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Local cheerleaders compete in AYFL Cheer Competition

Posted on 17 January 2019 by LeslieM

By Gary Curreri

For first-year Deerfield Beach Bisons cheerleader Dajae Nash, competing in the American Youth Football League annual cheerleading competition at the Watsco Center at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, was an enjoyable experience.

She was a member of the Junior Prep (Ages 11-Under) Small Division and one of 60 routines that performed in the large competition in front of an estimated crowd of more than 2,000 people.

“It’s fun,” said Nash, 10, who lives in Pompano and is a fourth-grader at Tedder Elementary School. “There is a lot of stuff you have to learn. The music that we have is really good. This is a really big competition, so you get nervous. I wasn’t nervous though. I just believe in God.”

“Cheerleading is hard,” Nash added. “It takes a lot of time to learn the routines and get them right. The first time you are never going to get them right. It is going to take time for the kids to learn to get them right.”

Bisons teammate Amiyah Ashley, who like Nash is a flier, wasn’t in awe of the more than 2,000 in attendance at the competition.

“I like the cheers, the songs and competing,” said Ashley, 10, of Deerfield Beach, who is a fifth-grader at Deerfield Park Elementary School. “I get nervous (sometimes). I think about what I have to do.”

Deerfield Bisons cheerleading coach Kenya McDowell brought nine girls with her for the 11-Under competition, which received a participation award in the Junior Prep category.

“This is very cool,” McDowell said. “For three of them, it is their first experience and the other ones performed here before. It’s exciting.”

The Deerfield Bisons placed second in the Youth Prep (Ages 9-Under) Medium Division and third in the Pee Wees (Ages 8-Under) Small Division.

Pompano Eagles Senior (13-Under) Division cheerleader Gianna Mercado has been competing for the past four years in the sport.

“I like that it is very active, and it is something to do,” said Mercado, 12, of Pompano, is a seventh-grader at Somerset Key Academy. “The competition is the best part. You get very nervous, but you just push through it and just do it.”

The Eagles had a slight mishap midway through the routine, but they persevered. The Eagles took second in the Senior (Ages 13-Under) Medium Division.

“You just have confidence in yourself and know that you can do it the next time,” she said. “It was amazing. It was worth it. We put a lot of effort into it.”

Mercado said she hopes to cheer in college and said the setting at the UM campus validated it.

“For sure,” she said. “I have good experience and I have the ability. I believe I can do it in college. It would be awesome.”

Michele Longerbeam, who presides over the American Youth Football League cheerleading program, said there were more than 800 participants in the competition at the University of Miami.

“We have mini competitions throughout the season to get ready for the big one and this is the Super Bowl for cheerleaders,” said Longerbeam, who noted all 13 programs in the AYFL competed and there were a total of 60 routines that were evaluated by a panel of judges.

Pompano Beach Men’s Golf Association results

The Pompano Beach Men’s Golf Association closed out the year with several competitions.

On Dec. 19, they held an individual play tournament with awards for Low Gross and Low Net in Classes. In the Class A Division, Roy Wilhoite shot an 82 to win the Low Gross honors. Tom Pawelczyk shot a 67 to win the Low Net honors, while Bill O’Brien shot a 71 to take second, after a match of cards.

Oscar Aleman carded an 85 to win the Low Gross for the Class B Division. In the Low Net Division, Jerry Goodman and Bob Schurr each shot 67s.however, Goodman won on a match of cards to win.

In the Class C Division, Jim Dunn won the Low Gross title with a 93. Jim Foster won the Low Net Division with a 74 and won on a match of cards. Robert Raser was second with a 74.

Bob Mascatello carded a 93 to win the Class D Low Gross title. In the Low Net competition, Brian Nixon recorded a 67 to take first place, while Joel Englander was two shots back in second with a 69.

Roy Wilhoite won the closest to the pin on the third hole when his tee shot stuck at 4-feet, 2-inches.

In the Scramble alternate shot on Dec. 12, the team of John Arrigo, Patrick McClain and Pete Strychowskyj shot a 65 to take first place, while Robert Blau, Frank Cutrone, and Mike Marruquin, and Roe Messner shot a 69 and won on a match of scorecards. The team of Jim Dunn, Tim O’Brien, Bob VanZandt and Neil Wilson were second.

There were two winners of the closest to the pin: (Hole No. 7): Jim Greeley and (Hole No. 15): Gary Gill. The winner of the longest putt on the 18th hole was Roy Wilhoite and Dennis Sejda was the closest to the line on the 9th hole.

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Bisons fall in AYFL Super Bowl

Posted on 19 December 2018 by LeslieM

By Gary Curreri

The Deerfield Beach Bisons 13-Under team made program history as it reached the American Youth Football League Super Bowl at PAL Field in Plantation. The Bisons finished the regular season with an 8-2 mark and defeated the previously undefeated Colts, from Cooper City/Davie, 33-20 in the second round of the playoffs to advance to the title game where they fell to host Plantation, 22-6. The winning Wildcats wound up the year at 13-0.

Deerfield Beach’s D’mitre Nazaire scored the lone touchdown for the Bisons that cut the deficit to 14-6 with three minutes remaining in the third quarter before Plantation added a late score to put the title game away.

The Bisons’ victory over the Colts avenged a 24-14 setback in Week 11, while the other setback during the season for the Bisons came in week three when they lost 28-0 to Plantation. Deerfield Beach opened the playoffs with a 33-6 win over Coral Springs and then topped the Colts.

We accomplished a lot of great things during the season,” said Deerfield Beach coach Corey Collins, whose team traveled to Atlanta for a preseason tournament and reached the Super Bowl in just the third year that Deerfield Beach has been a member of the AYFL. “It was a bitter defeat at the end, but I am proud of the boys and what we were able to do during the season.”

Pompano Beach Women’s Golf Association

The Pompano Beach Women’s Golf Association is in its 63rdyear and once again staged several outstanding golf outings in the past few weeks.

Sandra Gore took first place in the Low Net in Classes tournament on Dec. 4 when she shot a 71 and won tiebreaker over Nancy Rack for the A Flight Division honors. Janet Stuart cruised to the B Flight title when she carded a 67 to top runner-up Deb Ladig, who shot 73.

In the C-Flight Division, Vonnie Okeefe shot a 71 to win over Phyllis Maillet (75), while Alberta Bove shot 66 to win the D-Flight by two strokes over Ellie Depasquale.

The women played a Scramble event on Nov. 27 with Mimi Denoma, Ann Symonds and Darlene Sesto taking top honors with a 70, while Deb Brown, Phyllis Maillet, Lynn Goodman and Anita Macmichael carded a 73 to finish three strokes back in second place.

The previous week, in the Class Team Battle, capturing the top honors with a 71.75 were Janet Tomchik, Deann Baumann, Sue Bardhi, Janet Stuart (B Flight), while finishing in second were the C Flight group of Ann Symonds, Lori Tarmey, Liette Brabant, Wiltrud Messinger, Vonnie Okeefe, Lynn Goodman (72.50).

Pompano Beach Men’s Golf Association

The Pompano Beach Men’s Golf Association held their Partners AB and CD – One Best Ball tournament on the Pines Course on Nov. 21.

Winning the Partners Classes A&B Flight with a net score of 57 was Chuck Brown and Neil Wilson. One shot back at 58 were Gary Gill and Bill Hadersbeck, while Andy Burt and Pete Strychowskyj shot 59 to finish third.

Winning the Partners Classes C&D Flight were Don Worrell and Gene Stoller with a 60. Jerry Goodman and Tim O’Brien shot a 63 and won the tiebreaker on the back nine with a 31, while Jim Blake and Willie Smith also shot a 63 and had a 32 on the back nine.

Terry Denoma hit his shot on the Par-3, 15th hole 6 ft., 4 in. from the cup to take closest to the pin honors in the field of 38 players.

The Pompano Beach Men’s Golf Association also held an Individual Play on Nov. 28 on the Pines Course. It featured Low Gross and Low Net in Classes and Bob VanZandt carded an 82 to take Low Gross honors in the A Class. For Low Net honors in the A Class Division, Jacques Patry shot a 69 to take the top honors, while George Disch shot a 70 to finish second.

In the Class B Division, Jim Muschany carded an 89 to win Low Gross honors, while Jim DeCicco shot a 69 to take first place, while Bob Schurr carded a 70 to finish second. Bart Valerio shot 93 to win the Class C Low Gross title, while Don Worrell shot 75 to win Low Net in the division and Dennis Rooy shot 76 and won in a tiebreaker to finish third.

Scott Feinman won the Class D Division Low Gross title with a 94. Brian Nixon (68) and Paul Murphy (70) were first and second respectively in the Low Net standings.

Al DiBenedetto bested the 43-player field by winning the Closest to the Pin contest on the 15th hole.

The Pompano Beach Men’s Golf Association followed that tournament up with a Two Best Ball of Foursome event on Dec. 5.

The team of Al DiBenedetto, Dave Dowling, Dennis Sejda and Carlo Spirito shot a Low Net score of 117 to take first place. Finishing in second was the team of Chuck Brown, Jim Muschany, Tim O’Brien and Bert Welage shot a 119 and won the tiebreaker with a score of 34. Andy Burt, Jim Dunn, Bob Mascatello and Bob VanZandt shot a 119 and won the tiebreaker with a score of 37 to finish third, while the team of Bill Delaney, Charles MacMichael, Bill O’Brien and Willie Smith shot a 120 and won the tiebreaker with a score of 58 to finish fourth.

Al DiBenedetto won the Closest to the pin contest on the 17th hole when his shot came to rest 14 ft. 3 in. from the pin. There were 50 players in the field.

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Pompano Eagles look to soar in AYFL

Posted on 15 August 2018 by LeslieM

By Gary Curreri

The Pompano Beach Eagles are looking to make a big splash in their first year in the American Youth Football League (AYFL).

Dean Grant, head coach of the 11-Under Pompano Eagles team, is in his first season with the program after moving cross town from the Tamarac Cougars AYFL program.

This season is a special season because we have the right players, and the right coaches,” Grant said. “They are fired up and I think they can make it to the big game – the Super Bowl.”

I understand the type of talent in the AYFL,” Grant said. “We plan to not just take part in it, but take over it.”

Players can be a year older than the age group they are playing in as long as their birthday comes after May 1 of the season.

Pompano Beach’s Gabby Almonord, 12, scored on a 63-yard scoring run against the host Delray Rocks in an 11-Under scrimmage game at Hilltopper Stadium in Delray Beach. The teams played to a 6-6 tie.

It is a lot of fun,” said Almonord, a Deerfield Middle seventh-grader. “I like to play with Devin (Voltaire) and everybody else on the team. I like the coaches and I played with a lot of people before. The coaches help me a lot.”

Voltaire, 12, also of Pompano Beach, is a Margate Middle sixth grader.

This is really big for me,” Voltaire said. “I like the coaches and the kids. They listen to me because I am a leader. We got to keep our heads up so other players can follow us. If we keep our heads up we can win a lot of games.”

Grant said he doesn’t believe there is any pressure on his team, quite the contrary.

Pressure makes diamonds,” Grant said.

We started off real, real slow,” Grant said. “We barely had enough kids to make our roster, but we had a good coaching staff that showed up every day to practice on time, waiting on kids. We got with the parents and we were able to put it together. The parents had to buy into what we were doing and they are buying in, so the sky is the limit. With a little tuning and touching up here and there between the coaches and the players, we will make the big game.”

Grant sees similarities with the National Football League’s version of the Eagles. Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl in February.

It is the year of the Eagles,” Grant proclaimed. “I believe it with everything I love. I just hope that what we started off here will humble these kids to push themselves even harder at practice and we come out in the first game of the season and put a beating on Cooper City (Colts).”

The Pompano Eagles have a storied history in the city of Pompano Beach having produced All Pro NFL stars like Corey Simon (Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans), Jabari Price (Minnesota Vikings), Patrick Peterson (Arizona Cardinals) and also have helped groom many other successful players.

The Pompano Eagles produced the Super Bowl Champions Junior Mighty Mites and Senior Mighty Mites Teams in 2017 in the Pop Warner League and plan on sending more teams to the AYFL Super Bowl in 2018.

Other teams in the Broward County-based league include the Colts (Cooper City/Davie), Coral Springs, Deerfield Beach, Hollywood PAL, Lauderhill, Miramar, Plantation, Pompano, Pembroke Pines Optimist, Sunrise, Tamarac, and West Pines.

The Eagles begin play on Aug. 11 when they travel to Cooper City and will play a 10-game season followed by playoffs. The Top-8 teams in each division will advance to the playoffs, which will begin on Oct. 27. The second round will be played on Nov. 3 and the Super Bowl will be played on Nov. 10.

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