New Boynton coach to call on JV athletes
After a tumultuous offseason, the Boynton Beach football program is looking for a fresh start in 2017.
First-year coach Derrick Crudup, who was hired March 30 to replace Errick Lowe, has a new staff in place and an aggressive plan for maximizing the talent on campus.
That plan includes bringing up some of the Tigers’ junior varsity players from last season. Boynton Beach’s JV squad went 6-0 in 2016.
“Those guys already are on campus,” Crudup said. “We didn’t have a whole lot of transfers coming in. We’re trying to build with what we’ve got on campus. We’ve got a lot of good guys on campus. There’s a ton of athletes. We’re trying to teach them and coach them up to play football.”
They’ll be challenged in a tough district that includes four teams from Broward County. Boynton Beach is the lone Palm Beach County team in District 15-6A, and made the playoffs last year as district runner-up. The Tigers finished 6-4.
District champion Fort Lauderdale-Dillard returns this season, as does Lauderdale Lakes-Boyd Anderson and Oakland Park-Northeast. Southwest Ranches-Archbishop McCarthy joined the district in the offseason.
“We’ve got a tough schedule, but we’re looking forward to it,” Crudup said. “We have to show up each and every Friday night.”
Leading the way for the Tigers on the field will be senior linebacker Abraham Beauplan and senior lineman Bowd Salomon.
Beauplan, who is rated a two-star recruit by 247Sports’ composite, holds offers from Pittsburgh, Middle Tennessee and Indiana, among others.
The 6-foot, 275-pound Salomon will anchor the Tigers’ offensive and defensive lines.
Crudup also expects big things from senior wide receiver Desmond Evans, who also plays basketball for the Tigers.
“We’re going to lean on those guys a lot,” Crudup said. “Hopefully great senior leadership will propel us into the season.”
Heritage looks to bounce back: Coming off a 2-7 season, American Heritage is looking for young players to step up and carry the program.
The Stallions have a strong incoming class and two of the top juniors in the nation: wide receiver John Dunmore is rated the No. 135 overall player and No. 21 receiver in 247Sports’ composite ranking, and defensive end Mike Morris is rated the No. 153 player and No. 12 strong-side defensive end by the site.
“For the team, (the goal) is to win state,” Dunmore said.
Dunmore is in his first fall camp with the Stallions after transferring from Fort Lauderdale-Cardinal Gibbons in the spring. The 2019 Florida commit, who is No. 4 on The Post’s Too Early Top 10, will also get a chance to play defensive back and wildcat quarterback. Ryan Rizk, a senior who transferred from Saint John Paul II Academy, will be the starting quarterback.
“I’m excited for it,” Dunmore said. “I played it my freshman year, too. I can do a lot of things with my speed. I feel like I can do some damage at quarterback, for sure.”
Morris, who is No. 3 on the Too Early Top 10, also plays tight end.
“I’m looking for victories,” Morris said. “Trying to go undefeated this year. I want to get three to five sacks a game.”
Coaches say a few freshmen may get a chance to shine this season, including wide receivers C.J. Cage and Tyler Gaskins (nephew of former Stallions and FAU running back Jeremy Gaskins) and offensive lineman Winston Brockwell (brother of former Stallions linemen Charles Brockwell and Hayden Brockwell).
“Practice is practice,” coach Keith Hindsley said, “and they work hard, but
Pahokee player honored: Pahokee defensive lineman Latarie Kinsler was named to MaxPreps’ Preseason Sophomore All-American Team on Thursday. He was the only player from Palm Beach County to earn a spot. Palm Beach Central’s Akeem Dent, who transferred from Pahokee, made the Junior All-American Team on Wednesday.
“Kinsler was an absolute nightmare for opposing quarterbacks during his freshman season,” MaxPreps’ Zack Poff wrote.
The 6-foot-6, 200-pound Kinsler is a Louisville commit and racked up 23 sacks last season.