If Deerfield Beach is to move on in the Class 8A state playoffs, it will have to fly past the visiting “Dirty Birds” from Flanagan High School on Friday night.
The Bucks (10-1) will host Flanagan (9-2) in the regional semifinal beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Flanagan has won 8 of its past 9 games, with the lone loss coming against St. Thomas Aquinas, 19-14 two weeks ago. Flanagan’s other loss came against South Plantation, 13-12, in the third game of the season.
The Falcons reached the state semifinals last season, while the Bucks failed to make the playoffs last year for only the second time since 1998. The other time Deerfield Beach didn’t make the playoffs was in 2011. It has been seven seasons since Deerfield Beach reached the regional finals. It lost 34-30 to Miramar in the Class 8A regional final in 2008.
Deerfield Beach is on a 7-game win streak with the team’s lone loss coming to Jacksonville Bolles, 33-15. It edged Plantation, 17-14 in the regional quarters as junior Jerry Jeudy caught 10 passes for 123 yards and scored on touchdowns covering 48 and 6 yards from senior quarterback Teddrick Moffett, who was 13-of-16 for 147 yards.
Senior Jefferson Souza also hit a 48-yard field goal. Sophomore running back Jordan Johnson kept the Colonels in the game with 188 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
Tigers upset bid comes up short
Blanche Ely’s football team put up a valiant effort; however, it dropped a 16-14 decision to host Dwyer in the Class 7A regional quarterfinal game last week.
After Dwyer took the opening kickoff and drove 59 yards for the 7-0 lead on a 3-yard scoring run by Jakari Moses, the Tigers (2-9) answered swiftly with an 80-yard scoring toss Zack Perdue to Thomas Gattis on the first play from scrimmage to cut the lead to 7-6.
Dwyer (10-1) took the ensuing kickoff and Moses struck again when he caught a 17-yard TD pass from Toddy Centeio for a 13-6 advantage. Ely pulled to within 13-12 just before the halftime intermission when Jeremy Taylor caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from Perdue.
Midway through the third quarter, the Tigers grabbed its first lead of the game when it hauled down Moses in the end zone for a safety after an Ely punt was downed at Dwyer’s 1-yard line. That 14-13 lead held up until Patrick Trepcos kicked a 37-yard field goal with 8:26 remaining in the game for the 16-14 win.
Ely missed wide right on a potential go-ahead 34-yard field goal with 4:10 remaining.
Martin turns pro
Pompano Beach’s Chasity Martin will make her professional boxing debut tonight at the Jaragua Casino and Resort in the Dominican Republic.
The 18-year-old will fight Santo Domingo featherweight Mariela Martinez on the undercard of the Euri Gonzalez-Geyson Bastardo welterweight bout.
“I have great respect for the officials and staff of USA Boxing, but it’s time I move forward,” said Martin, who fights out of King Cobra Boxing under the direction of Mike Tyson’s former sparring coach Stacey McKinley.
Martin won the Sunshine State Games title earlier this year with a unanimous decision over Joke Dekeersschieter (Heart & Soul Boxing). Martin spent four years fighting as an amateur. She had hoped to make the U.S. National team and fight in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, but lost a split decision to two-time national champion Anna Crutchfield in a pre-qualifying round.