By Gary Curreri

Deerfield Beach senior quarterback Michael Pratt threw for a season-best 331 yds. and four touchdowns as the host Bucks toppled Boca Raton 49-6 in the District 12-8A opener for both teams on Friday night. 

Pratt, a Tulane University commit who transferred from Boca Raton High School to Deerfield in August, made his fourth straight start and guided the Bucks to a fourth straight victory.

He has seen his touchdown totals in each game go up by one. He threw for one score in his first, then two, then three and four against his former school. He has 10 TDs on the season.

“We just have to get better every single week,” said Pratt, whose team has a bye this week before facing Spanish River. “My timing with the receivers, connection and chemistry is starting to build up. Our offensive line…I am starting to learn them and they are starting to learn me.”

Deerfield Beach (4-2, 1-0 in the district) took the opening kickoff and marched 80 yds. in three plays, capped by a 40-yd. scoring run by FSU commit Jaylan Knighton. He carried all three times in the drive for 80 yds. Knighton finished the game with seven rushes for 100 yds. and one score.

Boca Raton (2-3, 0-1) cut the lead to 7-6 on a 20-yd. scoring toss from Andrew Caverty to Ashton Gillotte with 4:02 left in the first half. The extra point attempt by Thomas Lofiago was blocked and later also had a 37-yd. field goal attempt blocked.

The score snapped a three-game shutout streak by the Bucks in their last three wins – as they defeated Blanche Ely, 46-0, Zachary (LA), 53-0 and Oak Ridge (Orlando), 42-0 – and outscored the opposition 141-0 during the span.

Deerfield Beach broke the game open in the second quarter when Pratt hit Maryland commit Deajaun McDougle for an 83-yd. catch and run for a 14-6 advantage and then 21-6 on a 64-yd. interception return by Phillip O’Brien. Deerfield Beach made it 28-6 on a 20-yd. scoring toss from Pratt to University of Miami commit Xavier Restrepo.

Pratt connected with Deajaun McDougle two more times in the third quarter from 51 yds. and 60 yds. for a 42-6 lead. It was his 10^th scoring touchdown pass in four games. McDougle had 226 yds. receiving on five catches and three TDs.

Back-up quarterback Marquise Pierre hit Jamarion McDougle on a 45-yd. TD score in the fourth for a 49-6 Bucks lead. It marked just the fifth time in Deerfield Beach history where they have scored 40 or more points in four straight games.

Pratt missed the first two games of the season, losses to Carol City, 24-12, and St. John’s (Washington, D.C.), 52-20, with a groin injury. Pratt threw for 1,208 yds. and 12 TDs at Boca Raton last season. He also ran for 447 yds. and three scores for the Bobcats.

Deerfield Beach coach Jevon Glenn said Pratt handled the week going against his former teammates well.

“He has a steadiness about him and is a little ahead of his time,” Glenn said. “To be quite honest, if he plays the first two games, we would be undefeated and top-10 in the country right now.”

Last season, Deerfield Beach fell in the state semifinals of the Class 8A tournament as they lost 49-21 to the eventual state champion, 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.

“it’s been a great opportunity to learn a few new things,” Pratt added. “I have to make better reads and work on timing.”

By Gary Curreri

In the beginning, Julia Vulpio wasn’t a big fan of tennis.

“At first, I didn’t like it,” said Vulpio, 18, of Pompano Beach. “I wanted to play with dolls and do normal kid’s stuff.”

She got her start when her father saw a poster of Argentinian tennis pro Guillermo Vilas on the floor for his academy and they went.

“It was closed for the year and my dad said since we are here, let’s play,” said Vulpio, who was age 4 at the time. She continued to play recreationally until age 9 when she had a breakthrough.

“I saw Rafa Nadal play at the French Open, and I said, ‘wow, I really want to play now,’” Vulpio recalled. “I love the competition. I like everything. I like the fighting. It is definitely mental, a lot of it.”

She cited her strengths as a backhand crosscourt, her slice serve and a topspin forehand.

Vulpio recently scored a 6-4, 7-5 win over Boca Raton’s Nina Gulbransen in the finals of the Women’s Open Division in the Delray Cup – Prize Money Open, Age Category and NTRP Championships at ProWorld Tennis Academy in Delray Beach. Not bad considering she hadn’t played in a tournament in a couple of months and had just been training.

“I just decided to go back and play a few tournaments,” said Vulpio, a Quinnipiac University commit. She is currently homeschooling to prepare. She has also been training at ProWorld for almost two years. She was a former No. 1 in France for girls 16s and was ranked No. 900 at WTA at age 17.

“It was a good match to start back,” she said. “Winning the tournament gives you confidence for sure, especially since it is my first tournament in a while.”

The tournament also featured Men’s Open singles, Men’s Open doubles, Women’s 3.5 NTRP singles and Men’s 4.0 and 4.5 singles play. There were 81 players in the event and in addition to players from Florida, there were also competitors from CA, TX, NJ , NY, MI, and PR.

“The tournament had about 80 players – 70 in the Open and 11 in the NTRP,” Tournament Director Lew Wolfe said.

Bucks win third straight game

After opening the season with two straight losses on the road, the Deerfield Beach High School football team have regained their winning ways with a third consecutive shutout following a 42-0 win over Oak Ridge (Orlando) at home on Friday night.

Senior quarterback Michael Pratt tossed three touchdown passes, while senior running back Jaylan Knighton topped the century mark rushing and added two touchdowns for the Bucks, who have defeated Blanche Ely (42-0), Zachary (La.) 52-0 and Oakridge in the team’s home opener.

Pratt, a Tulane University commit who transferred to Deerfield Beach from nearby Boca Raton in early August, will face his former team on Friday when the Bucks take on the Bobcats at home.

Pratt connected with Aydin Henningham, Xavier Restrepo and Jaziun Patterson for TD passes and Knighton, a Florida State commit, totaled 101 yards on the ground and scored twice.

By Gary Curreri

Deerfield Beach regrouped from a sluggish start to top visiting Coral Springs, 44-35, in the Class 9A regional girls basketball semifinal on Tuesday night.

After scoring just one point in the first quarter, the Bucks outscored Coral Springs, 18-8, in the second quarter to open up a 6-point halftime lead. The Bucks cut the lead in half heading into the final quarter before Deerfield held on for the win and avoided the upset bid. It was the team’s fourth straight win over Coral Springs this season and 25th straight against no defeats dating back all the way to 2006 and this is the first-ever postseason meeting between the two schools.

 Deerfield Beach defeated Coral Springs, 70-27, and 55-39 during the season and 47-35 for the district title.

“Our next game we are going to have to come out and do a better job in practice on Wednesday and Thursday getting ready for (Boca Raton),” said Deerfield Beach coach Tami Vaughn, whose team will host the Bobcats on Friday at 7 p.m. 

“We just have to watch film and go back to the drawing board and see what we need to do, if we have to change up the lineup,” Vaughn added. “We have to go back to the drawing board to see what we need to do to finish out.”

Deerfield Beach senior DenAsia Mitchell scored a game-high 22 points to lead the Bucks (18-9).

The Bucks won the District 11-9A title for the fourth time in five years and second year in a row. The lone year they didn’t win it was in 2017 when star guard Mitchell tore her ACL and was lost for the postseason. The Bucks are on a four-game winning streak since a 68-64 overtime loss to St. Thomas Aquinas in the quarterfinals of the Big 8 tournament.

 Deerfield Beach won state titles in 2003 and 2004 and was runner-up in 2002 and 2005. They lost to Miami, 48-31, in last year’s Class 9A state semifinals. 

Ely falls to St. Thomas Aquinas

St. Thomas Aquinas (21-6) outscored visiting Blanche Ely, 37-21, in the second half en route to a 72-52 victory in the Class 8A girls basketball regional semifinal in Ft. Lauderdale.

Blanche Ely, which finished the year at 21-9, lost to the Raiders, 66-61, 70-64, and 58-46 in the district championship before Tuesday night’s loss.

Raiders’ junior guard Bella LaChance, a Vanderbilt commit, led four Raiders in double figures with 20 points, while Tigers sophomore guard Ja’Leah Williams kept her team in the contest as she scored 27 points and hauled down 11 rebounds.

“We had a real rough third quarter,” Ely coach James Polk said. St. Thomas outscored the Tigers, 17-10, in the period.

Pompano

golf results

The Pompano Beach Women’s Golf Association held a Low Net (with a twist) tournament on Jan. 29.

 The results are as follows: A Flight: 1. Kathy Stewart, 67; 2. Abby Ages, 72; B Flight: 1. Janet Stuart, 69; 2. Kathy Dunn, 78; C Flight: 1. Lynn Goodman, 74; 2. Sue Bardhi, 75; D Flight: 1. Polly Rutnik, 77; 2. Roseanna Nixon 78. 

In the Pompano Beach Women’s Golf Association tournament on Jan. 22, Mimi Denoma shot an 84 to take the A Flight. Marianne Weber was second with a 91, while Sandra Gore was third with a 93. 

 Other results included B Flight: 1. Janet Stuart, 88; 2. Abby Ages, 97 (won tiebreaker); C Flight: 1. Patt Sessa, 98; 2. Ann Symonds, 101; 3. Lynn Goodman, 104 (won tiebreaker); D Flight: 1. Roseanna Nixon, 107 (won tiebreaker); 2. Verna Smith, 107.

The Pompano Beach Men’s Golf Association held a Two Best Ball of Foursome tournament on Jan. 30. The net score results are 1. James Greeley, Dave Hall, Jeffrey Raymond, Bert Welage, 112; 2. Oscar Aleman, Robert Blau, Roe Messner, Don Worrell, 115; 3. Tom Harrington, George Lyons, Paul Murphy, Carlo Spirito, 116; 4. Paul Berning, Andy Burt, Brian Nixon, Neil Wilson, 118 (won match of cards); 5. Jim King, Jim Muschany, Robert Raser, Roy Wilhoite, 118 (won match of cards).

 The closest to the pin winner at hole No. 15 was Terry Denoma.

 The Pompano Beach Men’s Golf Association also held a One Best Ball of Foursome tournament on Feb. 6. Net Score: 1. Tom Breur, Dave Dowling, Tom Pawelczyk, Robert Raser, 52; 2. Jim DiCamillo, Mike Grimaldi, Roe Messner, Jim Muschany, 53 (won tiebreaker); 3. Terry Denoma, Jim Dunn, Scott Feinman, Bart Valerio, 53 (won tiebreaker); 4. Lee Hammer, Tom Joyce, Dick Steffen, Bob VanZandt, 55 (won tiebreaker); 5. Andy Burt, Dave Danielian, Dave Hall, Gene Stoller, 55 (won tiebreaker); 6. Chuck Brown, John Feeley, Bob Mascatello, Tim O’Brien, 56.

 The closest to the pin winner at hole No. 17 was Frank Cutrone.

By Gary Curreri

Even though the Deerfield Beach High School girls basketball team lost three of four games during the Jerry Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas during the holiday break, Bucks coach Tamala Vaughn called the trip a victory.

Deerfield opened the Las Vegas trip with a 55-22 win over Modesta Christian (CA) before dropping four straight games to Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV), 46-36; Lynwood (Lynwood, CA), 67-50; and Desert Oasis (Las Vegas, NV), 56-26.

The Bucks won the District 11-9A title for the fourth time in five years and second year in a row. The lone year they didn’t win was in 2017 when star guard DenAsia Mitchell tore her ACL and was lost for the post season.

“This year’s team is a different team,” Vaughn said. “They are young and really inconsistent. The positive thought is that they are growing and the future is bright. They have great attitudes and I love coaching this group of girls. I don’t know what team is going to show up, the team that I think can win state or the team that gives me butterflies when they step on the court.”

Deerfield Beach (16-9) will host Cypress Bay (7-10) on Thursday night in a regional quarterfinal game. Of the Bucks’ 16 wins this season, 13 have been by 30 or more points. Of the nine losses, two have been by four points or less, one has been by eight points and the others have been in double digits.

“I know they all want to go to state,” she added. “We all have that goal in common.

They have grown since the beginning of the season and the light bulb is finally going on with some of the younger players. I don’t think they have been pushed as much. It was hard in the beginning for them to understand the system and the work ethic of the program.”

“We had kids that wanted to quit and kids that said, ‘coach, I can’t do this,’” Vaughn continued, “but now, since I pushed them beyond their limits, they are coming into their own.”

Vaughn said the trip to Las Vegas was vital to the team’s success. She said the players and coaches bonded both on and off the court.

“I have no regrets about the trip,” Vaughn said. “They were mentally weak before the trip and now they are becoming mentally tougher. I saw that in the St. Thomas Aquinas game (a 68-64 overtime loss). I was proud of the way they played and I think we are where we should be at this time of the season. They have gotten over that hump.

“The players became closer (in Las Vegas),” she added. “The players want to be the best teammates for each other. We bonded as a team. It was like a family atmosphere.”

In addition to DenAsia Mitchell, the Bucks have been getting strong play this season from freshman center Fatima Diakhate, who Vaughn says will be an All-American. Also playing well is senior forward Chakoi Mitchell (Indian River College commit); sophomore wing Aaliyah Reid; junior shooting guard Jasmin Worsley and junior combo guard Natalie Hessing, a transfer from Archbishop McCarthy.

“The girls have become more serious and they are working hard in practice to get better,” Vaughn said. “They just have to bear down, play hard and be consistent.”

By Gary Curreri

Deerfield Beach football coach Jevon Glenn estimates he has helped more than 50 student-athletes get into college to play at the next level.

He will add to that count next week when seven more Bucks will sign national letters-of-intent to play college football.

“With the implementation of the early signing period it has accelerated the entire recruiting time frame,” Glenn said. “We haven’t really had to make much of adjustment from a program standpoint because our student-athletes get to visit numerous colleges with our spring and summer college tours.

“You spend so much time with them in the offseason and in the weight room that they become yours,” Glenn added. “I treat every kid in this program like they are my sons, so I am like a dad making sure that your kids make the right decisions.”

The Bucks had six sign during early signing day in December and will have seven more sign on Wednesday morning.

The University of Oregon football team picked up two prized recruits from Deerfield Beach High School in Ge’mon Eaford and Brandon Dorlus.

Eaford, a 6-ft. 2 in., 227 lb. four-star All-American linebacker, said he and Dorlus will be roommates.

He called Bucks coach Jevon Glenn at 4 a.m. to talk about it.

“I’m happy Brandon (Dorlus) is going there too,” Eaford said. “We are going to be roommates. I can’t wait. I love it.”

Dorlus, a 6-ft. 2 in., 270 lb. three-star defensive lineman, is looking forward to playing with Eaford. Dorlus originally committed to Virginia Tech in the summer, but de-committed on Dec. 5, days after he took his official visit to UF. Dorlus visited Oregon on Dec. 14.

“This is really big,” said Dorlus, who held offers from nearly two dozen schools. “It is a lot of stress off my shoulders and now I will work out and get stronger getting ready for college.”

When Dorlus was a freshman at the school, he said he didn’t give college football a thought. That all changed this spring.

“I saw all of the colleges that wanted me, and it turned out good for me,” Dorlus said. “When I visited Oregon, I saw what they got and what they don’t got, and I believe I can start from day 1.”

The athletes helped the Bucks reach the regional finals where they fell to Palm Beach Central, 21-6 and finished the season at 12-2.

Also at Oregon, is former Bucks wideout and 2017 signee Daewood Davis. The 6 ft. 2 in., 178 lb. wide receiver redshirted his freshman season.

Others who signed were: Marcus Lafrance (6ft. 2 in.,180 lb. DB) committed to Middle Tennessee State; Donte Banton (6 ft. 1 in., 180 lb. WR) committed to Utah; Javon Denis ( 6 ft. 1 in., 260 lb. DE/DT) committed to Georgia State; Dashaun Davis (5 ft. 9 in., 160 lb. WR) committed to Appalachian State.

Local golf results

The Pompano Beach Women’s Golf Association held the Wedding Game (For Better or Worse) tournament on Jan. 15. First place honors went to Roseanna Nixon and Darlene Sesto with a 136. Second place went to Kathy Stewart and Marianne Weber with a 142. Vonnie Okeefe and Sue Bardhi placed third with a 144, while Georgie Wright, Janet Stuart, Lynn Goodman and Sandra Robb placed fourth with a 145. Fifth Place went to Dianne Levanti and Nancy Oshea with a 146.

The Pompano Beach Men’s Golf Association held an Individual Class Play (Low Gross and Low Net in Classes) on Jan. 16, at the Palms.

In the Class A Division, Roe Messner shot an 80 to take first in the Low Gross competition, while Bill Hadersbeck was runner-up with an 83. In the Low Net race, George Disch carded a 69 to take first place. Bill O’Brien and Patrick McClain each shot 71, however, O’Brien won on a match of cards.

Tom Breur won the Low Gross competition in the Class B Division with an 85.

Mike Katawczik shot an 87 and won on a match of cards. Pete Strychowskyj shot a 66 and won Low Net honors for the division after a match of cards with Oscar Aleman. Max Walker shot 67 to finish third.

In the Class C Division, Don Worrell won Low Gross with a 92, while Gene Stoller was one shot back and won on a match of cards. Scott Feinman carded a 68 to win the Low Net honors, while Bart Valerio (69) and Bob Mascatello (70) took second and third, respectively.

Henry Lesburt captured the Low Gross honors in the Class D Division with a 101, while Tim O’Brien was runner-up with a 104. Dick Steffen shot 77 and won Low Net honors after a match of cards with Dave Dowling. Charles MacMichael was third with a 78 and won a match of cards.

The winner of the closest to the pin (Hole No. 3) was Don Worrell.

By Gary Curreri

The Deerfield Beach football team burst on to the field following introductions in fog and smoke, unfortunately for the host Bucks, their season ended the same way, three hours later as Miami Columbus won the Class 8A state semifinal, 49-21 on Friday night.

Columbus running back Henry Parrish carried 25 times for 177 yards and three scores as the Explorers capitalized on three turnovers and costly penalties to pull out a lopsided win.

Parrish scored on a 2 yd. run and 4 yd. run early and added a game-sealing 61 yd. run with 2:08 remaining in the game that booked Columbus’ ticket to the state championship game on Dec. 8 at Camping World Stadium (Orlando) where they will play Jacksonville Mandarin, a 45-31 winner over Riverview Sarasota.

Host Deerfield Beach struggled to get out of its own way in the first half as they committed seven penalties, six were false start infractions whistled against the offense, and two turnovers as Miami Columbus turned that into a 28-7 lead and the Bucks were unable to recover.

“We did everything you cannot do when you are trying to win a ball game,” said Deerfield Beach coach Jevon Glenn, whose team was penalized 16 times for 93 yds. and had four costly dropped passes, including two sure touchdowns. The Bucks also had a TD whistled back on a penalty. “Miscue after miscue after miscue kind of wore our will down a little bit, but the kids didn’t give up on me.”

Columbus quarterback Brandon McDuffey threw two touchdowns, while Parrish ran for one score and Elias Morales returned a Derohn King interception 42 yds. for a touchdown to give the Explorers (14-0) the early advantage. King’s second pick-6, a 20 yd. return by Kalani Norris with 5:52 iced the game at 42-21. Norris also scored on a pass reception earlier in the game.

“I mean just the miscues, the lack of focus,” Glenn lamented, “I don’t want to take anything away from Columbus. They capitalized on our miscues and our letdowns. A lot of them weren’t given away, they were forced. They are a helluva football team and I am hoping they go up there, represent South Florida and bring that title back. Tonight, they were the best team on the field.”

Deerfield Beach (12-2) saw its six-game winning streak come to an end with the loss. The other setback was a 38-6 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas.

King completed just 14 of 34 for 193 yds. passing and three interceptions. He has thrown seven interceptions in his last three games. Junior running back Jaylan Knighton, who entered the game with 2,045 yds. rushing and 28 scores, was held to just 44 yds. rushing. It equaled his season low which came in the team’s other loss to St. Thomas Aquinas.

Columbus hit double digits for the 24th straight playoff game and scored on their first three possessions of the game. The Explorers have been an offensive juggernaut in the postseason as they have averaged 45.75 points in wins over Coral Gables, Palmetto, South Dade and Deerfield Beach to reach the state championship game in Orlando.

The Explorers are making their fourth state championship game appearance, and its first since 2014, as they look for their first title.

“I am proud of my team and my seniors that gave everything they have for four years,” Glenn said. “We want this to be where the kids get more out of it than the program does, for those kids to get a great education and go on to the next level. Their hard work is paying off and they will be able to set them up and probably their families for the next generation by getting a quality education at a university.”

With the loss, Deerfield fell to 1-7 in state semifinal games. The lone win came in 2005 when they reached the state final and lost to Palm Beach Gardens, 49-29 at Dolphin Stadium, now known as Hard Rock Stadium.

“What people have to understand is we have a young team and we have a lot of guys coming back,” Glenn continued. “We have to learn from this as we carry this into the offseason.”

“There is nothing for us to be embarrassed about,” Glenn said. “We fought hard. We didn’t get our ultimate goal, but truth be told, we lost to the better football team tonight. We are grinders. We are going to take a couple of weeks off and just like every year on Dec. 26, we’ll get back in the weight room and be going at it.”

By Gary Curreri

The Deerfield Beach High School football team is within two games of going where no previous team has gone – a state championship.

After his team dismantled visiting Miramar, Plantation, and Palm Beach Central in successive weeks, the Bucks (12-1) have undefeated Miami Columbus (13-0) coming to town on Friday night for the Class 8A state semifinal with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m.

Deerfield Beach football coach Jevon Glenn believes the home field advantage will pay off.

“We have a lot of respect for that program and what they have done over the years and this year,” said Glenn, whose team downed Palm Beach Central, 21-6, last Friday night. “It is time to go after it and we are ready. Two years ago, we got close when we got to this round and lost to Southridge.”

The Bucks reached the state final in 2005 when they lost to Palm Beach Gardens, 49-29, at Dolphin Stadium, now known as Hard Rock Stadium.

“Our motto all year has been, ‘let’s make history,’ Glenn said. “We are trying to do something that has never been done around here. I told our guys, and I put the onus on them to make a new culture around here.”

It also pays off to have junior running back Jaylan Knighton, who carried 23 times for 130 yards and two touchdowns. With the effort, he has padded his season totals to 2,045 yards and 28 total touchdowns this season.

The Oklahoma commit, who rushed for a school-record 347 yds. in a win over Taravella earlier this season, scored on runs of 1 and 8 yds. as the Bucks seized a 14-0 halftime lead.

After Palm Beach Central (11-2) cut the lead to 14-6 on a Charles Stewart 5 yd. TD run, the Bucks padded their lead to 21-6 on a 26 yd. pass from Derohn King to Dashaun Davis with 2:43 left in the third quarter. The Broncos had won 11 straight coming into the game, with their other loss coming to Atlantic, 14-0 in the first week of the season.

“We are going to be here for the long haul,” said Glenn, whose only loss this season came at the hands of St. Thomas Aquinas, 38-6 six games ago. “For some of these kids, this is their second time in four years playing in the state semifinal game.

“We told them after the game that we want to set the bar at the highest of the high and be state champion,” Glenn added. “We will let the kids that come after them follow. We are going to live in the moment. We’re peaking at the right time.

Obviously we’ve got a ways to go, but we’re playing really good football right now both sides of the ball.”

Glenn said he knows what to expect from the Explorers, who entered the game having outscored the opposition, 456-154. They were on a six-game winning streak last year before they were upset by Miami High in the regional finals.

Deerfield Beach, on the other hand, has outscored its opponents, 399-125, and are riding a six-game winning streak.

“I know that (Miami) Columbus is a very disciplined, well-coached team,” Glenn said. “They have a lot of great athletes and it is going to be a battle of two good football teams.”

By Gary Curreri

Photo by Gary Curreri

Jaylan Knighton carried 26 times for 132 yards and one touchdown and added a 31-yard TD reception as host Deerfield Beach blanked Plantation, a 23-0 victory in a Region 3-8A semifinal last Friday night. The shutout was the first in 19 regional semifinal playoff games for the Bucks in school history. The Colonels’ loss was their eighth straight in regional semifinal games dating back to 2002.

Deerfield Beach (11-1) will host Palm Beach Central, a 38-0 winner over Western, in a regional final Friday. The Bucks improved to 15-7 all-time against Plantation. Knighton, a junior running back, has continued to pad his season statistics. Entering this Friday’s regional semifinal against Palm Beach Central, the Oklahoma commit has 1,915 yards on 210 carries.

“Jaylan is the best player in Broward County this year,” Deerfield Beach coach Jevon Glenn said following the game “He’s a special player. He’s a once in a lifetime type of player for most schools. He’s built for greatness.”

Much of the credit also goes to the Deerfield defense that not only registered the shutout but held the Colonels (10-2) Wing-T offense to 51 rushing yards on 36 carries.

Knighton had his longest reception of the season, hauling in a 31-yard pass from Derohn King for a 21-0 halftime lead. It was Knighton’s first touchdown catch this season. Knighton’s first touchdown of the night came on a 12-yard run with 3:13 left in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead.

The score was Knighton’s 25th rushing touchdown of the season. Deerfield went up 14-0 when a Colonels punt was blocked, and Keyon Martin returned it 17 yards for the touchdown.

Freshman running back Jaziun Patterson, who replaced Knighton late in the game, rushed for 99 yards on six carries. Deerfield added a safety in the third quarter, the only points scored in the second half.

The Bucks will have their hands full with a Palm Beach Central team that is also rolling. The Broncos have outscored the opposition, 485-89, for the season and are riding an 11-game winning streak after opening the season with a 14-0 loss against Atlantic High School. They haven’t been tested in the postseason, winning 44-14 over Wellington and 38-0 over Western.

Deerfield Beach is on a 5-game winning streak following its 38-6 defeat at the hands of St. Thomas Aquinas. They have outscored their opponents, 375-112.

Breur wins closest to the pin contest, and birdies hole

Tom Breur not only won the closest to the pin contest by hitting his tee shot to 2 ft., 11 in. on the third hole at the Pines course in the Pompano Beach Men’s Golf Association tournament on Nov. 14, he sank the putt for a birdie. It was one of the highlights of the One Best Ball of a Foursome tournament that drew 49 players.

Three teams needed to go to scorecard playoffs after shooting 54s. The first two had to go back six holes on matching scorecards before the team of Frank Cutrone, Charles MacMichael, Bill McCormick and Dennis Rooy won the championship. They shot 15 for the six holes, while the team of Oscar Aleman, Andy Burt, Bob Mascatello, Val Rapoport had a 16. Third place went to the team of Terry Denoma, Jerry Goodman, Bill Sincavage and Willie Smith. They had 28 on the back nine. The team of Henry Lesburt, Tom Pawelczyk, Pete Strychowskyj and Don Worrell shot a 55.

By Gary Curreri

Photo by Gary Curreri

The Deerfield Beach dynamic duo of running back Jaylan Knighton and quarterback Derohn King flexed their muscles and helped lead host Deerfield Beach to a convincing, 32-14 Class 8A regional quarterfinal playoff victory over Miramar on Friday night.

Knighton ran for 140 yds. on 18 carries and three touchdowns in the second half as the Bucks moved to 10-1 on the season and will host Plantation on Friday night in the regional semifinal.

Knighton had a game-clinching score from 19 yds. out with 3:23 remaining to give the Bucks a 26-14 lead and added a 28 yd. run with 41 seconds left as Deerfield snapped a three-game playoff losing skid to Miramar. The Bucks lone loss this season came at the hands of St. Thomas, 38-6 three weeks ago.

“We weren’t running the ball the first half,” said Knighton, who had just four carries for 16 yds. in the first half. “The second half, I put the team on my back and carried them.”

Knighton said he asked for the ball in the second half. He scored on runs of 1, 19 and 28 yds.

“It came to a point where I wanted to destroy them,” he said. “They came up and started talking and doing stuff I didn’t like, so I wanted to make them feel me.”

Deerfield Beach junior quarterback Derohn King came off the bench to throw two TDs in a 2-minute span of the second quarter to give the Bucks an early 13-0 lead.

King, who injured his throwing shoulder in a win against Piper two weeks ago, didn’t play the first three series of the game as senior Tyron Herring got the nod. He was ineffective and was replaced by King, who promptly game connected on a 78 yd. pass to senior Dashaun Davis for a 7-0 lead with 5:55 left in the first half.

Deerfield Beach coach Jevon Glenn said they tried to rest King, but since Miramar was crowding the line of scrimmage taking away the run, they inserted their junior quarterback to open things up.

“We put Derohn in and once he hit them a couple of times over the top and started stretching the field they had to respect that and it opened up things for Jaylan,” Glenn said.

King made it 13-0 on a 29 yd. pass to senior wideout Donte Banton on the Bucks’ very next offensive series after forcing the Patriots to lose the ball on downs deep in their own territory. King hit Banton running in stride in the end zone with 3:50 left to extend the lead. King was 11 of 18 for 193 yds. and two TDs for the game.

Miramar’s Torrie Cox returned the second kickoff 65 yds. to the Bucks’ 12 yd. line. Three plays later, senior running back Clifton Miller went in from 5 yds. out to trim the lead to 13-6 with 11:12 left in the third quarter.

Miramar (6-5) took a 14-13 lead on a 61 yd. scoring pass from Smith to Carlos Hill and a 2-point conversion pass from Smith to Joseph Adams with 4:40 left in the third quarter.

Deerfield Beach answered as they marched 78 yds. in 9 plays to grab a 19-14 lead on a 1 yd. run by Knighton with 1:20 left in the third.

Miramar entered the game 3-1 versus the Bucks in the postseason. The Bucks won the regional final 21-14 in 2005; however, Miramar had won the last three playoff meetings. Miramar won 34-30 in 2008 regional final, 24-21 in the regional quarterfinal, 24-21 in 2010 and again in the 2013 regional quarterfinal, 43-6.

Deerfield Beach is 20-8 all time in first round playoff game, including 16-4 at home. Both teams were coming off upset losses in last year’s regional quarterfinals. Miramar fell 28-20 to Park Vista, while Deerfield was downed by Western, 20-17 at home. The Bucks were the top-ranked team in the state at the time.

Golfers win local tourney

The team of Andy Burt, Joe Patchen, Dennis Rooy, Gene Stoller carded a 114 in the Pompano Beach Men’s Golf Association’s Two Best Ball of Foursome competition on Nov. 7 at the Pines Course at the Pompano Municipal Golf Club.

George Disch, Jerry Goodman, Tim O’Brien and Bart Valerio was second with a 116, while Oscar Aleman, Frank Cutrone, Al DiBenedetto and Dave Dowling (blind draw) shot 119.

Disch also won the closest to the pin on the 17th hole when his shot landed 11 ft. from the hole.

Pompano Beach Women’s Golf Association results

The team of Jan Ruck, Janet Tomchik, Lynn Goodman and Elaine Schoengood carded a 113 to win the Pompano Beach Women’s Golf Association’s 1-2-3 Best Ball Mixed Foursome tournament on Nov. 6 at the Pompano Beach Municipal Golf Club.

The team of Kim Heath, Vonnie O’Keefe and Patti Van Zandt finished second with a 118, while the team of Georgie Wright, Sarah Lee, Wiltrud Messinger and Anita MacMichael was third with a 120 following a scorecard playoff.

The following week (Nov. 13) was a competition of Low Net in Flights. Deb Brown shot a 75 and won the tiebreaker in the A Flight. Jan Ruck was second. Winning the B Flight with a 72 was Deb Ladig, while Janet Stuart was second with a 75. The C-Flight winner was Lynn Goodman, who shot a 74, while Vonnie Okeefe carded an 83 to finish second. Alberta Bove shot a 71 to win the D-Flight, while Anita Macmichael was second with a 78.

By Gary Curreri

Deerfield Beach football coach Jevon Glenn was so confident that his team would defeat host Piper for a fourth consecutive district championship, he opted to hold out quarterback Derohn King after he was injured on the Bucks’ first offensive play of the game.

King, a junior, who transferred from Piper before the season, injured his throwing shoulder on the first offensive play for the Bucks in the game, and came out of the game after a 56-yard TD pass to Donte Banton one play later and did not return.

“With Derohn going out early, it made us change our game plan a little bit, but we just wanted to hit them in the mouth and impose our will on them,” said Scott, whose team defeated Piper, 35-0 for the District 11-8A championship. The Bucks finished the regular season with a 9-1 overall record and 5-0 mark in the district.

Glenn said King could have returned but opted to hold him out. King has 1,605 yds. passing and 21 TDs this season.

“Especially with a bye week coming up, we just wanted to make sure,” Scott continued. “We figured we could beat them without Derohn tonight. We want to err on the side of caution and make sure we gave him enough time to get it 100 percent. He could have gone back in. He threw at halftime, but it just wasn’t worth it.”

Enter Bucks senior quarterback Tyron Herring, who came on in relief of injured starter King, who threw for one score and ran in another in the victory. Herring finished 7 for 11 for 110 yds. and a 28-yd. scoring toss to Donte Banton in the blowout win.

His 1-yd. quarterback keeper with just 2 seconds left in the first half gave the Bucks a 14-0 halftime lead. The score capped a 10-play, 35-yd. drive that was set up by an interception by Javon Denis.

“We felt coming into the game after watching the film that this team (Piper) wasn’t on our level,” Scott added. “We just couldn’t give them anything. When we played St. Thomas (Aquinas, a 38-6 loss) we gave them a whole bunch. We came out the next weekend against Douglas and let that affect us. Last week, we got the ball back rolling against Monarch.”

Deerfield also got a strong performance on the ground by junior running back Jaylan Knighton, who finished the game with 20 carries for a game-high 136 yds. and added scoring runs of 10 and 13 yds. He has 1,593 yds. rushing and 22 TDs this season.

Knighton said he felt the pressure to contribute once king went out, but pointed to the scoreboard.

“Derohn going out hurt us,” said Knighton, who ran for 249 yds. on 11 carries and 4 TDs in a 42-0 win over Monarch the week before. “It really didn’t because the score was 35-zip. He went down the first drive and the main thing I wanted was this week for him to heal so he could come out strong for the playoffs.”

Piper (6-3, 4-1) fell for the eighth straight time to the Bucks dating back to 2011 and have been outscored by Deerfield Beach, 309-24, during that span. Piper hasn’t scored against Deerfield Beach since 2014 and has been shut out the past four years and the past 18 quarters.

Deerfield, which has outscored the opposition this season, (320-98 this season) won for the third straight game following its setback against St. Thomas Aquinas. The Bucks also snapped Piper’s modest three-game winning streak.

In 1979, the Bengals stunned the Bucks, 14-12, to win the school’s first district football championship, but there was no upset in the making last Friday for Piper, which last won a district title in 2001.

Now, the Bucks have the week off before opening the playoffs at home. It is a welcomed week of resting the players, according to Scott.

“We need it,” Scott said. “I was telling the guys before, we started working out Dec. 26 (last year) and we have been going strong ever since. We have a lot of nicks and bruises, but we have time to heal up. We are going to be very careful how we handle the bye week. We aren’t going to give them a lot of time off so we don’t lose our edge. We are going to sharpen some things with no pads and no contact. We are just going to keep our guys well rested.

Knighton also welcomes the rest this week.

“We need to come to school every day,” Knighton said. “We have to make sure we get recovered, get film and hydrate, and make sure everything is straight so, when playoffs come, we come (out) strong.

“The St. Thomas loss affected us bad, but we didn’t let it hurt us too bad so we could focus on the following week,” Knighton added. “We can really stay on that loss. We got over it and we have stayed strong throughout the week.”