By Gary Curreri

It took five rounds, but it was worth the wait when Deerfield Beach’s Denard Robinson found out his NFL destination.

Robinson, 22, was selected with the second pick of the fifth round (135 overall) by the Jacksonville Jaguars and hopes his speed and athleticism will get him on the field quickly.

“They can put me in at receiver or running back or whatever,” Robinson said on the conference call with Jacksonville reporters following the draft. “There’s a lot of different positions, so I’m excited about doing that.”

Robinson, a University of Michigan senior, set the NCAA record for rushing yards by a quarterback, rushing for 4,495 yards and Michigan records for total yards (10,776) and touchdowns (91). He played quarterback for the Wolverines at Michigan, prior to suffering a nerve injury in his elbow last season. He then eventually moved into the Wolverines’ backfield as a running back behind QB Devin Gardner.

But during Senior Bowl week, the NFL combine and Michigan’s Pro Day scouts asked Robinson to run through drills at receiver (as well as punt/kick returner) because of Robinson’s athleticism that would make him a weapon there.

Contributions to special teams are highly likely. His 4.43 second 40-yard dash and elite ability to elude tacklers could make him a valuable punt and kick returner in the NFL.

Robinson is confident as he continues his football career. He told ESPN Radio 98.7 in New York prior to the draft that he was comfortable playing running back.

“When I get at that running back position, I can take it the distance,” said Robinson, who finished his college career with back-to-back 100-yard rushing games against Ohio State and South Carolina. “I can take the pounding of getting hit a couple times. I can go at receiver and make cornerbacks look bad…Once I get the ball in my hands and I’m in open space, I can’t be tackled one-on-one. That’s my motto: ‘Every time I get the ball, it’s time for me to get in the end zone.’”

Robinson has been making a name for himself on the football field since he was a member of the Deerfield Beach Packer Rattlers in his youth football days.

However, not by his birth name of Denard Xavier Robinson, but “Shoelace,” a nickname he got when he was 10 and playing for his Pee Wee team with his shoelaces untied.

“It’s been a dream to play in the NFL,” said Robinson, a 2008 graduate of Deerfield Beach High School. “Now, it has become a reality.”

By Gary Curreri

Pompano Beach’s Gabriel Gagnaire and his younger sister Maya were happy campers recently as they took part in the week-long Simply Soccer camp at the city’s Four Fields Complex.

“I had a lot of fun because you got to scrimmage and go to the pool,” said the 11-yearold Gabriel Gagnaire. “There were a bunch of different games and we learned a lot of skills. I liked everything we did.”

The camp marked the seventh year that the city of Pompano has hosted the Simply Soccer camp for boys and girls, ages 5-14, of all skill levels.

The day consisted of a group warm-up with all campers before they broke into groups based on age and skill levels. The first part of the day was learning a skill (dribbling, passing, receiving, heading/chipping shooting) and then playing games or activities utilizing that particular skill.

“This was a lot of fun,” said Pompano Beach 11-yearold Brandon Davis. “I learned a lot more than I usually do and I scored a lot more goals than I usually do. I liked the scrimmages too.”

After a short break for lunch and some time at the swimming pool, the campers were right back out for end-of-the -day scrimmages.

Lighthouse Point’s Jacob Evans, 8, said he learned a lot during the week.

“This was a lot of fun,” Evans said. “I really enjoy playing soccer. We did shooting, different drills and passing. Shooting was the best part of the week!”

“Friday is our World Cup tournament where we break the entire camp up into small teams (5v5) and play during the morning,” said Simply Soccer coach Jim Cappello. “At the end of the day we gave players their evaluations and certificates. We try and make it as fun as possible so they learn and want to keep playing the sport.”

Simply Soccer will return this summer. There are three sessions each day ranging from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. ($100 weekly); extended hours camp is available from 8 a.m.to 4 p.m. ($125 weekly) and a Tiny Tot program is offered for kids ages 5 and 6 from 9 a.m. to noon ($55 weekly).

For more information on the summer camp offerings, call the city of Pompano Parks and Recreation Department at 954-786-4119

By Gary Curreri

Blaise Leone is looking forward to the city’s first ever Extreme Aquathon on Saturday, April 20.

Leone, a Parks and Recreation Manager II for the city of Deerfield Beach, has slated a run/swim/run event for boys and girls ages 7-12 at the Deerfield Beach Middle School Athletic Complex at 501 SE 6 Ave.

“We wanted to do something new and different,” said Leone. “We wanted to make it fun for the kids. I see a lot of those kinds of extreme races for adults, the mud races and those types of things, so I wanted to do something different than just a running race. To increase the fun factor, we added obstacles to the first run portion of this race.”

“They will go through a series of tires and a series of foam obstacles before maneuvering through a low crawl like a cargo net,” Leone said. “They will go about 100 yards and go through a transition area, which is a 50-yard swim in the pool and, when they come back out, there will be about a ½-mile run through one of our baseball fields and then a lap around the track.”

The 7-9 age group will start at 8 a.m., while the 10- 12 age group will start at 9 a.m. The course will be the same for both age groups.

Leone said he would consider adding a cycling component once they get the race management down and doing a more extreme event for kids and also putting together an event for adults.

There will be Olympic-style medals for The top 3 places for both male and female participants in each age group. All participants also get a T-shirt, backpack and lunch provided by Muscle Maker Grill.

“They don’t have to be elite athletes,” Leone said. “It is a relatively short course that anyone can come and have fun.”

The registration fee is $23 and the registration is limited to the first 100 participants. Registration can be done in advance at the Middle School Athletic Complex office or online at www.deerfieldbeach.com. They will also accept registration on the day of the event.

For more information, contact the athletic office at 954- 480-4426.

Randall named coach of the year

Blanche Ely’s Melvin Randall was recently named the state’s overall boys basketball Dairy Farmers Coach of the Year.

Randall guided the Tigers to a 27-2 record and their second consecutive state championship. It was also Blanche Ely’s third state title during his tenure at the school as it also won the 6A title in 2007. Blanche Ely finished the season ranked No. 8 in the final MaxPreps XCellent 25.

Randall finished ahead of runner-up Neal Goldman of Tampa Jesuit, the Class 5A Coach of the Year who led his Tigers to a 31-1 record and the program’s first state title since 1984.

The Tigers concluded its campaign this season with a heartbreaking 66-65 overtime loss to Dallas Texas’ Prime Prep in the quarterfinals of the National High School Invitational, a postseason tournament that featured some of the best high school basketball teams in the nation.

Ely, which was making its second appearance in as many years at the tournament, was led by Kahlil Thomas’ team high 20 points and nine rebounds, Lance Tejada (12 points) and Therrell Gossier (11 points, 10 rebounds). Prime Prep’s Jordan Mickey had a game-high 28 points for the Spartans (37-1).

By Gary Curreri

Every Sunday afternoon, Deerfield Beach’s Andy Pollack and other coaches and fathers involved with the Parkland RedHawks youth lacrosse program get together and run around like they were young again.

Pollack, 46, who owns and manages a real estate firm,started playing the sport in junior high in Long Island. He said the men enjoy playing in the pickup games.

“We just like getting together and playing and having a good time,” said Pollack, who also played for the Buzzards men’s lacrosse team is based out of Parkland. Earlier this year, the Buzzards joined 35 other teams who played in the 12th annual Men’s Florida Lacrosse Classic at Tequesta Trace Park in Weston, which helped raise money for youth lacrosse players around the state.

“We like playing in it,” Pollack said. “It’s not the big picture. We could care less if we win or lose the tournament. We are competitive and like to win, but we want to have a good time and no one gets hurt.”

All of the money raised from the tournament goes to the Florida Youth Lacrosse Foundation. The tournament serves as a major fundraising initiative for supporting youth lacrosse programs throughout Florida. It is the largest non-profit post collegiate lacrosse tournament in the country.

Pollack was one of the founders of the RedHawks, which has grown to more than 400 players.

“Anytime a kid has a stick in his hand rather than a joystick, it’s a good thing,” Pollack said. “You get them off that computer.”

Pollack, like most of his teammates, enjoyed the camaraderie playing against teams from around the country in the tournament instead of locking sticks with each other.

“For me it is a mini vacation,” Pollack said. “I own my own business, so when I get on the field, you put everything on the sidelines, all of the stress in life, and you are just thinking about picking up the ball and making that pass. You are not distracted by everyday life, so, for me, that’s what attracts me to the sport.”

By Gary Curreri

Lorraine Beaubien has only been playing golf for three years; however, she already has accomplished something people wait a lifetime for.

The 54-year-old Pompano Beach woman earned her first hole-in-one when she used a driver on the 149- yard, Par-3, 17th hole on the first round on the new Greg Norman Signature Course at Pompano Municipal Golf Course.

“I believe in numbers,” Beaubien said. “It happened the first day of the year, the first day The Pines Course opened. It was the first holein- one on the new Pines Course. It was my first hole in- one in my life and my score was 100.”

When the Norman Signature Course held its grand opening ceremony two weeks later, Beaubien had Greg Norman sign her ball. She said she used the driver because that was the distance it would cover given her relative inexperience in the sport.

“For me, it’s a new sport. I think I have an addiction,” Beaubien said. “I can play seven days a week. I play normally four to five times a week, and, the days I don’t play, I read golf books or I watch the golf channel to learn new tips.”

Beaubien enjoys being outside on the links. She likes nature and being out with positive and generous people.

“It is also a technical sport with rules,” said Beaubien, a mother of two. “You need concentration and silence. Who can ask for more? I am playing very well and my husband has been playing 40 years. To do this, I’m sure they are very proud of me and it gave me so much confidence.” “(Getting a hole-in-one) is comparable to something that unfortunately hasn’t happened yet,” Beaubien said. “It is unbelievable, like winning something in a casino.”

Beaubien said she returned the day after her hole in- one and hit a similar shot on the same hole.

“The day after, I returned to play another game on the same course and I hit my ball exactly at the same place,” Beaubien said, “but they moved the flag.”

By Gary Curreri

Deerfield Beach’s Jordon Murphy has enjoyed success in and out of the boxing ring. The 13-year-old Murphy recently took second place in the National Silver Gloves Championships in Independence, Missouri and was also presented a proclamation at the March 5 City Commission meeting.

“It is very humbling,” said Murphy, who has been boxing for the Deerfield Beach BSO-PAL for the past five years. The two-time national boxing champion has logged more than 500 community service volunteer hours. “I go around picking up trash and help with art festival and do other things around the community.”

It is a tall order for Murphy, who dropped a narrow decision to New Jersey’s Malik Nelson in the championship bout of the 75-pound division.

Murphy, who won the state and regional silver gloves titles to reach the national finals, is also an outstanding student in the classroom with a 3.4 GPA at Lyons Creek Middle School.

Murphy, a seventh-grader, runs track for Lyons Creek Middle School, wrestles for the Deerfield Beach BSOPAL and plays Little League baseball.

“I like (boxing) a lot,” said Murphy, who won national titles in 2010 and 2012. “It is the best sport I do. I like fighting and training to get ready for the big tournaments. I train Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for two hours a day. I want to be a professional.”

“I think the best part is training for a fight because it helps me get conditioned,” Murphy added. “It helps me in school, and if I am doing track, it helps me with my energy and stuff in other sports.”

Murphy said he wasn’t disappointed with his performance at this year’s national competition because he tried his best.

“It has been a pleasure to watch him grow as a person and as a boxer,” said Deerfield Beach BSO Deputy Butch Santy, who heads the PAL program. “The one constant about Jordon is his desire to win and his willingness to put in the hard work to be one of the best boxers, poundfor- pound, in the country.”

Murphy’s coach, Steve Collazo, said he’s proud of his boxer’s accomplishments.

“He’s been tremendous,” Collazo said. “Jordon is one of the hardest workers in the gym and then he gives back to the community. He’s at everything … the DJ Program, the tutoring program … He boxes, does wrestling and baseball. He’s always busy.”

The program is free and Collazo said there are 10 boxers in the competitive program and between 35-40 in the recreational program. Collazo also said there were about 10 who just train.

“We work hard to give these kids the opportunities,” Collazo said with a smile. “The price they pay is the community service to the people who help us keep this going. They pay with their sweat and effort, so it really isn’t free.”

By Gary Curreri

The last time Deerfield Beach won a state title it defeated Blanche Ely in the 1999 championship game. Now, both teams, in different classes, have the same aspirations.

Blanche Ely, the defending Class 7A champion and top ranked team in the state, survived a scare and held on for a double overtime, 85-79 victory over visiting Palm Beach Lakes to advance to Lakeland for the state semifinals this week.

The Tigers are hopeful of becoming just the third team from Broward County to win back-to-back state championships on Saturday night.

Marcus Owens scored 17 points and pulled down 8 rebounds, while Joshua Huntley added 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Bucks (28-4), who will play the state’s fifth ranked Hagerty (Oviedo) squad in the state semifinal on March 1. It is the Bucks first trip to Lakeland since 1999 when it last won the state title.

Deerfield Beach coach Kenny Brown said the team learned a lot in its two losses to Blanche Ely down the stretch. Blanche Ely handed Deerfield Beach its only two losses in its past 10 years.

“Those losses taught us we have to play 32 minutes of Bucks basketball,” Brown said. “We learned that we had to come out and play tougher and play hard. This is a different team now. I know that defense wins championships, but I am an offensive guy and we work on shooting.” Blanche Ely needed to work overtime to punch its ticket to the state tournament in Lakeland – double overtime actually. The Tigers (25-1) will face Bartow in the Class 7A state semifinals next week at the Lakeland Center.

Richard Lee led the Tigers, who are ranked No. 18 in USA Today’s Super 25 national poll, in scoring with 22 points. Lance Tejada and Dallas Cameron scored 19 and 20 points, respectively, as Blanche Ely rallied from a 63-58 deficit with a little more than two minutes remaining. Khalil Thomas finished with 16 points, 17 rebounds and five blocks as the Tigers outscored Palm Beach Lakes, 11-2, in the second overtime.

By Gary Curreri

Deerfield Beach High boys’ basketball coach Kenny Brown believes this could be the best team he has had in his five years at the school.

“I think this year’s team compares favorably to the teams we’ve had in the past,” said Brown, whose team defeated Cypress Bay, 54-34, behind Marcus Owens’ game-high 21 points, 8 rebounds and 4 steals in the regional semifinal on Tuesday night. “I think this year’s team is deeper. We have a sense of urgency because these guys are seniors. Many of them have been on varsity for all four years. It’s been a long time coming. They deserve what they can get.”

The Bucks (27-4) are the top-ranked Class 8A team in the state and are hoping to reach the state final four. The team lost in the regional final last year to Spanish River, 67-61. Until then, Deerfield Beach hadn’t reached the state series since 2004.

“It hurt immensely,” said Brown, whose team will host Jupiter on Saturday night in the regional final. “It hurt a lot, but at the same time, we used it as a learning experience of what it takes to get to where we want to get to. We know this is a small stepping stone to where we are trying to get. I can always reference back to last year and say if you don’t like that feeling, make sure you do everything you need to do.”

The Bucks are hopeful of winning a state title they first won in 1997.

They won again in 1999 under then coach Melvin Randall, who now coaches at Blanche Ely and led the Tigers to the Class 7A championship last season.

Two of Deerfield Beach’s four losses this season were to Blanche Ely, another was a loss to Sagemont and the fourth was a 5-point defeat to Ballard (KY) in the Kingdom of the Sun holiday tournament in Ocala.

“This is fun, but we want more,” said senior guard Terence Johnson, who leads the team with 17.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. “We want the state championship. The seniors know this is our last year so we are more hungry because we want to go out on top. There isn’t really any pressure. We know we are the favorites and we don’t want to let anybody down, especially ourselves so we are going to try and win it all.”

The Bucks have also received solid performances this season from senior guard Owens (16.1 points, 6.2 RB), senior center/ power forward Joshua Huntley (7.2 points, 7.8 RB), junior guard Vanderbilt Carpenter (9.4 points, 6.1 assists) and senior small forward Javaris Jenkins (9.4 points, 7.3 RB).

“I think we are good enough to be a state championship team,” Owens said. “We just have to play hard and have no let ups. We have to play 32 minutes of Bucks basketball.”

Brown said playing a team like Blanche Ely this season is a benefit.

“Those games definitely helped us down the road,” Brown said. “The competition level … the intensity … the amount of focus you need the entire game. There was no let up.”

Brown smiled when asked if they could win a state championship. “Stay tuned!” he said.

By Gary Curreri

Caitlin Huiting has her sights on taking her golfing career to a whole new level.

Whether it is on the LPGA tour or at a golf course, there is little doubt she can accomplish what she wants to.

“I want to be a pro golfer,” said Huiting, who spent her senior high school season playing for the boys’ golf team at Zion Christian Lutheran School in Deerfield Beach. “Either that or a teacher on a big golf course somewhere.”

When it came time for districts, she teed it up with the girls and finished third with an 82 in the District 7-1A competition and advanced to regionals. She duplicated her score at regionals, but didn’t advance to state. She is the first girls’ golfer at her school.

Huiting, 18, enjoyed competing against the boys. Her school team was composed of seven middle school and high school boys as teammates and Huiting said the biggest challenge was driving the ball and how she was a little shorter off the tee in some cases. She made up for it with a stellar short game.

“It was fun playing high school golf against the boys,” said Huiting, who was one of 91 female golfers from around the United States, as well as from China and Finland, that competed in the recent Dixie Amateur Women’s Golf Tournament at the Heron Bay Golf Club in Coral Springs. “I was a great experience, and I enjoyed it a lot actually. It was a lot different than playing with girls.”

Huiting doesn’t practice golf that often, and tries to play one tournament a month. The Dixie Amateur was a step up for Huiting as she took on some of the top amateur golfers in the world.

Huiting opened with an 88, but finished 79-73 for a 240 total and narrowly missed the cut for the final round. Huiting is headed to Seminole State College on a full ride scholarship to play golf next season.

“I am a little surprised that I have done as well as I have without playing that much,” said Huiting, who plans to play in the Future Collegians World Tour at Inverarry Country Club on Feb. 9. “I work really hard for it when I do practice. Taking time off just helps me to recuperate and do better the next time.”

Huiting said she likes golf because of the nature of the game.

“I like the respect that it has,” Huiting said. “Everybody who is around golf is just very respectful. It kind of makes you grow up more. Being around all of the older people is so nice. They are always so courteous and everything. I enjoy it.”

She is also an all-around athlete having played volleyball and softball all four years. She was also a member of the school’s girls’ soccer team and scored twice for the Lions including a penalty kick in a 2-1 (2-1 PKs) shootout win over Highlands Christian in the District 13-1A tournament. The team went on to lose to Yeshiva, 5-0, in the semifinals and finished the year 5-10-1.

By Gary Curreri

Melvin Randall believes his Blanche Ely High School boys basketball team could be the most talented he has ever had at the school.

“They can be better than last year’s team,” said Randall, whose team is the defending Class 7A champions after defeating Oak Ridge, 78-46, in last year’s state championship game. “They show little spurts of it. They have to be consistent. On paper, we have five Division 1 players on this team, but they have to play like it night in and night out. They can run the table and they can be better than last year’s team. I have to keep pushing them and motivating them.”

The host Tigers (15-1) got a game-high 27 points from senior guard Darrion Allen as it defeated Deerfield Beach, 72-60, at home before a standing-room only crowd.

Deerfield Beach (21-3) was led by forward Marcus Owens, who scored 18 points, including 10 in the first quarter as the Bucks stormed out to a 15-5 lead to start the game. Khalil Thomas scored 18 points for the Tigers and Richard Lee added nine points. Vanderbilt Carpenter tallied 16 points for the Bucks.

Getting off to slow starts in games this year has been a problem for Randall and his Tigers.

“We work so hard and they are taught and they know against any team, whether it is a strong team or the less fortunate teams, we are going to have a target on our backs, that teams are going to get up to play Ely because of the success we had last year,” said Randall, who graduated five from last year’s team. “Two were off and on starters, and we added a couple of guys (Lee, transfer from Northeast, and Lance Tejada, a Miramar transfer) who are pretty good.”

Randall said it has been a work in progress. He said he’s been trying to get everyone on the same page because of the pressing style that they like to play.

“It’s different,” Randall said. “It is like another country to them and they are beginning to understand and it is going to take some time. I gave them an expiration date in the middle of January where everybody should be on the same page. They come from a different style and a different philosophy on playing defense. We play an uptempo pressing defense rather than sitting back in a 2-3 zone.”

Senior Dallas Cameron, who committed to American University one week after his 18th birthday in September, said it has been a difficult transition.

“It is really tough to put everything together,” said the 6’ 3”, 175 lb. guard. “The team we had last year had been together for 2 to 3 years, so everyone was committed. That’s why we had so much success last year. This year, with new people coming in, they have to learn the system and defense. They have to learn the system quicker.

“We are getting there,” Cameron said. “We still have a long ways to go. We have come out flat in a lot of games. We have to pick it up because that is going to catch up to us.”

Cameron said it would be huge to win another state title.

“Nobody in Ely history has ever won back-to-back championships,” Cameron said. “There have only been three state championships in Ely history. To go back-to-back would be huge.”