Week 12 of the high school football regular season was added by the FHSAA due to the impact of hurricanes Irene and Milton. It’s a much shorter list of games than usual for the Orlando area, but does include contests Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Here’s the list of scheduled games. Rankings are from the Super 16 coaches poll.

Note that teams on top are at home.

Check back on game nights as we update this list with scores as play progresses.

MIAMI GARDENS — The Miami Dolphins visit the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night, and that’s not good considering the Dolphins (2-6) are riding a three-game losing streak and are 1-3 on the road.

Worse, the Rams (4-4) are on a three-game winning streak and they’re 3-1 at home.

But there’s reason for optimism with the Dolphins.

Coach Mike McDaniel had his best game as a play-caller in last week’s 30-27 loss at Buffalo. 

And the running game put together its fourth consecutive 100-yard game. 

Perhaps those will converge to deliver the Dolphins a much-needed win on Monday.

With that in mind, here are some things to watch for the in game: 

Winning on the road

The Dolphins are 8-15 (.345) on the road under McDaniel. And generally speaking, they struggle against teams that are .500 or better. The Dolphins have five road games among their nine remaining games. Two teams are above .500 (Green Bay and Houston), one is at .500 (Rams) and two are below .500 (New York Jets and Cleveland).

If the Dolphins plan on getting into the playoff picture, winning on the road is imperative, and this would be a good place to start.

Taking care of the ball

The Dolphins absolutely must protect the ball against the Rams because each possession will be crucial. During this three-game losing streak the Dolphins have lost three fumbles and mishandled a snap that went for a safety in a one-point loss to Arizona. The Dolphins are at minus-3 in turnover margin, which is tied for 21st in the league.

Against Indianapolis it was running backs Raheem Mostert and Alec Ingold losing fumbles in a 16-10 loss, against Arizona it was quarterback Tua Tagovailoa mishandling a snap that went for a safety in a 28-27 loss, and against Buffalo it was Mostert losing a fumble in a 30-27 loss. 

Offense taking charge

The Dolphins offense should probably plan on scoring around 30 points to secure a victory. The Rams, who average 21.3 points per game for the season, have averaged 25.3 points per game during their three-game winning streak.

The Dolphins, who have averaged 27 points per game in their past two games, might be up for the challenge. 

This is the second consecutive game in which the Dolphins offense is as healthy and well-stocked as it’s been under McDaniel. Tagovailoa (five touchdowns, three interceptions, 96.7 passer rating) is healthy as are left tackle Terron Armstead, wide receivers Tyreek Hill (34 receptions, 446 yards, one touchdown) and Jaylen Waddle (28 receptions, 310 yards, one touchdown), and Mostert (55 carries, 214 yards, two touchdowns) and fellow running back De’Von Achane (93 carries, 420 yards, two touchdowns). Plus, tight end Jonnu Smith (30 receptions, 302 yards, one touchdown) and slot receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (three receptions, 15 yards) were both active against Buffalo.

Defense doing its job

The Dolphins defense, which is No. 7 in the league (303.1 yards allowed per game) will have its hands full with the Rams offense. The Rams are led by quarterback Matthew Stafford (nine touchdowns, six interceptions, 88.6 passer rating), running back Kyren Williams (161 carries, 602 yards, eight touchdowns) and wide receivers Tutu Atwell (25 receptions, 366 yards), Cooper Kupp (34 receptions, 302 yards, two touchdowns), Demarcus Robinson (21 receptions, 327 yards, five touchdowns) and Puka Nacua (12 receptions, 152 yards). 

If the Dolphins have defensive lineman Zach Sieler, who has been sidelined with an orbital bone fracture, that’d help tremendously. Also, if slot cornerback Kader Kohou (neck) and safety Jevon Holland (knee) are back, that would also help.

Just win

The formula for a Dolphins victory is irrelevant. The Dolphins must win this game in any fashion possible whether it’s on a bad call, a missed field goal, a 99-yard pass, a Tagovailoa scramble, whatever. They need to win this game to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. Basically, the Dolphins must win seven of their nine remaining games to have any shot at the postseason. No one is awarding style points, so it doesn’t matter how the Dolphins win, it only matters that they win.

Dolphins Deep Dive: Prediction time — will Miami win on Monday night at Rams? | VIDEO

Running off at the typewriter …

Not only is FSU on pace to have its worst season in 50 years, I am declaring today that the once-proud Seminoles are now the absolute worst Power 4 team in all of college football.

That’s right, in my mind, the Seminoles (1-8) are even worse than Purdue (1-7) in the Big Ten, Mississippi State (2-7) in the SEC and Cal — the one team FSU beat this season — in the ACC. At least Cal (4-4) has three more wins than FSU and actually outgained the Seminoles by nearly 150 yards in a down-to-the-wire 14-9 loss in Tallahassee earlier this season.

In my mind, what separates the Seminoles and makes them woefully worse than the other bottom feeders in the Power 4 is that their offense is unmatched in its awfulness.

Florida State ranks 132nd out of 134 FBS teams in total offense with an average of 264.6 yards per game — 132 yards per game less than Mississippi State, 120 ypg less than Cal and 70 ypg less than Purdue. The only teams that average fewer yards per game than FSU are Group of 5 members Kent State and Kennesaw State. At 14.4 points per game, Florida State is also next-to-last in the nation in scoring offense, only slightly ahead of Air Force.

A disgruntled FSU fan texted me the other day and wanted to know why FSU head coach Mike Norvell won’t fire his offensive coordinator, and I had to gently point out that Mike Norvell essentially IS the offensive coordinator. He’s the one who calls the plays and choreographs the offense.

It’s hard to believe Norvell’s Seminoles have gone from an undefeated team last regular season to an unwatchable team this season.

In the words of the late, great Bobby Bowden: “It’s just plain ol’ bumfuzzling.” …

Short stuff: The Orlando Pride host a playoff game on Friday night and Orlando City hosts a playoff game on Saturday night. Hey, Orlando, it’s time to paint the town purple and make some noise. Two playoff games but one mission: Ignite, unite, survive and advance. … Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the Magic’s key acquisition during the offseason, goes by initials of KCP. Before the season, I was calling him Kentavious “Championship” Pope because he was an integral part of two NBA title teams (the Lakers and the Nuggets) before signing with Orlando. However, he entered Wednesday night’s game with the Pacers hitting just 29 percent of his shots. If he doesn’t start shooting the ball better soon, the C in KCP will soon stand for “Clank!” … Jacksonville police are being accused of being “overly aggressive” when trying to remove some unruly fans from the Georgia-Florida game on Saturday. Police body-cam video shows the fans repeatedly being asked to leave and, yet, they repeatedly refuse and then try to resist arrest when the officers try to physically remove them. What are the police officers supposed to do? Sorry, but those drunk, obnoxious fans got a sobering reminder that the old 1960s song by the Bobby Fuller Four still holds true: “I fought the law, and the law won.” …

Why is it that some disgruntled fans always find something to complain about? One of the popular message-board rants after redshirt freshman Dylan Rizk lit up the scoreboard on Saturday was: “What took UCF coach Gus Malzahn so long to figure out that Rizk is the best quarterback on his roster?” Indeed, redshirt freshman Rizk became UCF’s fourth starting quarterback of the season on Saturday and completed 20-of-25 passes for 294 yards with three touchdown passes in a 56-12 rout of Arizona. Any coach will tell you that sometimes you don’t know what kind of QB you have until you put him in the game. Some QBs thrive in practice; some are gamers who shine when the lights come on. Here’s hoping Rizk continues to shine, but let’s see how he does against tougher opponents before he is anointed as the next McKenzie Milton. …

If your team hires a coach you don’t like, you still root for your team to win, right? Shouldn’t the same be true if a president is elected that you didn’t vote for? Just asking for a friend. … Did you see where Joel Embiid, who hasn’t played all season, got suspended for three games for shoving a newspaper columnist? Why did the NBA suspend him for three games? Shouldn’t the league have forced Embiid to actually play in three games? … True story: Clemson coach Dabo Swinney wasn’t allowed to cast his ballot at his local voting precinct on Tuesday. Why? I’m thinking it’s because them’s the rules in Clemson, South Carolina, where if you lose to Louisville on Saturday then you also lose your right to vote on Tuesday. … Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy, whose team is 0-6 and dead last in the Big 12, on those fans who are criticizing him on social media: “In most cases, the people that are negative and voicing their opinion are the same ones that can’t pay their own bills. They’re not taking care of themselves. They’re not taking care of their own family. When they go to bed at night, they’re the same failure that they were before they said anything negative about anybody else.” If only Gundy’s team were as hard-hitting as his insults, then maybe the Cowboys might actually have a conference win. …

Mikey likes: UCF over Arizona State by 2 in Upset Special, Texas over Florida by 24, Notre Dame over FSU by 28, Miami over Georgia Tech by 14, Vikings over Jaguars by 6, 49ers over Bucs by 9, Dolphins over Rams by 2, Trump over Harris by one felony conviction, one insurrection, two impeachments, 21 pending lawsuits — and 5 million popular votes and 68 electoral votes. …

Last word: “The measure of a strong democracy is the ability to come together and support each other after the ballots are counted, no matter how we voted.” — Jimmy Carter

Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on X (formerly Twitter) @BianchiWrites and listen to my Open Mike radio show every weekday from 6 to 9:30 a.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/listen

When Miami Dolphins veteran left tackle Terron Armstead held a web conference call with reporters on Tuesday, he was asked about how well second-year running back De’Von Achane has been playing while Achane was nearby listening in.

A smile immediately came over Armstead.

“He’s sitting right here, so that’s why there was a smile,” Armstead explained, as Achane was waiting to hold his interview session next.

But his reaction likely would’ve been the same, regardless of Achane’s presence in the room.

“He’s really got to step out, I don’t want to say this in front of him,” Armstead continued, laughing. “No, he’s incredible. He’s a special talent, he’s probably the most confident guy I’ve ever been around and that says a lot for somebody that’s so young into his journey and his career.

“It’s no surprise to us in this building what he is doing. It’s no surprise to himself, at all. He feels like he should have 2,000 yards right now, but I love that about him, for real. I love playing, blocking for him, and I’ll try to do anything I can to give him a lane.”

Achane, in 2024, has gone from rookie phenom who could hit the home run in spot duty last season to relied-upon lead back who leads the team in both rushing attempts and receptions. He has 420 rushing yards on 93 carries (4.5 average) and 37 receptions for 302 receiving yards, with five total touchdowns.

Achane is leading a Dolphins rushing attack that has gone for at least 149 yards in each of the past four games. That ground presence, plus quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s play in his second game back, in defeat against the Buffalo Bills, gives reason to believe Miami (2-6) can hang on to its slim playoff hopes in the second half of the season.

Achane’s confidence Armstead mentions could come, in part, from the second-year backfield speedster learning so much from Armstead, a five-time Pro Bowl selection in his 12th season, as locker neighbors.

“He’s right next to me, so we talk day-in just about the little things that we can do to improve the run game that’s going on every game day,” Achane said.

And it’s easy to feel confident when running behind an offensive line led by Armstead, center Aaron Brewer, right tackle Austin Jackson and improving play from guards Liam Eichenberg and Robert Jones.

“They’re doing a tremendous job,” Achane said. These past few weeks, we’re running the ball well and I see the work that they put in during the week, and we just want to keep building and just keep stacking and hopefully we can keep this train moving.”

Achane missed time as a rookie with a knee injury. Although he left an October win at New England early with a concussion, he has remained otherwise healthy this season, despite nearly reaching his carry total from all of 2023 by the midway point.

“My body feels great,” Achane said. “I pride myself taking care of myself after all the injuries that I had last year, so this year I was pretty big on that. I’m always in the training room just trying to stay fresh because we’ve got a long season ahead of us. We already had our bye week early so, from here on out, it’s no breaks.”

He showed some of it as a rookie, but Achane has only expanded on his versatility in his second season. He lines up out wide as a receiver and is active in the passing game, especially when Tagovailoa is back in at quarterback.

Against Buffalo, Achane made eight catches for 58 yards, while adding 63 rushing yards and scoring both on the ground and through the air.

“Catching footballs, it really comes natural to me,” Achane said. “Growing — up and I always played running back — but I played other positions, as well as playing receiver in the slot. So, when it comes to catching the football, it’s like me running the football. That’s how I think of it. It’s something that I do, something I’m great at.”

Achane said, in the offseason, when Tagovailoa threw with wide receivers, he made sure to also show up and get in on the activity.

While Achane thrives, veteran Raheem Mostert also sees steady usage, getting 12 touches on his 14 offensive snaps Sunday. Rookie Jaylen Wright also saw a small uptick in a scenario where all three were healthy, picking up six carries on the nine snaps he played.