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

Nearly 300 people participated in the inaugural Family Fitness Day at Highlands Christian Academy in Pompano Beach.

Concessions were provided by Subway and Smoothie King and those proceeds benefited the boys’ varsity basketball team as they plan their Spring Break Missions Trip to Spain in March of 2019.

There were also a total of 15 vendors in attendance, among them were Family Chiropractic, Grace Church, New Era Barber, Juice Plus, Broward Health, IHP Fitness and Propel Fitness Water.

This was a free event to highlight “Fitness” and the benefits and enjoyment it can provide. Several fitness challenges were performed throughout the morning in which Smoothie King donated gift cards to the winners.

“I was extremely grateful for an incredible day; it was an amazing experience that exceeded my expectations and I am already looking forward to next year’s,” said Highlands Christian Academy Athletic Director Jim Good.

“God has been teaching me so many valuable lessons these past few months,” he added, “and having the opportunity to host this event and share the importance of our physical health and spiritual health was just an incredible experience.”

The challenges included pull-ups, push-ups, shuttle-run, standing long jump, vertical jump, medicine ball toss, obstacle course and a mini circuit workout.

Rio Santana, general manager at IHP Fitness in Boca, led a 20-minute Fitness Class in which several participants earned a year membership at the Boca gym.

A 20-minute walk was performed in the HCA gym, while several participants did a 20-minute run outside on the campus.

Pompano golfers rule the links

The Pompano Beach Men’s and Women’s Golf Associations conducted their weekly tournaments and their golfers didn’t disappoint.

In the Pompano Beach Women’s Golf Association’s 9-hole tournament on Oct. 23, Sandra Gore won the A Division with a 40.50 in the Even Holes, ½ Handicap event. Deb Ladig carded a 38.00 to win the B Division, while the C Division was won by Lori Tarmey with a 40.50. Alberta Bove shot a 43.50 to take the D Division.

The following week featured a tournament and a fall luncheon. The first place team of Roseanna Nixon, Alberta Bove, Sue Barhdi and Patti Van Zandt shot a 123, while the second place team of Kim Heath, Jan Ruck, Kathy Stewart and Georgie Wright were two shots back at 125.

In the Pompano Beach Men’s Golf Association’s One Best Ball of a Foursome tournament on Oct. 24, the team of Jim Blake, Jerry Goodman, Bill O’Brien, and Gene Stoller shot a 49. George Disch, Mike Katawczik, Paul Murphy, and their blind draw partner Bob Van Zandt shot a 52 to take second, while Henry Lesburt, Pete Strychowskyj, Bob Van Zandt and Max Walker shot a 54 and won a match of cards to take third place in the event, which featured 37 competitors.

Don Worrell won the closest to the pin award when he put his tee shot just 8 ft. from the hole on the 7th hole on the Pines course.

Terry Denoma, Jim DiCamillo, Jerry Goodman, and Brian Nixon won the Four-Man scramble event for the Pompano Beach Men’s Golf Association on Oct. 31 with a 65.

The team of Oscar Aleman, John Arrigo, Jim Greeley and Lee Hammer shot a 66 to finish in second place, while Chuck Brown, George Disch, Joel Englander and Bill McCormick combined for a 67 to wind up third in the 42-player field.

The closest to the pin winner was Tom Breur whose shot on the 15th hole at the Pines came to rest 12 ft. away.

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.”

By Gary Curreri

Two local residents recently were among the recipients of the Miami Dolphins’ weekly PlayFootball awards.

Deerfield Beach High School junior running back Jaylan Knighton was recognized as the High School Player of the Week after the University of Oklahoma commit rushed a school-record 26 times for 348 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Bucks to a 44-8 victory over Taravella.

Consuelo Lewis, of the Pompano Chiefs from the Florida YouthFootball League, was recognized as the Team Mom of the Week.Lewis has been a dedicated parent and volunteer for the Pompano Chiefs for many years. She is always at practices and games, and makes sure the boys have everything they need. Lewis’ presence in the park has been evident since she became a team mom and even overcame her bout with cancer.

The program is designed to celebrate youth football in South Florida. For each home game, the Dolphins will identify a high school coach of the week, high school player of the week, youth player of the week and team mom of the week.

The other winners were Santaluces coach Brian Coe (High School Coach of the Week) and Termain Sherman from the Ft. Lauderdale Hurricanes Super Peewees of the Florida Youth Football League (Youth Player of the Week). They received their awards at the Miami Dolphins’ overtime win over the Chicago Bears.

Award recipients will receive tickets to a Dolphins home game and were presented with a plaque on the field at Hard Rock Stadium. They also receive acknowledgment of their accomplishment in the game program and through the Dolphins’ social media platforms. The Dolphins also recognize a team of the week, who will be on field during the national anthem.

The program concludes at the Dolphins-Jaguars game where the Dolphins will honor yearly award winners in all categories with the exception of the team of the year.

Christensen wins BCAA golf title

Pompano Beach High School’s Thomas Christensen posted the lowest round of the day at 3-over 75 at the Palm Aire Country Club to help his school win the Damian Huttenhoff Golf Championship.

The tournament, which featured golfers from all of the county’s schools who are members of the Broward County Athletic Association, was played in blustery conditions that led to high scores from its participants.

“I felt comfortable this year after playing well a year-a-go here,” Christensen said. “As a team, we played pretty well, so it’s a good direction for us going into the next few weeks.

Christensen carded a two-day total of 11-over, 155 at last year’s Florida High School Athletic Association Class 2A state championship tournament at Mission Inn Resort & Club at Howey-in-the-Hills.

“I actually struck the ball poorly today hitting only seven greens,” he added, “but my putting and chipping were solid.”

He helped the Tornadoes win the tournament with a 316 total. Douglas was second with a 325 total. Teammate Deon Riley was one stroke back with a 76, while Dennis Murphy also broke 80 with a 79.

By Gary Curreri

The biggest obstacle Deerfield Beach’s Alannah Irwin faced in the Broward County USBC Association Top-8 tournament at AMF Margate Lanes recently was keeping up with the lane changes. Then, the 27-year-old had to unseat defending champion and tournament bowler Rhoda Rodriguez, of Plantation. Irwin managed both and edged Rodriguez, 181-178, to win the Women’s Division of the tournament that featured the best bowlers Broward County had to offer.

“I was just having fun and trying to watch how everyone else was playing,” Irwin said. “I was watching where I should and shouldn’t throw the ball in the lane. I had to keep up with the lane changes and see what everyone else was doing.”

“It was very difficult,” said Irwin, who qualified for a second time as an adult. She reached the Top-8 seven times as a junior bowler, where she won three times – the last time coming in 2010. “It takes a real technical eye to really see what the lanes are doing and how the oil patterns are transitioning. You also see what adjustments you have to make whether it is changing bowling balls or changing your angle or the speed of the ball.”

Irwin came into the tournament with little expectations because she hadn’t been bowling on a regular basis.

“This was kind of my first year back bowling in two different leagues and in two different houses,” Irwin said. “It was nice to get the (qualifying) letter. I came in with no expectations.

“I was just bowling in one house, one league a year,” she added, “and was asked to bowl in a second league and said, ‘yes.’ It’s a good comeback. It was nice to win it in my second time as an adult. The last time was in 2013. I didn’t even make the top four that year. I finished like fifth.”

The top eight bowlers from around Broward County competed in the one-day event in six divisions — Junior Boys and Girls, Men’s and Women’s Open, and Senior Men and Women. Bowlers in the tournament began by bowling qualifying matches and ultimately wound up competing in a ladder format where the bowlers worked their way up to challenge the top qualifier who got a bye.

Another local bowler, Jeanne Silvestro, 59, of Pompano Beach, dropped the final of the Women’s Senior Division title match to Pembroke Pines’ Paula Rappaport, 185-156. It was Rappaport’s third win in the Top-8 and first as a senior. Her back-to-back wins in 2009 and 2010 came in the Women’s Open Division.

“This was awesome,” said Silvestro, who was bowling in the Top-8 for the first time. She was the top qualifier for the final, but had to sit through two ladder matches before bowling for the championship. “That was hard. It was tiring and I got stiff. Then they bowled three games on the lanes and there was no oil left at all. It was just tough to sit.”

Still she was pleased with making her debut and reaching the final. She has bowled for the past 40 years and is self-taught. She never participated in junior bowling.

To qualify for the event, bowlers need to bowl in two leagues in two different houses (bowling alleys) and they have to compete in at least 2/3 of the league. Those top scoring averages earn them a berth in the annual tournament.

“It was unbelievable,” Silvestro said. “I had no idea (how she’d do). I always bowled in one house, so this was the first year I bowled in two houses and when I got the (qualifying) letter in the mail, I was shocked.”

“I was happy if I came in eighth,” she continued. “To qualify first was crazy. This was great. I had a great time.”

By Gary Curreri

Jaylan Knighton put in a good night’s work as he ran for a school-record 348 yards on 26 carries and four touchdowns as Deerfield Beach topped Taravella, 44-8 at Coral Springs High last Thursday night.

The 5 ft. 11 in., 190-lb. junior eclipsed the Bucks’ previous single-game record of 332 yards which was set by Marc Renaud against Northeast on Nov. 9, 1991, in just one half of the football game.

Knighton said he didn’t even know that he was on the brink of a history making performance. He hoped to be the Bucks’ single game record holder before he graduated.

“I always wanted to do that,” Knighton said after the game. “It was one of my goals and I accomplished it.

“In the fourth quarter, my coach told me I needed 20 more yards to break the record,” Knighton added. “I pushed and with two carries broke the record. I want to thank my offensive lineman and team for pushing me every day in practice.”

Knighton’s yardage tied him for sixth all-time in Broward history with LeCorey Robey of Flanagan set against Ft. Lauderdale in 2004. The county record is 405 yards set by Sheridan Hills’ Frainy Alfrena in a 2008 game against Highlands Christian.

“He deserves this because he has put in the hard work,” said Deerfield coach Jevon Glenn, whose team improved to 6-0, 2-0 in district and extended its consecutive victories in district play to 17 over four seasons.

“If you think about the incredible backs that we had here at Deerfield Beach, Renaud, Steve Feagin and Brandon Powell just recently,” Scott continued, “to set himself at the top of those names, it’s an accomplishment that I’m very proud of.”

The Bucks will face a difficult test this Friday as they host St. Thomas Aquinas.

Taravella, which entered the game with a 1-0 record in the district and 3-1 overall, pulled to within 12-8 on a Logan Rubin 29-yard scoring pass to Vantraveous Williams. It was all Deerfield after that. The Bucks defense also stepped up big as it intercepted Taravella on four of five pass attempts in the second half.

The Bucks finished the game with 554 yards, while Taravella was held to 121 total yards, 25 coming on the ground.

The Bucks led 24-8 at the half with two scores from Knighton of 16 and 56 yards. The other was a 26-yard pass from Derohn King to Bryce Gowdy. King also tossed an 8-yard touchdown pass to Raphael Williams. Brandon Dorlus added a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter.

Foster, Mascatello, Smith team for win in PBMGA

The trio of Jim Foster, Bob Mascatello and Willie Smith, their blind draw partner, shot a 121 and took top honors in the Pompano Beach Men’s Golf Association tournament on Sept. 26 at the Pines Course at Pompano Municipal Golf Course.

The team won the two best ball of threesome tournament on a match of cards with a back nine score of 60.

The team of Pete Strychowskyj, Max Walker and Roy Wilhoite also shot a 121, however they shot a total of 64 on the back nine to finish second. The team of Chuck Brown, Bart Valerio and their blind draw partner, Bob Mascatello, shot a 123 to finish in third as they also won a match of cards with a back nine score of 60.

The closest to the pin winner was Joe Patchen.

By Gary Curreri

Juniors Jaylan Knighton and Derohn King helped make quick work of host Coral Springs as nationally ranked Deerfield Beach rolled past the Colts, 55-6 at James Caldwell Stadium.

“They came out and excited very well and made the most of the short time they played,” said Deerfield Beach coach Jevon Glenn, whose team is ranked 37th nationally by MaxPreps. “They both only played the first half as we were up 49-6.”

The Bucks, which face Taravella this week, have outscored the opposition 174-46 this season and host No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas on Oct. 5. The teams have split their past four meetings with the Raiders winning 14-0 last year. Glenn was pleased with his team’s effort against the Colts.

“We did what we were supposed to do,” Glenn said. “I was pleased with our execution and was happy to get the backups and young guys a chance to play the entire second half.”

King was 11 for 17 passing for 153 yards and five TDs in one half of action. He has 12 TDs in his last four games. Knighton had 10 carries for 239 yards and two scores.

Szklany repeats as Sunshine State Conference Runner of the Week

Embry-Riddle cross country’s Ryan Szklany earned his second straight Sunshine State Conference Runners of the Week award.

Szklany set a personal-best for the Eagles at the Mountain Dew Invitational, hosted by the University of Florida.

Szklany, a freshman from Lighthouse Point, etched his name into the ERAU men’s cross-country record books with a time of 24:51.6, becoming the seventh-fastest runner in program history. Szklany’s time of 24:51.6 put him ninth overall and made him the top non-DI finisher. Szklany helped lead the Eagles to the non-D1 team title, making the Blue and Gold 2-for-2 in 2018.

Szklany finished third overall in his first-ever collegiate race, leading the Eagles to the team title when he clocked a 26:26.41.

Teammate Sarah Edens also earned her second straight Sunshine State Conference Runner of the Week award when she ran the third-fastest time in program history, a 17:30.69, bettering her previous career-best time by nearly a minute (18:22.61 at Sand Shark Invitational – Oct. 22, 2016).

HCA Family Fitness Day planned

Highlands Christian Academy is planning its annual Family Fun Fitness day for Saturday, Oct. 13 from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

They will have vendors and assorted challenges. They will have a 20-minute fitness class starting at 10:15 a.m. followed by a 20-minute walk/run at 11:10 a.m. The event will close with challenge winners being announced at 11:30 a.m.

By Gary Curreri, Correspondent

Former Deerfield Beach High and University of Michigan quarterback Denard “Shoelace” Robinson was all smiles as his No. 16 jersey was retired at halftime at the annual McDougle Bowl.

By then, current Deerfield Beach quarterback Derohn King had tossed touchdown passes on the first three series of the game as the Bucks seized a 32-0 halftime lead and coasted to a 46-0 win over neighborhood rival Blanche Ely on Saturday night.

“I am blessed to get my jersey retired,” said the 27-year-old Robinson, a 2009 Deerfield Beach grad who played collegiately at the University of Michigan and played from 2013-16 with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He became just the second Bucks player to have his jersey retired joining Stockar McDougle in the exclusive club. McDougle had his jersey retired in 2005.

“This is my community and I always come back and give back and they always show me love,” he added. “They ain’t going to wait until I am dead.they showed me love now and I appreciate it.”

King, a junior who transferred from Piper, threw scoring passes of 57 yards to Donte Banton, 23 yards to Deajaun McDougle and 68 yards to Bryce Gowdy. Vgor Fiuza connected on a 35-yard field goal and Jaylan Knighton added a 1-yard run for a 32-0 lead with 1:51 left in the half for the state’s top-ranked Class 8A team by Associated Press and the nation’s 24th ranked team by MaxPreps. King has tossed seven TD passes in the past two weeks.

Knighton added a 43-yard scoring run on the first series of the third quarter to up the lead to 38-0 and force a running clock. Miles Dickens recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown with 2:50 remaining for the final margin. Knighton also had a strong game with 16 carries for 148-yards.

Deerfield Beach (4-0) leads the series against Blanche Ely 22-16, winning the last seven times after Ely (1-3) was able to win three consecutive games from 2009-11. The Bucks, who won last year’s contest 55-8, have outscored the Tigers 240-41 during that span.

“In certain points in games like this, we need to play against ourselves,” Deerfield coach Jevon Glenn said. “This was a game of importance because it’s a neighborhood rivalry.”

Deerfield Beach wasted little time in taking a 7-0 lead as King found senior wide receiver Banton on a 57-yard scoring toss on the game’s third play with 10:50 left in the first quarter. It was the only score the Bucks needed.

Retired NFL players and brothers Stockar and Jerome McDougle have hosted the McDougle Bowl for seven years. Stockar McDougle (1996 Deerfield Beach grad) and Jerome McDougle (1997 Blanche Ely grad) are also heavily involved in the community.

They typically handed out $1,000 scholarships to the MVPs from each team for the game; however, this year, they decided to donate the money to Blanche Ely sophomore Wilbens Morissaint, who is making progress in rehab after suffering a severe neck and back injury in a high school football game in August.

The Bucks finished 8-3 last season and was an upset loser to Western in the first round of the Class 8A playoffs.

By Gary Curreri

The Pompano Beach Junior Lifeguard program once again proved its supremacy on the sand.

The program finished second in the state and then had several standout performers at the 2018 United States Lifesaving Association (USLA) National Championships at Virginia Beach.

The team prepared for the national event by competing in the USLA Regional competition in Flagler Beach and nearly two dozen junior lifeguards made the trip to Virginia, which featured about 400 competitors from around the country.

Pompano claimed nine national championships and also earned a plethora of silver and bronze medals. Among the locals claiming national titles were Isabella Taylor, who successfully defended her Ironguard and Paddleboard national championships and added the Surf Swim Race championship to her resume.

Raphael Santos captured national titles in the Run-Swim-Run and the Surf Swim distance race.

Summer Schulte won a gold medal in the Run-Swim-Run event, while Grace Parnas won gold in the Board Race, and teammate Reese Andres won national championships in the C Division for the Ironguard and the Board race.

At the state competition, Santos, 15, led a 1-2-3 sweep for Pompano in the ocean swim event. He’s competed for the Pompano Beach Junior Lifeguard program for the past four years.

“I just started liking it a lot more,” said Santos, a sophomore at Pompano Beach High School. “It has helped me with ocean swimming in general. I swim in the pool, and in the ocean, it is like two different things. When I go to the junior lifeguard training, it is like a whole different environment and it is like better off.”

Santos said he likes to compete but added learning about the ocean is also a nice add on for the summer program.

“It is pretty interesting,” said Santos, who finished sixth at state last year in both of his events — 200 IM and 500-free during the high school season. “You can be swimming in a pool, but in the ocean, you can be swimming out and the next thing you know you are drifting past the buoy. You have to know how to swim towards the current a little bit to keep straight swimming. There are no lane lines out here or flags.”

Pompano Beach’s Alex Marquez, 16, was runner-up to Santos in the swim event. He is also a teammate of Santos’ at Pompano Beach High School where he is a junior. He’s been with the Pompano Beach Junior lifeguard program since he was nine. Marquez placed third in Ironguard at Nationals.

“I am a swimmer originally, so I like anything with swimming in it,” Marquez said. “This has helped me a lot, especially with discipline. It felt really good to sweep the event. It is nice to know when you are ahead. The top 10 people here are all on the same team, even though we might be on different teams at the swimming pool. It was kind of fun to swim against them. It is bragging rights for sure.”

Trio wins scramble golf event

Joel Englander, Bill O’Brien and Willie Smith took top honors with a 68 after a match of cards to win the three-man scramble for the Pompano Beach Men’s Golf Association at the Pines Course at Pompano Beach Municipal Golf Club.

Finishing second was Chuck Brown, Jim Foster, and Dave Dowling, also with a 68. They shot 36 on the back nine while the winning group carded a 34 for the back nine in the August 28th tournament. George Disch, Lee Hammer and Bart Valerio finished in third with a team total of 69.

Dennis Sejda struck his tee shot within 7-ft., 7 in. on the 15th hole to win Closest to the Pin honors.

By Gary Curreri

Deerfield Beach High School senior running back Jaylan Knighton said it came down to who wanted it more in the team’s game against the defending 3A state champion, Chaminade-Madonna.

“It was how bad do you want it?” said Knighton, a University of Oklahoma commit, who helped his team to a 13-10 victory. “They won a state championship last year and we are fittin’ to win it this year. We proved to them that we don’t care about none of that. We just are going to come out here and work.”

Knighton got things started for the Bucks with a 65-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter. Deajaun McDougle hauled in a 30-yard scoring pass just before halftime to give Deerfield a 13-3 halftime lead and they held on for the win.

Deerfield Beach coach Jevon Glenn said his team welcomes tough opponents.

“This is a measuring stick,” Glenn said. “We had a chance to win a powder puff game, but we don’t do that. We want to be better. When it is all said and done, we want to have wars like this so we may be in the same kind of war (this) Friday night in Lawrenceville, Georgia.

“It is all about repetition,” Glenn added. “When you get on a bike, you don’t think right pedal first and then left pedal…You just ride it because you have done it so many times. We have been riding like this for the last four years. We have guys who have been here for four years and they know and the new guys are feeding off the old guys, those veterans. We still have a long way to go, but I like our direction.”

Ely Coach Randall gets Hall nod

Blanche Ely boys basketball coach Melvin Randall will be inducted into the Broward County Sports Hall of Fame this fall. The ceremony will take place Oct. 23 at the Greater Broward County Convention Center.

Randall, who has won 553 games in his 25-year career, has also captured a record eight state championships.

“The announcement threw me a little bit,” Randall said. “I am excited about it. I feel very, very blessed. Getting in the Hall of Fame means a lot to me.”

Randall has won multiple state championships at different schools, which puts him in a category by himself.

Randall led Deerfield Beach to its only boys basketball state titles in 1997 and 1999. He then turned Ely into a dynasty, winning four state titles in a five-year span from 2012-2016.

“I am not going to relax and expect anything to come to me,” Randall said. “I’m always looking to get better. I still have that energy to work hard and get those kids ready for not just basketball but the next chapter in their lives.”