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.”

By Gary Curreri

Adam Ratkevich couldn’t have picked a better spot to coach Western High School to the first win in school history.

Ratkevich exacted a little bit of revenge against his former school as the Wildcats football coach piloted his team to a stunning, 20-17 victory over host Deerfield Beach in the regional quarterfinals last week.

“We ended our season on this field last year and we had t-shirts printed up with ‘Unfinished Business’ and that was about the playoffs,” said Coach Ratkevich, whose team lost 27-13 to the Bucks in the first round of the playoffs in 2016.

“I told our seniors last year they built this thing and we are gonna stand on their shoulders and I promised the juniors if we saw these guys again we’d do it.”

Ratkevich, who coached the Bucks in 2009 and 2010, left the program after making the playoffs despite finishing with a 2-9 record. It was the first losing season since finishing 4-6 in 1989 and only the sixth losing season in the 40 years of varsity football at the school. Ratkevich finished with a 9-13 record at the school.

Western’s Harrison story tossed two touchdowns to Jordan Smith, including a 7-yard score with 3:19 to go to clinch the team’s victory over the state’s top-ranked Class 8A team by the Associated Press.

The Wildcats (9-2) defense recovered four fumbles of the night to keep Deerfield Beach (8-3) at bay.

Deerfield Beach running back Jaylan Knighton led all rushers with 126 yards on 21 carries, including a 34-yard touchdown that gave the Bucks the early, 7-0 lead. Story tied the game at 7-7 with a 2-yard run before Linden Rivera gave the Bucks a 10-7 halftime lead with a 30-yard field goal.

Deerfield Beach Coach Jevon Glenn said his team just couldn’t overcome turnovers and penalties. The Bucks were whistled 16 times for 120 yards.

Story gave Western a 13-10 lead on a 3-yard touchdown pass to Smith with 8:54 left in the third quarter; however, the Bucks wouldn’t go down without a fight as Kyle Kaplan hit Donte Banton for a 34-yard touchdown with 2:50 left to play.

The Bucks, making their 16th playoff appearance since 2000 and 26th overall since 1977, could get no closer.

Pompano’s Christensen finishes 11th

Pompano Beach High junior Thomas Christensen tied for 11th with a 155 (80-75) at the Class 2A state tournament at Mission Inn Resort & Club in Howey-in-the-Hills last week.

He was medalist at the

regional tournament and helped the Golden Tornadoes to a third place team finish. Pompano Beach also finished an impressive 10-1 this season.

By Gary Curreri

Deerfield Beach football coach Jevon Glenn knows bigger days are ahead for the state’s top-ranked Class 8A team.

The Bucks played three games in eight days and showed no signs of letting up last Friday night as they amassed 529 total yards of offense, while budgeting Monarch to 46 yards and crushing the Knights, 49-0, in a District 11-8A game at Coconut Creek High School.

“We are starting to peak at the right moment,” said Glenn, whose team also defeated Douglas, 35-0, and Blanche Ely, 55-8, in recent days. “Defensively, we knew early on they were going to have to carry us.”

“Offensively, our quarterback Tyron (Herring) has been doing a good job and our numbers have been starting to increase and we are getting a little more consistent on that end,” Glenn continued. “We are peaking at the right time.”

Senior Jakari Norwood rushed for 124 on eight carries and scored three times as the Bucks took command of the district race. Sophomore Jaylan Knighton added 16 carries for 140 and a 50-yard scoring run.

Deerfield Beach (6-2, 3-0) won its third consecutive game following a 14-0 loss at St. Thomas Aquinas. It also recorded its third shutout of the season and hasn’t allowed a score in 11 straight quarters, and just one score in its past 14 quarters. Monarch (5-2, 3-1) saw its four game win streak come to an end.

Deerfield got on the scoreboard first on a 33-yard scoring run by Norwood for a 7-0 lead with 7:53 remaining in the first quarter. The Bucks scored twice in the second quarter to open up a 21-0 halftime cushion.

Junior quarterback Tyron Herring scored on a 2-yard plunge with 11:10 remaining in the second quarter to cap an 11-play, 98-yard drive, and Norwood scored his second touchdown on a 27-yard run four minutes later.

Norwood scored on a 1-yard run, while Knighton added a 50-yard TD run in the third. Senior quarterback Kyle Kaplan threw touchdown passes of 60 yards to senior Mason Mobley and 14 yards to senior Ladarius Burrows to complete the scoring. Kaplan was 5 of 7 for 118 yards and two scores in the second half.

“We are battle tested,” Glenn said. “Some guys are running around and they got great records, but they haven’t played anybody. When they do, they get smacked in the face. Let’s just call a spade a spade. We know in our district we are not going to get challenged. That’s why we play teams like St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, NJ) and St. Thomas Aquinas. The kids can have that taste of defeat so they can stay hungry.”

Deerfield was 4-1 against Monarch since 2013. The Knights’ lone win over the Bucks came in 2014 with a 35-0 win. Monarch saw its four game win streak come to an end. The Knights won four straight following a 41-9 loss to Coconut Creek in the second game of the season.

Norwood said the team could still improve.

“This is real good performance,” Norwood said. “The O-line did a great job today and the coaches put us in a position to do well. This shows us that we are good, but there is much improvement to be made. We can get better in the running game and hit the holes better.”

By Gary Curreri

Lighthouse Point’s Kevin Mendez is looking for a repeat performance at state.

After sitting out the beginning of this season with an injury, it appears that the eighth-grader at Pine Crest School in Ft. Lauderdale is prepared to defend his Class 1A state diving championship.

Mendez, 14, recently showed he is going to be a state contender after winning the boys 1-meter diving title at the 54th annual Woodson Invitational at the Pine Crest School pool with a total score of 497.95 after sitting the first six weeks of the season with a broken thumb.

“This helps a lot confidence-wise because I had the broken thumb and just came back (from the injury,” said Mendez, who had three top 8 finishes, including second in the 1-meter diving event at the national championships this summer, despite a fractured finger. I have only been diving four days, so to do this well was unexpected. It will boost my confidence a lot. I was pretty happy.”

His efforts helped Pine Crest take second in the team race with 229 points at the meet. Perennial Class 1A state champion Jacksonville Bolles, winners of 26 consecutive state titles, won both the boys’ and girls’ titles.

Mendez is hopeful of retaining his gold medal at the state meet at the Sailfish Splash Waterpark, Aquatic Athletics Center in Stuart on Nov. 4.

“There is zero pressure on me to win a state title because it is unexpected being young,” Mendez said. “Nobody expects you to win, so you just go in there and do your thing. I am used to it.

“I have won a couple of national championships so I am used to the pressure,” Mendez continued. “I would say my favorite board (event) is the 1-meter.”

He got his start in diving when he was taking swimming lessons, spotted the diving board and asked if he could give it a whirl. It was 10 years ago, and Mendez said he has loved diving ever since.

“You just adapt to it,” Mendez said. “It is kind of scary at first. Like anything, the more you do it, the more you get used to it.”

Since he won the high school title last year, he knows what to expect.

 “I think I have a chance of winning states again,” Mendez said. “I am going to try my best and do my best. I think I have a good shot.”

Bucks cruise past Taravella

Deerfield Beach High School’s football team grounded out an easy 50-6 victory over visiting Taravella last week. 

The Bucks totaled 507 yards rushing, with three players running for more than 125 yards each – Jakari Norwood (141 yards and two TDs), Jerome Neal (140 yards, TD) and Jaylan Knighton (125 yards). The Bucks (3-1) travel to St. Thomas Aquinas this Friday for a huge non-district game.

Tigers tamed in defeat

Auburn commit Shaun Shivers rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns, all in the first half, to lead Chaminade-Madonna to a 44-0 win over Blanche Ely in a non-district game, Monday at Blanche Ely.

Shivers scored on two of his five carries for the game with scoring runs of 79 and 55 yards. Quarterback Daelen Menard also accounted for a pair of scores, finishing 4 of 6 for 123 yards. The Lions (3-2) scored on their first three possessions, with their first two scoring drives taking just one play each.

Blanche Ely slipped to 2-3 with the loss.