of respect for him. That really separates us as a program That really helps us out.”