The reality of Friday night’s (7:00) Tri-County Championship 8A semifinal game is that it could be the best game in the state.
You heard that right. While the four best 8A programs will be playing for the right to meet next week at Doak Campbell Stadium this week, Deerfield Beach and Western will be hooking up in a game that could have easily produced an 8A finalist – or champion.
This “Battle of Broward” is truly a showcase meeting – as Adam Ratkevich (Western) and Jevon Glenn (Deerfield) boast two of the top teams in Forida.
This matchup was made courtesy of Covid, and a pandemic that had most of south Florida playing for the first time in November, giving all of Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade County member schools that option whether to play in the state series or come together and play some top-flight football, making the best of a tough situation.
While the Greater Miami Athletic Conference gave their member schools an option whether to play in the state series, Broward and Palm Beach made the choice for all programs.
The result is this first ever post season format that included everyone and matched the best vs. the best (when Covid didn’t interfere) and the teams that are growing each season matched against one another.
The result has been good football against programs, even though there are less than an hour away, that many have not played against before.
That is not the case for Western and Deerfield Beach. Here are two programs that have battled for “8A” supremacy, which is starting to carry a lot of weight in the state of Florida.
Along with defending 8A state champion Miami Christopher Columbus, the next two weeks will be fun to watch.
THE BUCKS FILE
SCHOOL: Deerfield Beach
HEAD COACH: Jevon Glenn
2020 RECORD: 3-0
CLASSIFICATION: 8A
BUCKS TO WATCH:
2021 – Romareo Beckford, FS
2023 - Jayvant Brown, Athlete
2021 - Isaiah Bunn, OL
2021 – Simeal Burke Jr., CB
2022 - Justice Cross, OLB
2021 – Nicholas Davis III, LB
2022 – Jamaree Dukes, RB/LB
2021 – Ygor Fiuza, K
2021 – Robert Floyd Jr., CB
2021 – Tyler Gaskin, CB
2021 – Chris Giganti, OL
2021 – Jaden Gold, P
2022 - Aaron Hicks, OL
2021 - Fred Eaford, WR
2021 - Winslot Greffin, LB
2021 – Jermaine Jefferson, OLB
2022 – Jordan Jeudy, DT
2021 - Michael Jordan, WR
2022 – Cortez Julmis, LB
2022 - Joseph Kennerly, WR
2022 – Daterius Lee, OLB
2021 – Jamario McDougle, WR
2021 – Jared Moorer, CB
2021 - Phillip O'Brien Jr, DB
2022 - Jaziun Patterson, RB
2021 – Mekiel Stewart, RB
2022 - Alton Tarber, DT
2022 – Johnny Tigner III, LB
THE WILDCATS FILE
SCHOOL: Davie Western
HEAD COACH: Adam Ratkevich
2020 RECORD: 3-0
CLASSIFICATION: 8A
WILDCATS TO WATCH:
2021 – Brock Burnette, WR
2021 - Anthony Coaxum, DE
2022 - Percy Courtney, LB
2021 – Carter Davis, PK
2022 - Websley Etienne, DB
2021 – Justin Grieve, LB
2022 – Jayden Herbert, CB
2021 – Kyle Herrera, OL
2022 - Simion Hines, DB
2023 - Collin Hurst, QB
2022 – Daniel Jean, CB
2021 - Rondell Juba, LB
2021 - Fred Killings Jr., WR
2022 – Julian Lewis, WR
2021 - Lucas Londos, OL
2021 - Winsy Pierre Louis, OL
2022 – Logan Miller, WR
2021 - Liam Muhling, LB
2021 – Tykwon Owens, CB
2021 - Zack Rinheart, OL
2022 – Brennan Taranto, WR
2021 – Justin Thomas, OL
2021 - JoJo Vega, RB
2022 - Derik Walker, DL
2022 – Nicholas Watson, DE
2021 - Logan Zollo, OL
BUSY WEEK AGAIN
Once again, the Tri-County Championships will be in full swing this week.
With Western and Deerfield Beach taking center stage, here are some other games of interest:
FRIDAY
8A
Coral Gables at Boca Raton
Coral Springs at Flanagan
Miami High at Palm Beach Gardens
Park Vista at Jupiter
Wellington at Coral Glades
7A
Dwyer at Plantation (PAL)
Fort Lauderdale at Blanche Ely
Hialeah at Olympic Heights
Miami Beach at Royal Palm Beach
Miramar at Delray Atlantic
North Miami at South Plantation
South Broward at Atlantic
6A-1A
Glades Central at Dillard
North Miami Beach at Miami Killian
Stranahan at Carol City, Thursday at Traz Powell Stadium.
PHOTO COURTESY OF WESTERN HIGH
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