By Gary Curreri
Senior running back Jaylan Knighton ran for 113 yd. and two touchdowns as Deerfield Beach won its fifth straight district championship and 23rd overall with a 41-0 District 12-8A victory over host Monarch at Coconut Creek High School last Friday night.
Senior quarterback Michael Pratt also found the end zone twice for the Bucks who scored on their first two possessions to take a 14-0 lead and were never headed as they rolled to their 23rd consecutive district win.
Deerfield Beach (6-3) took a 7-0 lead with 7:24 remaining in the first quarter on a 1-yd. quarterback sneak by Pratt. The Bucks made it 14-0 on a 14-yd. run by Knighton as the score capped a 5-play, 38-yd. drive. Knighton scored again with 4:58 remaining in the first half to push the lead to 21-0. The drive was set up by a 33-yd. punt return by Bryce Gowdy. Knighton finished the first half with 14 carries for 111 yd.
“Today, I could have done better,” said Knighton, an FSU commit, who accounted for 182 total yards with 69 yd. receiving and another score in the game. “Today was a great day. We got the victory. Since I have been here, we won the district championship every year. It is a great experience to bring it home.”
Deerfield added one more score at the end of the first half as Pratt capped a 7-play, 77-yd. drive with an 8-yd. scoring run. Knighton hauled in a 57-yd. pass from Xavier Restrepo on a fake punt to extend the lead to 34-0 with 10:04 left in the third quarter. The final score of the night came on a 1-yd. plunge by backup quarterback Derohn King for a 41-0 lead.
“Right now, we are above average,” Knighton added. “We are working every single day and trying to get better, not taking no days off.”
Deerfield Beach is 8-1 in the series between the two schools. In the last five meetings, Deerfield is 5-0 and has outscored the Knights, 206-7 during that span. Deerfield outscored the opposition, 340-110 and was coming off a loss to St. Thomas Aquinas, which snapped a five-game winning streak.
Last season, Deerfield Beach fell in the state semifinals of the Class 8A tournament as they lost 49-21 to Miami Columbus and finished 12-2. Deerfield lost in the regional quarterfinal the season before and lost in the state semifinals in 2016 to the eventual state champion, Southridge, 26-7, in 2016.
Ely falls to Atlantic
Atlantic clinched their third consecutive district championship with a 34-16 win over visiting Blanche Ely in the District 13-7A clash last Friday.
Blanche Ely (7-2) took an early lead on a field goal, before the host Eagles built up an 18-point lead. The Tigers clawed back as senior Darnell Deas punched in an 11-yd. touchdown run to cut the Eagles’ lead to 12 with 1:26 left in the first half. Blanche Ely then closed to within 21-16 quarterback Jevon Williams found junior Dewante Deas on the near sideline for a 40-yd. scoring toss.
The Eagles tacked on two fourth quarter scores to pull away and punch their ticket to the postseason for the sixth straight year. Blanche Ely will tackle Dillard at home on Saturday in the annual Soul Bowl at 5 p.m.
Ranse Volleyball tourney this weekend
The 10th Annual Ranse Classic will be held this weekend, Nov. 2-3 on Deerfield Beach near the pier.
The Ranse Classic is a beach volleyball Pro-Am tournament in memory of Ranse Jones, an avid beach volleyball player, whose life was cut short when he suffered a stroke while playing an AVP Young Guns Tournament in 2010. Registration for the event closes today (Oct. 31) at 4 p.m.
On Friday, there will be a Blind Draw Party at Burger Craze 7:30 p.m. followed by the tournament on Saturday and Sunday.
The men’s and women’s Pro AM Blind Draw Doubles will be held on Saturday. There will also be raffles and a silent auction from 4-9 p.m. at Bru’s Room and drawings will take place at 9:30 p.m. There will be a player party with live band Uproot Hootenanny at Bru’s Room 7:30 p.m. until closing.
The men’s and women’s Open Doubles Tournaments is on Sunday. There will also be a juniors Blind Draw Doubles Tournament with divisions for 12U, 14U, 16U, and 18U and a Coed Doubles Tournament with AAA and AA divisions.
Money raised will be donated to Ranse Jones Stroke Awareness Fund at Broward Health North.
For more information, visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/RanseVolleyballClassic/
