By Dave Brousseau - BCAA  Writer

POMPANO BEACH – Every offensive player on the field during Saturday’s high school football game between Deerfield Beach at Blanche Ely didn’t come close to the performance of senior Ladarious Smith, a 5-10 senior, typically plays wide receiver and strong safety. On this night he was called on to be Saturday’s starting quarterback after the departure of Landen Carter.

It turned out to be a great decision by Tigers coach Josh Moore.

Smith rushed for 208 yards on 24 carries and scored the game-winning touchdown run of 64 yards with 30 seconds for a Ely 14-7 none-district game on Saturday.   

“The victory was the Tigers fourth straight over the Bucks, having out scored them 127-7. Deerfield had won 12 consecutive games against Ely dating back to 2012, while outscoring the Tiger 430-67 during that stretch.

“I’m real tired but it comes with preparation, and I wanted to help my team out,” said Smith. “They pushed me to become the best player that I am. Today I had to step up because my teammates depended on me.”

“We lost our quarterback earlier in the week because he transferred out,” said Moore. “I told Ladarious we needed him to play pretty much the whole game. Special teams, defense and quarterback. He came out and put on a show for everybody.”

Deerfield Beach (1-4) took a first quarter lead after recovering an Ely fumble at the Tigers 20. Senior quarterback William Martinez completed a 10-yard scoring pass to Amarion Ray for a 7-0 lead with 4:14 left in the quarter.

Ely (3-2) tied the score at 7-7 on a Preston Tookes scoring receptions with 7:51 left in the second quarter.

Both teams had put themselves in potential scoring positions in the second half, but defenses stiffened in keeping the game tied.

On third-down and nine from their own 36, Smith ran the ball into the gut of the Bucks defense breaking free for the winning score.

“My coach said if the defensive end comes crashing down, go straight up the middle and that’s what I did,” said Smith. “My goal was for 200 yards and get the win for my teammates.”

“That kid was amazing,” said Deerfield Beach coach James Thomas. “We would have rather run the clock out, rather than give him another shot.”

Dave Brousseau is a veteran journalist who worked at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Need to reach out to him? Contact him at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

By Dave Brousseau - BCAA Writer

FORT LAUDERDALE – The combination of St. Thomas Aquinas senior quarterback Mason Mallory and junior wide receiver Julius Jones was proven too much to Western High on Friday.

Mallory connected with Jones seven times for 141 yards and three touchdowns as the Raiders comfortably defeated the Wildcats 45-6 in a non-district meeting on Friday.

“The offense was clicking early with them connecting in meticulous ways,” said Aquinas coach Roger Harriott. “Jones compliments our offensive attack.” It was a great execution between the two tonight.”

Aquinas (3-1), who is No. 1 in south Florida and No. 2 in the state, improved to 20-0 all-time against Western, having outscored the Wildcats 760-175.

The Raiders have now won 12 straight games on the fourth game of the regular season school. Their last loss was to Miramar 22-20 in 2013.

Mallory and Jones connected three times in the first half for touchdowns as part of building a 31-0 lead at the half. Through the Raiders first four games Jones already has seven receptions for touchdowns.

“It’s always great when I have a guy like Julius Jones,” said Mallory. “He shows up every day and is a hard worker. I seemed like today no one could guard him. He always found a way to get open.”

“Things come naturally and I work really hard,” said Jones. “Mallory came in with a great morale and mentality. We have a great chemistry together.”

With the Raiders offense playing a high level, the defense was equally as efficient in shutting down the Wildcats (0-3) offense. They were held to 119 yards in total offense. A late Western touchdown accounted for 34 yards.

Collectively, the Aquinas run game finished with 144 yards on 20 carries with touchdowns coming from Morris Choice and Kayin Liddle.

The Raiders look to extend their win streak to four when they play at McArthur on Friday.

Dave Brousseau is a veteran journalist who worked at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Need to reach out to him? Contact him at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

By Dave Brousseau - BCAA Writer

CORAL SPRINGS – Twelve consecutive losing seasons and 51 consecutive games without scoring at least 40 points.

Last Thursday in a non-district game against Coral Springs Taravella, the Oakland Park Northeast High football team pulled a few surprises not seen in some time in the Hurricanes varsity football program.

Sophomore running back Brenton Jackson rushed for a team-record 365 yards on 21 carries and three touchdowns as the Hurricanes rallied from a 21-0 deficit for a 40-28 victory at Coral Glades High.

Jackson’s record setting night moved him into the fifth best performance all-time in Broward surpassing Howard Perry of Hollywood Hills 355 yards in 1986.

“I just wanted to come out and be dominant and help the team to a victory,” said Jackson. “I did what I had to do. I wanted to have good vision, so when I got the ball, I saw the holes that opened, and I took it.”

Northeast coach Courtney Gordon was not surprised by the impressive performance at all: “I’ve seen him do great things and it’s not a shock to me, but I’m glad he accomplished something that we’ve told him he’s capable of doing,” he pointed out.

After cutting the deficit to 21-14 at the half, the Hurricanes (1-1) finally took the lead on the first touchdown from Jackson and a pick-six from Wood Lucky Dubreus for a 26-21 lead.

Second half scoring runs of six and 79 yards from Jackson pushed the Hurricanes lead to 40-21.

“We know we have people against us and don’t believe in us. We believe in us and that’s all we need,” said Gordon. “There’s four quarters in football and the second half is really where it counts.”

Northeast entered the game 12-82 in the previous 10 seasons and despite an opening season loss to Pembroke Pines Charter, won their third consecutive second game of the season with win over the Trojans.

Northeast faces an impossible task against No. 9 Fort Lauderdale Dillard this Friday.

Taravella (0-2) quarterback Shane Thompson threw for 331 yards and four touchdowns in the loss.

Dave Brousseau is a veteran journalist who worked at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Need to reach out to him? Contact him at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

By Dave Brousseau - BCAA Writer

DAVIE – By no means was the result the comeback for the ages.

Western’s stunning four-run rally in the bottom of the seventh inning proved to be enough as they defeated West Broward with a 5-4 victory in a Class 7A regional final at Western High.

With two outs and the bases loaded, Wildcats starting senior pitcher Ali Solo forced in the winning run when she was hit by a pitch on her right foot to score Katarina Kuma from third.

The stunning victory lifted the Wildcats (20-5-1) to the state semifinals as Boombah-Soldiers Creek Park in Longwood on May 23.

Western is seeking to win its third state championship since winning the Class 9A title in 2018 and last year’s 7A title.

“We fight to the end,” Western coach John Bradshaw. “These girls have been in big games, and they never give up.  We preach that day in and day out.”

“A lot of hard work goes into this. Every time we step on the field, we have a chance to win,” he continued. “The opposing pitcher lost control towards the end, and I instructed Ali (Solo) to take advantage of this opportunity. It turned out and we’re going to state’s.”

Solo, who wasn’t having her best outing as the starting pitcher for Western, relished in the moment.

“This was probably one of the biggest moments for me,” said Solo. I wasn’t expecting her to hit me at all. She had been pitching great all night. Honestly, I was going to do anything for my team at that point. I had been struggling at the plate. Taking that pitch obviously got us somewhere.”

Up 2-1 entering the top of the sixth inning, the Bobcats added two more runs on an error, allowing Mady Remotigue and Cyara Geronimo to score increasing their lead to three runs.

West Broward (18-8) took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning on a two-run double down the left-field line, with Victoria Carmona and Isabella Cruz scoring.

Western had managed a pair of meaningless hits through the first three-innings, before a bunt single by Gia Solano pushed Delaney Clair, who was running for Kennedy Butter, home from third.

“She gave it everything she got,” said West Broward coach Kyle Davis of his starting pitcher in sophomore Cheyanne Chaffin. “Sometimes it just doesn’t go your way. Having a 4-1 lead slip away in the last inning with an out is hard to swallow. We just fell short, and it hurts. It’s beyond words.”

Contact Dave Brousseau at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.