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It was a great atmosphere tonight at Coconut Creek High School for Monarch's homecoming game. There was a lot of hype leading into this one, and it didn't disappoint. It was essentially the district championship game, as both teams were undefeated before tonight. Deerfield Beach fell behind 14-0 early before they fought back and scored 21 unanswered to take the lead late in the 3rd. Monarch tied it in the 4th and then blocked a 20-yard FG attempt to send it into overtime, where Brandon Powell's 2-yard TD run won the game. This was a great game to watch with two well-coached teams.
Deerfield Beach
**Miami commit Brandon Powell is just a great football player. He is easily a top 3 player in South Florida out of all classes, not just 2014. Versatility is his calling card and that was on display tonight as he played cornerback (covering Shawn Burgess-Becker and Calvin Ridley), receiver, running back, punt/kick return, and he was even the team's holder on field goals. At receiver, he was getting open with ease but dropped two passes that would have been big plays. He was picking up positive yardage all night until he finally hit the big one with 11 seconds in the 3rd quarter remaining. He was hit 3 yards behind the line of scrimmage, broke the tackle, reversed field, and turned on the jets down the sideline for a 51-yard touchdown. He had a number of tough runs late in the game and then scored the team's game-winning touchdown in overtime from two yards out. There's no doubt he could play corner at Miami too. He was covering Burgess-Becker for most of the night and held him in check for the most part, which was impressive considering Burgess-Becker's size and strength advantage. The bottom line is that Miami got a great football player in Powell and he is a Golden type recruit. All of Monarch's top players went up to Powell after the game, which shows the amount of respect he has from his peers.
**CB Jamie Pierre is a prospect to keep an eye on. Pierre is a 2015 kid who has great size (6-1) and speed. He was hitting all night and also had an interception with a nice return added on. He will be a big-time prospect.
**QB Danarius Graham (2014) is a very intriguing prospect. He is a very exciting athlete, but I think he has a chance to play quarterback at the next level. He has a live arm and moves very well in and out of the pocket. He was keeping plays alive all night for big plays downfield.
**2015 DE Jason Strowbridge was having a solid night before an apparent eye injury. Strowbridge's size is legitimate at about 6-5, 250 and it was interesting to see him being used as a stand-up end for most of the second half. He isn't afraid to get dirty in the trenches either, which is a promising sign from a young lineman. I'm excited to see how he continues to develop.
Monarch
**Shawn Burgess-Becker gets most of the hype on this team, but Calvin Ridley (2015) is every bit of a prospect as SBB. Ridley is the leading receiver in South Florida and his ability was on display tonight. He didn't put up crazy numbers, but every time he touched the ball he was electric. He has good size and explosive quickness. Ridley does a very good job of changing speeds when he's running with the ball. He was also looking very good on the defensive side of the ball, where he had an interception early in the game and was used as a blitzer up the middle on a number of plays.
**Burgess-Becker is as impressive as it gets from a physical standpoint at the high school level. SBB plays both ways and is a great tackler from the safety spot. DMoney made note of the fact that he does a great job of squaring up and wrapping up, as opposed to just recklessly throwing his body around which is rare for a safety at the high school level. He only had a few catches on offense, but the flashes were there when he touched the ball. He is a physical receiver who uses his body well and finishes runs strongly. He had a drop tonight, but he does a great job of catching the ball with his big hands. 5-star prospect.
Deerfield Beach
**Miami commit Brandon Powell is just a great football player. He is easily a top 3 player in South Florida out of all classes, not just 2014. Versatility is his calling card and that was on display tonight as he played cornerback (covering Shawn Burgess-Becker and Calvin Ridley), receiver, running back, punt/kick return, and he was even the team's holder on field goals. At receiver, he was getting open with ease but dropped two passes that would have been big plays. He was picking up positive yardage all night until he finally hit the big one with 11 seconds in the 3rd quarter remaining. He was hit 3 yards behind the line of scrimmage, broke the tackle, reversed field, and turned on the jets down the sideline for a 51-yard touchdown. He had a number of tough runs late in the game and then scored the team's game-winning touchdown in overtime from two yards out. There's no doubt he could play corner at Miami too. He was covering Burgess-Becker for most of the night and held him in check for the most part, which was impressive considering Burgess-Becker's size and strength advantage. The bottom line is that Miami got a great football player in Powell and he is a Golden type recruit. All of Monarch's top players went up to Powell after the game, which shows the amount of respect he has from his peers.
**CB Jamie Pierre is a prospect to keep an eye on. Pierre is a 2015 kid who has great size (6-1) and speed. He was hitting all night and also had an interception with a nice return added on. He will be a big-time prospect.
**QB Danarius Graham (2014) is a very intriguing prospect. He is a very exciting athlete, but I think he has a chance to play quarterback at the next level. He has a live arm and moves very well in and out of the pocket. He was keeping plays alive all night for big plays downfield.
**2015 DE Jason Strowbridge was having a solid night before an apparent eye injury. Strowbridge's size is legitimate at about 6-5, 250 and it was interesting to see him being used as a stand-up end for most of the second half. He isn't afraid to get dirty in the trenches either, which is a promising sign from a young lineman. I'm excited to see how he continues to develop.
Monarch
**Shawn Burgess-Becker gets most of the hype on this team, but Calvin Ridley (2015) is every bit of a prospect as SBB. Ridley is the leading receiver in South Florida and his ability was on display tonight. He didn't put up crazy numbers, but every time he touched the ball he was electric. He has good size and explosive quickness. Ridley does a very good job of changing speeds when he's running with the ball. He was also looking very good on the defensive side of the ball, where he had an interception early in the game and was used as a blitzer up the middle on a number of plays.
**Burgess-Becker is as impressive as it gets from a physical standpoint at the high school level. SBB plays both ways and is a great tackler from the safety spot. DMoney made note of the fact that he does a great job of squaring up and wrapping up, as opposed to just recklessly throwing his body around which is rare for a safety at the high school level. He only had a few catches on offense, but the flashes were there when he touched the ball. He is a physical receiver who uses his body well and finishes runs strongly. He had a drop tonight, but he does a great job of catching the ball with his big hands. 5-star prospect.
