By Gary Curreri

Deerfield Beach football coach Jevon Glenn knows bigger days are ahead for the state’s top-ranked Class 8A team.

The Bucks played three games in eight days and showed no signs of letting up last Friday night as they amassed 529 total yards of offense, while budgeting Monarch to 46 yards and crushing the Knights, 49-0, in a District 11-8A game at Coconut Creek High School.

“We are starting to peak at the right moment,” said Glenn, whose team also defeated Douglas, 35-0, and Blanche Ely, 55-8, in recent days. “Defensively, we knew early on they were going to have to carry us.”

“Offensively, our quarterback Tyron (Herring) has been doing a good job and our numbers have been starting to increase and we are getting a little more consistent on that end,” Glenn continued. “We are peaking at the right time.”

Senior Jakari Norwood rushed for 124 on eight carries and scored three times as the Bucks took command of the district race. Sophomore Jaylan Knighton added 16 carries for 140 and a 50-yard scoring run.

Deerfield Beach (6-2, 3-0) won its third consecutive game following a 14-0 loss at St. Thomas Aquinas. It also recorded its third shutout of the season and hasn’t allowed a score in 11 straight quarters, and just one score in its past 14 quarters. Monarch (5-2, 3-1) saw its four game win streak come to an end.

Deerfield got on the scoreboard first on a 33-yard scoring run by Norwood for a 7-0 lead with 7:53 remaining in the first quarter. The Bucks scored twice in the second quarter to open up a 21-0 halftime cushion.

Junior quarterback Tyron Herring scored on a 2-yard plunge with 11:10 remaining in the second quarter to cap an 11-play, 98-yard drive, and Norwood scored his second touchdown on a 27-yard run four minutes later.

Norwood scored on a 1-yard run, while Knighton added a 50-yard TD run in the third. Senior quarterback Kyle Kaplan threw touchdown passes of 60 yards to senior Mason Mobley and 14 yards to senior Ladarius Burrows to complete the scoring. Kaplan was 5 of 7 for 118 yards and two scores in the second half.

“We are battle tested,” Glenn said. “Some guys are running around and they got great records, but they haven’t played anybody. When they do, they get smacked in the face. Let’s just call a spade a spade. We know in our district we are not going to get challenged. That’s why we play teams like St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, NJ) and St. Thomas Aquinas. The kids can have that taste of defeat so they can stay hungry.”

Deerfield was 4-1 against Monarch since 2013. The Knights’ lone win over the Bucks came in 2014 with a 35-0 win. Monarch saw its four game win streak come to an end. The Knights won four straight following a 41-9 loss to Coconut Creek in the second game of the season.

Norwood said the team could still improve.

“This is real good performance,” Norwood said. “The O-line did a great job today and the coaches put us in a position to do well. This shows us that we are good, but there is much improvement to be made. We can get better in the running game and hit the holes better.”

By Gary Curreri

Lighthouse Point’s Kevin Mendez is looking for a repeat performance at state.

After sitting out the beginning of this season with an injury, it appears that the eighth-grader at Pine Crest School in Ft. Lauderdale is prepared to defend his Class 1A state diving championship.

Mendez, 14, recently showed he is going to be a state contender after winning the boys 1-meter diving title at the 54th annual Woodson Invitational at the Pine Crest School pool with a total score of 497.95 after sitting the first six weeks of the season with a broken thumb.

“This helps a lot confidence-wise because I had the broken thumb and just came back (from the injury,” said Mendez, who had three top 8 finishes, including second in the 1-meter diving event at the national championships this summer, despite a fractured finger. I have only been diving four days, so to do this well was unexpected. It will boost my confidence a lot. I was pretty happy.”

His efforts helped Pine Crest take second in the team race with 229 points at the meet. Perennial Class 1A state champion Jacksonville Bolles, winners of 26 consecutive state titles, won both the boys’ and girls’ titles.

Mendez is hopeful of retaining his gold medal at the state meet at the Sailfish Splash Waterpark, Aquatic Athletics Center in Stuart on Nov. 4.

“There is zero pressure on me to win a state title because it is unexpected being young,” Mendez said. “Nobody expects you to win, so you just go in there and do your thing. I am used to it.

“I have won a couple of national championships so I am used to the pressure,” Mendez continued. “I would say my favorite board (event) is the 1-meter.”

He got his start in diving when he was taking swimming lessons, spotted the diving board and asked if he could give it a whirl. It was 10 years ago, and Mendez said he has loved diving ever since.

“You just adapt to it,” Mendez said. “It is kind of scary at first. Like anything, the more you do it, the more you get used to it.”

Since he won the high school title last year, he knows what to expect.

 “I think I have a chance of winning states again,” Mendez said. “I am going to try my best and do my best. I think I have a good shot.”

Bucks cruise past Taravella

Deerfield Beach High School’s football team grounded out an easy 50-6 victory over visiting Taravella last week. 

The Bucks totaled 507 yards rushing, with three players running for more than 125 yards each – Jakari Norwood (141 yards and two TDs), Jerome Neal (140 yards, TD) and Jaylan Knighton (125 yards). The Bucks (3-1) travel to St. Thomas Aquinas this Friday for a huge non-district game.

Tigers tamed in defeat

Auburn commit Shaun Shivers rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns, all in the first half, to lead Chaminade-Madonna to a 44-0 win over Blanche Ely in a non-district game, Monday at Blanche Ely.

Shivers scored on two of his five carries for the game with scoring runs of 79 and 55 yards. Quarterback Daelen Menard also accounted for a pair of scores, finishing 4 of 6 for 123 yards. The Lions (3-2) scored on their first three possessions, with their first two scoring drives taking just one play each.

Blanche Ely slipped to 2-3 with the loss.

By Rachel Galvin

Only lightning could stop little feet from rushing down the field on Saturday following a series of “fastest man” races. This was just one of the many activities kids participated in, which included agility drills, tube tug o’ war and more, for the Shoelace Foundation’s 3rd Annual Football & Fun Day at Deerfield Beach High School (DBHS). The kids only stopped activities when the storm began brewing overhead.

Run by former DBHS student and current wide receiver/ running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Denard “Shoelace” Robinson, this event brings kids together to not only have fun, but to learn the sport of football, as well receive inspirational messages from someone who understands where they have been and can motivate them to go as far as he has gone, and beyond.

“No matter where you come from you can always come home. It’s a blessing where I’m at now so I want to show them,” said Robinson.

“We did different drills than last year. We have to switch it up,” said Tevin Allen, who runs local camps of his own, which Robinson has attended, so he wanted to help him out with his as well. “The kids are training, but they are having fun at the same time. It is more exciting than regular camps.”

“We have had way more kids this year than last year, about 100 more. This year, we have had 340,” said Kurt Haralson, who also helped out at the event. “We had eight stations for the kids, 15 to 20 minutes each. Last night, we had basketball in the gym.”

(The 2nd annual Ball for a Cause charity basketball game brought in NBA players and other well known athletes to participate).

DBHS Head Coach Jevon Glenn was impressed with the people Robinson was able to get involved. He said he comes out yearly to be a part of Robinson’s event.

“You can see how highly regarded he is,” said Glenn. “I am honored and proud …to see Denard go from being a student to seeing the things he does for the community… Not many guys give back as much as he gives.”

Many DBHS players helped out at the event, including Rosendo Louis, a linebacker, who says he is No. 6 in the country right now.

“I helped kids with the drills. I love being here and working with the kids. I grew up in the same neighborhood as them. I think it is great giving back to the community,” he said.

Jakari Norwood, who is a DBHS running back, added, “It is a good experience. It’s my second year here. I like to be around Shoelace. Maybe, someday, I will come back and do the same thing.”

Whidlyne St. Simon brought out her two boys, age 7 and 11, to the event.

“I have come the past three years. It is awesome and amazing. I think it gives kids something to look forward to. For the older ones, it is inspirational … someone who comes from here coming back…”

After a day of sports in the hot sun on Saturday, kids came inside to eat lunch provided by the Shoelace Foundation. They also had breakfast provided by Kellogg’s. In addition, kids got to take home a T-shirt.

For more on the Shoelace Foundation, visit www.theshoelacefoundation.org.