By Gary Curreri
Three of the Pompano Eagles teams have winning records in the American Youth Football League after three weeks.
The 10-Under squad has a perfect, 3-0, record, while both the 9-Under and 12-Under teams are both 2-1. The 7-Under, 8-Under and 11-Under teams are all 1-2 and the 13-Under team is still chasing its first win at 0-3.
Khambrel Simpkins has been with the city for nine years and been with the Pompano Eagles for the past six years. He said they have just over 200 players and 75 cheerleaders.
“We had about a 10 percent increase over last year,” Simpkins said. “We are building on the consistency with the coaches and the staff. We are just staying humble and just staying at it.
“We have a good solid foundation throughout the park with the coaches we put in place,” he added. “We just want to build on that each year.”
The Pompano Eagles have a storied history in the city of Pompano Beach having produced All Pro NFL stars like Corey Simon, Jabari Price of the Minnesota Vikings, Patrick Peterson of the Arizona Cardinals and Lamar Jackson, who got his start at the program.
Jackson, who won the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, and Walter Camp Award and was a unanimous All-American as a sophomore in 2016 while at the University of Louisville. The 22-year-old was the 32ndoverall draft pick by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2018 draft.
“We have noticed that a lot of kids have been excelling and going on to play in D-1 schools,” Simpkins said. “They are also going to the NFL. We have a hotbed for talent here in Pompano. It is our job to build on the talent that those kids got, so they can get where they want to get.”
The Pompano Eagles produced the Super Bowl Champions Junior Mighty Mite and Senior Mighty Mite Teams in 2017 in the Pop Warner League and hope to send teams to the AYFL Super Bowl in 2019.
In 2018, the Pompano Eagles program entered its first year in the highly competitive 12-team AYFL. Although it was the program’s first year in the league, their teams battled in the trenches all season and sent five of seven teams to the 2018 playoffs.
The 9-Under team coached by Billy Clancy II and the 8-Under team led by Coach Josh Wilson came within overtime periods to taking each of their teams to the Super Bowl. Simpkins believes those two teams are not only Super Bowl contenders, but could reach the national tournament.”
“I think football is humongous to these kids,” Simpkins said. “It is a good extracurricular activity for them. For the kids to come out here and enjoy it…they have fun and they are doing something that they love.”
“This is our second year in the AYFL,” Simpkins added. “We have a family philosophy. As long as they have that attitude and they have fun, they will give it their all. That is the best feeling they can have.”
Pompano will play at Plantation this weekend, weather permitting.
Pompano Beach Men’s Golf Association results
The Pompano Beach Men’s Golf Association held a one best ball of a threesome, and two best balls on the corners (holes #1, 9, 10 and 18), on the Pines course on Aug. 21.
The team of Jim DeCicco, Kevin Narus and Dennis Sejda shot a 72 and won on a match of cards over the runner-up team of Al Holcomb, Neil Lang and Roy Wilhoite. Finishing in third place and also winning on a match of cards was the team of Jim Blake, Jorge Duarte and Mark Intregila, They shot a 74.
The winner of the closest to the pin contest on hole No. 15 was Tom Breur.
