Dan Marino, left, will be joined by chef Anthony Bruno (Anthony’s Runway 84) and John Offerdahl on Friday. Submitted photo.

By Gary Curreri

John Offerdahl spent eight seasons roaming the middle of the Miami Dolphins’ defense on the gridiron and now he has turned his attention to raising money for charity.

Offerdahl will be among 20 former Miami Dolphins, including Dan Marino and Broward’s best chefs, who will take part in the second annual Gridiron Grill-Off Food, Wine & Tailgate Festival at Pompano Beach Amphitheater on Nov. 18 from 4 p.m. to 11 p m.

“It is all about bringing people together for a good cause,” said Offerdahl, who played for the Miami Dolphins from 1986-1993 and was a 5-time Pro Bowl selection. “This event is where Celebrity, Competition & Charity collide!”

Each athlete has been paired with a chef and has created their own signature Gridiron Grill-Off recipe. Attendees will eat and vote on their favorites, and a pair will be voted the Gridiron Grill-Off Champion! There will also be a bean-bag tailgate tournament that teams up Celebrity Pros with Community Joes (fans).

Last year, Louis Oliver and Jason Smith from Steak 954 won. Proceeds are supporting 4Kids of South Florida, the Miami Dolphins Foundation and Here’s Help Culinary Program. Tickets for the event can be purchased at www.
GridironGrilloff.com.

Ely routs Dillard in Soul Bowl

Darren Allen threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns and added three touchdown runs as Blanche Ely rolled to a 41-13 victory over Dillard at Lockhart Stadium on Nov. 12.

Avery Johnson caught five passes for 130 yards and three scores as the Tigers prepared for this week’s Class 7A playoff game against host Dwyer High School on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Highlands finishes 6-4

Tyson Graham scored three times, while Arelious Burns added the fourth as Highlands Christian Academy closed out the season with its fourth consecutive victory to finish the year 6-4.The team outscored the opposition during that span, 174-20.

The victory was bittersweet for Knights head coach Jordan Adair, who said he is stepping down as football coach. He said he is exploring some new coaching opportunities for next season.

“The final game was emotional, and it was great to send the seniors out with a win, as well as finish out my time here with a victory,” said Adair, who has been coaching at the school for eight years at different levels. “I had been coaching many of the seniors since they were in 6th grade (Logan Cole, Matt Elder, Gabe Hantsbarger were all on the elementary basketball team I coached my second year here. I’m really looking forward to seeing where some of them land in college and watching them continue their football career.”

Adair, who had a 23-17 record as the head coach for the varsity team for four years, said he was very pleased with the way the team kept playing hard after it started the year 0-3.

“It took some time for the new players to acclimate to our system and style of play,” Adair said. “I feel like we kept improving each week, and that is why we were able to finish strong, winning 6 out of our last 7 games.”