Sharks dedicate win to mourning teammate

DAVIE — There’s playing with heavy hearts, and then there’s what University School was doing on Friday night.

The Sharks had anvils in the left side of their chest after finding out that on Wednesday night junior Zay Flowers’ brother was killed as the team prepared for its playoff opener.

With Flowers making the key 64-yard touchdown early in the second half to ignite University School, the Sharks took down Glades Central 44-21 at home in a Region 4-4A semifinal.

“I just had to do it for my brother,” said Flowers, whose brother, Martin Flowers, 26, was shot and killed in Sanford, N.C. “They had me one-on-one and I knew I was going to get him.”

Flowers, also adding a 20-yard touchdown late, ended up with 88 receiving yards.

Junior Sharks running back Kenny McIntosh scored a pair of touchdowns and went for 105 yards and Michael Hurt rushed for 113.

“We dedicated this game a lot to Zay,” said Hurt. “He was hurting and he was strong enough to come back the next day to school and to practice. We respected him. We knew we had to come out here and get this [win] for him.”

Added McIntosh: “I grew up with him, so he’s like a brother to me.”

It’s University School’s first postseason victory since 2013. The Sharks (8-1), the No. 1 seed in Region 4-4A, will host Monsignor Pace in the regional final. They won the regular season meeting against Pace 27-22.

Glades Central started fast with quarterback Davius Richard connecting with Jymetre Hester for a 44-yard touchdown that ended with Hester flipping over the pylon and into the end zone. It was one of two scoring strikes between Richard and Hester, who finished with 149 receiving yards.

University responded with George Bubrick hitting a wide-open Christian Wells in the middle of the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown. Early in the second quarter, McIntosh ran in a touchdown down from 39 yards out down the right sideline to put the Sharks in front 14-7. McIntosh appeared to score after he took the drive’s initial punt return into the end zone, but it was negated due to a block in the back.

After Flowers’ deep touchdown on U-School’s opening drive of the second half, five-star defensive back Josh Sanguinetti blocked a Glades Central punt that ended up rolling into and out of the end zone for a safety and put the Sharks up 23-7.

Hurt scored a secondhalf touchdown as USchool started to pull away late in the third.

Flowers also had a sack defensively on Friday night. He was one of several for the Sharks to take the quarterback down as Jalen Reeves, Emile Amie, Cody Smothers and Moezies Telfort also accounted for sacks.

Hester scored a 71-yard touchdown for Glades Central late in the third quarter, but it was far from enough to mount a comeback. Richard threw for 228 yards and three touchdowns on Friday.

It was the second time U-School met Glades Central this season. The Sharks won a 13-7 decision in Week 1.