Deerfield firing on all cylinders in rout

Kennerly’s 90-yard kick return erases 6-0 deficit, begins romp

Deerfield Beach made another statement to continue its playoff run.

Quarterback Michael Pratt passed for two touchdowns and rushed for another as the Bucks cruised past host Palm Beach Central 44-6 on Friday night in a Class 8A regional semifinal.

Deerfield Beach advanced to play at Vero Beach next Friday in the regional final. The Bucks defeated Palm Beach Central in last year’s regional final.

“We played well and are peaking at the right time,” Bucks coach Jevon Glenn said. “We were prepared and have played a tough schedule to be ready.”

Pratt, a Tulane commit, returned to the field after missing the regional quarterfinal because of injury.

The Broncos jumped out to a 6-0 lead as quarterback Anarjahe Douriet rushed for a short touchdown. However, the Bucks answered right back as Joseph Kennerly returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown as Deerfield Beach took a 7-6 lead.

Pratt rushed for a touchdown late in the quarter to extend the lead to 14-6.

In the second quarter, the Bucks pulled away as Pratt tossed a scoring pass down the left sideline to Miami commit Xavier Restrepo to increase their lead to 21-6. Before halftime Pratt was able to strike again, firing a touchdown pass to Maryland commit Deajaun McDougle to give Deerfield Beach a 28-6 advantage heading into the break.

“We just took care of business,” Pratt said. “It’s awesome to be able to help the team. We just want to keep climbing and build each week to be successful.”

The Broncos offense marched downfield into Bucks territory twice during the second quarter, but it was unable to convert on fourth down as both drives stalled.

Bucks running back Jaziun Patterson rushed for a 6-yard score to make it 35-6 with 7 minutes, 46 seconds left in the third quarter.

Patterson also powered his way up the middle for a 10-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 42-6 in the third.

“We played a good team who is experienced and we missed our opportunities,” Broncos coach Scottie Littles said. “I am really proud of our team and our seniors. We stuck together and won a district championship and a playoff game.

“It’s my job to get this team to the next level, and we will continue to build from this season.”

The Bucks defense applied pressure consistently on Douriet and they were also able to have a strong game in coverage against standout receiver Bryan Robinson, who had five touchdown catches in a regional quarterfinal victory. Alex Kushel

Turner, St. Thomas Aquinas blast into 7A regional final: Sophomore quarterback Zion Turner threw for two scores and ran for another in the first half to lift host St. Thomas Aquinas past Plantation 59-19 in the Class 7A regional semifinal in Fort Lauderdale.

It didn’t take long for the topseeded Raiders to flex their muscles as they seized a 14-0 lead in the first 2:32 of the game. They coasted to a 38-13 halftime lead en route to their 16th consecutive regional final dating back to 2003.

St. Thomas (11-0), ranked No. 5 in the Xcellent Top 25 and No. 2 in the state by MaxPreps, will host the winner of the Atlantic/ McArthur next Friday for the regional championship.

St. Thomas Aquinas, which lost 33-20 to Lakeland in last season’s Class 7A state title game, has won 10 state championships, including a three-peat from 2014-16. The Raiders fell to Venice in the state semifinals in 2017.

They have outscored their opposition this season 472-102.

St. Thomas took a 7-0 lead on a 4-yard scoring run by senior running back Jaedon Henry with 10:21 remaining in the first quarter. It was Henry’s teamleading ninth TD on the ground.

On the ensuing possession, the Raiders doubled their lead when junior defensive lineman Tyreak Sapp recovered an errant snap in the end zone to make it 14-0 with 9:28 left in the period.

Plantation (9-2), the fifth seed in the region, capitalized on a muffed punt by Ja’Den McBurrows on the Raiders 4-yard line, and two plays later junior running back Shahiem Taylor scored his first TD of the season on a 1-yard run to cut the lead in half at 14-7 with 7:27 left in the first quarter.

St. Thomas extended the lead to 21-7 on a 58-yard scoring pass from Turner to senior wideout Marcus Rosemy who outjumped senior Antwan Turner for the score with 11:52 left in the first half.

Turner added a 7-yard run with 9:54 left in the first half as the Raiders blew the game open at 28-7 and then connected with Rosemy again on a 37-yard TD for a 35-7 advantage with 7:02 left in the half.

For Rosemy, a University of Georgia commit, it was his sixth TD reception of the season and Turner’s 17th touchdown throw.

The Colonels got a 20-yard scoring toss from Gerard Nesbitt to Jacolby George with 4:10 remaining in the half to stop a 28-0 run and reduce the deficit to 35-13.

St. Thomas padded the lead to 38-13 on a 33-yard field goal by Noah Botsford on the final play of the first quarter. Turner threw his third TD of the night, this one to Ethan Corblin from 10 yards out for a 45-13 lead and forced a running clock with a 5-yard scoring run with 3:18 left in the third that made it 52-13.

Plantation entered the game having outscored its opponents, 408-115. But included in that was a 35-0 loss to district foe St. Thomas Aquinas on Oct. 11. T

he Colonels had won their last three games by a combined score of 126-45.