CORAL SPRINGS — It sure was not as easy as anticipated, but the North Broward Prep Eagles were able to pull away with a win over Coral Glades on the road Friday night.
North Broward accumulated over 400 yards on offense, including over 200 passing yards to pick up a 35-12 victory over Coral Glades (1-5) to improve North Broward’s record to 4-1 on the season. The Eagles now improve to 2-1 in Gold Coast Football Conference play, following two straight road conference victories.
North Broward was cruising with a 21-3 lead after the first half, but the lead was cut down a little at the beginning of the second half. An 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown on the opening kickoff of the third quarter cut the North Broward lead to just 12, after the Coral Glades’ point after was missed. Shortly after, David Vozzola was intercepted by the Jaguars on the Eagles’ own 15-yard line. However, Coral Glades eventually missed a short field, bringing an end to Coral Glades’ early second half threat.
The Eagles’ stormed out to a quick lead through the areal attack in the first quarter. Kevin Austin caught a seven-yard touchdown from senior quarterback David Vozzola on the opening drive to give North Broward a 6-0 lead. Just rushing the ball three times in the first quarter, the Eagles struck again later in the quarter with a 55-yard touchdown to C.J. Riley to make the score 14-0, Eagles after a two-point conversion reception by Bradley Cooper. The Eagles’ had over 100 yards receiving in the first quarter alone, with all of the yards being racked up by Kevin Austin and C.J. Riley.
After a first half in which the North Broward offense totally dominated, the Eagles’ scored just one touchdown the rest of the second half. The Eagles rushed the ball a plethora of times in the second half, trying to run the clock. The strategy worked, as despite a rough third quarter, North Broward prevailed with a late score to take home the victory. C.J. Riley and Kevin Austin combined for just two catches in the second half after combining for ten in the first half, depicting the run strategy the Eagles used late in the game.
KICKING TROUBLES: After last year’s kicker Hunter Tulloch graduated, the Eagles have yet to find a real solution at kicker this season. Andres Del-Castillo missed another extra-point on Friday night, tallying up to seven missed extra points on the season. The Eagles’ briefly switched to sophomore Bradley Cooper a couple games ago to try and improve their kicking game, but Cooper was not much better than Del-Castillo. North Broward’s kickoffs were also lackluster in this game, and the past few, with one being returned for a touchdown on Friday, and two being kicked out-of-bounds for a penalty,
TD MACHINE: Despite a rough first half rushing the ball on Friday night, Dymitri McKenzie was able to find his stride in the second half. McKenzie carried the ball over eleven times alone in the second half, including two rushing touchdowns. McKenzie now has eight rushing touchdowns on the season, leading North Broward. McKenzie has taken the feature back role for the Eagles, and ran away with it this season, showcasing himself as a premier rushing talent in the 2017 class.
PENALTIES: Right from the start, North Broward was seeing the yellow flag fly all night long. The Eagles’ had four holding calls in the first half, and 18 penalties in the game. The penalties prevented North Broward from expanding their lead early in this game, with five penalties occurring while the Eagles were on offense, keeping North Broward from advancing into Coral Glades’ territory on multiple occasions. Coach Nottage and the Eagles’ coaching staff will certainly seek to improve on limiting penalties before next week’s contest.
INJURY PLAGUED: The Eagles entered this game not fully healthy, and their injury situation may not improve in the coming weeks. Star junior tight end and defensive end Kenny Henningsen remains sidelined for North Broward with a shoulder injury dating back to Week 1, but recently suffered a setback which he says could sideline him for the rest of the season. Junior lineman Ted Arthur is also injured for the rest-of-the-season, after tearing his ACL against Key West. Senior running back Andres Sierra missed this game too, but unlike the others, he could possibly return shortly for the Eagles.
WHAT’S NEXT: The Eagles will head home after this contest for a crucial Gold Coast conference showdown with Archbishop McCarthy, which is undefeated heading into this showdown. The Mavericks currently sit atop the standings the conference, adding to the significance of this matchup for North Broward. Kickoff will be at 7:00 P.M. E.T. from Tom Marcy Field next Friday night.
