Having covered high school football in this state since the early 1970s, I have had the pleasure of watching many, many football players emerge as top prospects.

Through the years, top-flight prospects have lined the fields at places such as Dillard, Ely, South Broward, St. Thomas, Stranahan, Pompano and dozens of other schools in the BCAA.

Eugene Smith

Last year, the Sun-Sentinel did a poll of the best football talent ever in the region, and while this generation never had the opportunity to watch impressive quarterback prospects such as Fred Buckley (Cardinal Gibbons), Danny McManus (South Broward) and Al Alvarez of Fort Lauderdale play, they have to listen to people like us explain how the quarterbacks of the past were very good, but never in the same athletic category as Miramar’s Eugene Smith.

What we are watching with the 6-3, 180-pounder is a talented, athletic football player who approaches the sport in a manner in which there is no boasting or rubbing success in anyone’s face. This is a strong-arm, fleet-footed quarterback who has the ability to put up huge numbers.

For those who watched Pat Bonner and Asante Samuel (Boyd Anderson), record-setting Ryan Schneider (Plantation), Brent Schaeffer (Deerfield Beach) and even Danny Kannell, who played at non-BCAA Westminster Academy, you can understand how impressive these signal callers were during their time. But when it comes to measuring the best, having the opportunity to have watched all of the greats in this county, I say non have even approached what Smith is going to be exposed to over the next few years.

Never has Broward County had someone who can call his own plays and dominate in every phase of the game. For Smith, this is the culmination of a dream that began when he was a youngster.

It all started at Oak Grove Elementary School in North Miami Beach, where he played flag football and then discovered his love for the sport. Smith never had any real sports heroes growing up, but he was always athletic and loved sports, thanks in part to his father‘s love for football.

“I started out playing receiver, and liked it,” Smith recalled. “It was flag football, but still a lot of fun.”

Football became the sport of choice when Smith played for the North Miami Beach Sun Devils 80-pound team as a receiver and cornerback. The following year, he played quarterback for the first time, and with his rocket arm, quick feet and long strides, his 110-pound team stunned the always powerful Lauderdale Lakes Vikings. Word spread around the youth football fields in a hurry.

“It was like I always knew I could throw, but it came against a team that everyone felt was the best, and we beat them,“ Smith said with smile. “That is how things began, but I really did like playing receiver.”

The following year, Smith’s legend preceded him when he made the move to a Miami Gardens program that had reaped the rewards from a struggling Carol City program, and a North Dade club that had not done well in recent years in the upper weights. That Miami Gardens program was loaded with quality talent, and Smith was at the head of the list.

Smith played for the 110-pound team as seventh grader, showcasing the arm and the speed that many had talked about the year before. For once, many agreed, a “youth legend” was finally living up to his billing.

By the time he had reached the eighth grade, playing for Miami Gardens’ 125-pound squad, Smith was now being talked about by every area high school coach in South Florida. Junior varsity coaches knew all about him as well, and while Miramar was the place he was going to go, it didn’t stop several private programs from making a pitch.

It was that season in which Smith showed his talents in a win over a stacked Pahokee Junior Blue Devils’ team that had current Pahokee High stars Nu’Keese Richardson and Vincent Smith on the roster.

It was in that game in the Orange Bowl when Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Geno Torretta singled Smith out as a player to watch in a TV interviews. The former University of Miami standout was impressed.

Walking into Miramar as a highly-regarded freshman was impressive to some, but not to then head coach Rodney Gray, who was a defensive-minded man who has coached his share of “hot-shots” during his years in Broward County. But as many have learned in the past, Smith grows on you, and by the time you’ve fully grasped his talents, you are in awe.

“Let me say that we had Quinn Gray, Lamont Cain and Schaeffer in our midst,” Gray pointed out. “From the first year we worked with Gene, he was on the cusp of that impressive group.”

Perhaps the best thing that happened to Smith was offensive coordinator Chris Perkins, who has certainly made the difference for head coach Damon Cogdell at the Patriots.

"From the first time I watched him, there was no doubt that this was the most complete quarterback I have seen in the past decade," said Charles Fishbein, Evaluator for EliteScoutingServices.com. "I get a chance to talk with hundreds of college coaches who all agree. This is as good as you get at this level."

So far this year, Smith has rallied his team several times. Losing a heart-breaker to district rival Cypress Bay and then last week, coming up with second half heroics to beat Everglades.

Having watched all of the top-rated quarterbacks who have passed through Broward County, there is no hesitation when I say that Smith is the best, and with a future that certainly includes college and a chance to play professionally, there is no doubt that we are watching a player we will be talking about for a long time!

NEXT WEEK: Key district games will end the season for some - while others will move on.

You can reach Larry Blustein via e-mail at FloridaKids1@hotmail.com. He can also be heard every Thursday night (9-10) on the Miami Dolphins High School Gridiron Report on WQAM (560 AM).