It was not easy, but the Bucks varsity football team has pushed their way through to the South Florida Tri-County Playoffs. The first two games of the already-shortened four-game schedule were canceled following a COVID-19 scare on the Deerfield Beach roster. The team was forced to quarantine for two weeks; no practices, no games.
The Bucks came roaring back from their lengthy absence when they took on cross-town rival Blanche Ely in the annual McDougle Bowl. The Tigers were shutout 34-0 by the Bucks potent offense led by junior Jaziun Patterson on the ground and junior Joseph Kennerly alongside seniors Fred Eaford and Jamarion McDougle on the passing side.
Senior Marquis Pierre started at quarterback for the Bucks, completing 10 of 16 passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns. He was succeeded by freshman Michael Merdinger before the end of the first half. Merdinger impressed in his first high school appearance, throwing two touchdowns of his own and garnering 35 yards.
Eaford, an FAU-commit, scored two of Deerfield’s five touchdowns; with McDougle, Patterson, and senior Michael Jordan picking up one apiece.
The following week at home against Macarthur, Deerfield Beach refused to turn down the heat. They showed the Mustangs no mercy, handing them a 44-8 loss and sending them right back to Hollywood. Sophomore Jah’kyas Dokes put the final nail in Macarthur’s coffin with a pick-six in the fourth quarter.
“Obviously, [coming back from quarantine] wasn’t easy, especially as we were so close to playing our first game and then our first and second game ended up getting canceled,” Merdinger said.
“With this pandemic, I am thankful that we even had those two games we were able to play. I trust that our coaches are making the right decisions and are taking care of us, them, and everyone around.”
With this extremely unorthodox regular season coming to an end, it is time to look forward to an also-unprecedented playoff structure. The majority of teams in Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties have seceded from the Florida High School Athletic Association (F.H.S.A.A) for this season, instead opting to participate in the first (and possibly the only) edition of the Tri-County Playoffs.
Several prominent South Florida teams decided to remain with the state-series, and thus will not be opponents for Deerfield Beach. Those teams are St. Thomas Aquinas, Chaminade-Madonna, and Cardinal Gibbons.
With the lack of proper standings due to the inconsistency of games, the teams eligible to advance for the playoffs were selected by a rankings process, much like how college football works. The rankings committee is made up of high school football writers from the Miami Herald, Sun-Sentinel, and Palm Beach Post.
As is common in the typical state-series system, all teams were sorted into “classes” based on school population. There are three separate classifications for this year’s playoffs: Class 8A, 7A, and 6A-1A. Each classification will have a gold tournament for higher-level teams and a silver tournament for the ones who did not make the cut for gold. All 6A-1A teams will play under one classification, making six tournaments in total: three gold, three silver. Each tournament will have eight teams each and is single elimination.
The highest populated schools, including Deerfield Beach, are in Class 8A. The Bucks will play in the 8A gold tournament, which also includes dangerous opponents such as Western, South Dade, and Miami Columbus, who eliminated the Bucks in last year’s state semi-final game. Despite missing their first two games, the Bucks were ranked 3rd in their division by the writers and thus will host their first playoff game of 2020.
The Bucks will first have to face the 6th ranked Jupiter High Warriors in a quarterfinal matchup. The Warriors were able to play all of their games this season and finished 4-0. The game will take place this Friday, Dec. 4, at 7:00 pm at J.D. and Alice Butler Stadium. Tickets will not be sold on-site and are only available online through the end of today, Dec. 3, for $10 via this link. If Deerfield Beach advances, they will play the winner of the Park Vista-Western matchup.
Although the Bucks will not have the opportunity to win an “official” state title from the F.H.S.A.A. this year, they will relish the chance to play against some top tier competition in South Florida and further establish themselves as a dangerous force in Broward County.
The game will be live-streamed on NFHS Network via this link (subscription required).
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