By Gary Curreri
Patrick Peterson
Patrick Peterson realized a boyhood dream last week when he was the fifth overall pick in the NFL draft by the Arizona Cardinals.
The 6-1, 219-lb. Peter-son, who was considered by some to be the best player in the draft, will keep a family tradition going. His cousins Bryant and Walter McFadden, and Santana and Sinorice Moss all play in the NFL.
Peterson, who was known as Patrick Johnson during his days at Blanche Ely, clocked a 4.31-second, 40-yard dash in the NFL combine and also had a 38” vertical jump, a 10-6 broad jump and ran 4.07 seconds in the 20-yard shuttle, 11.01 in the 60-yard shuttle and 6.58 in the three-cone drills.
“It is a great opportunity for me and my family to start a new journey,” Peterson said. “It was something I waited for my entire life. You work so hard to get to this moment. Playing in the NFL is a dream come true.”
He was named the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year, the SEC’s Special Teams Player of the Year, and captured both the Jim Thorpe Award, as the nation’s top defensive back, and the Chuck Bednarik Award, as the nation’s best defensive player.
Tornadoes fall in regional semifinal
Pompano Beach High’s Shelby Petik throws the ball to first base during the Class 3A regional semifinal game against American Heritage-Plantation. Photo by Gary Curreri
Pompano Beach girls’ softball coach John Thigpen made the most of his first year at the school. The Tornadoes reached the semifinals of the Class 3A regional playoffs before falling 13-0 to powerhouse, American Heritage-Plantation.
“My goal for this team was to win the first regional game,” said Thigpen, whose team made its first trip to the postseason. “We had a lot of great players on this team and a lot of freshmen on the team that came in and were good. I thought we had a chance to get here.”
Pompano Beach (15-7) came up short in the semifinals as Aimee Chapdelaine tossed a no-hitter and American Heritage batted around in the first two innings, sending 14 batters to the plate in the first and 11 in the second, grabbing a 13-0 lead.
“We have four seniors who are graduating,” Thigpen said. “This team has a lot to offer next year.”
He will miss Shelby Petik, who is one of the four seniors graduating.
“She is a really big leader of the team,” Thigpen said. “She’ll play anywhere. She just wants to play. She really enjoys the game. There is a lot of drive.”
Thigpen, who coached a couple of travel teams in Coral Springs and his daughter through league ball, said he learned a lot during the season. He said the team performed well.
“They have a lot of integrity,” Thigpen said. “They don’t give up. They know if they are down, their bats are so strong that they can come back. There were a couple of games that we were really down and they fought back. There is a lot of will there.”
Pompano Beach High’s Danielle Conboy fires a pitch. Photo by Gary Curreri
