The Hollywood Eagles 8U club served notice to the rest of the American Youth Football League that it will be a force to be reckoned come playoff time as the team went on to defeat the Cooper City/Davie Colts 35-0 at Boggs Field in Hollywood to remain undefeated at 7-0.
There remains plenty of stiff competition on the horizon as there are 13 programs in the league that serves the South Florida region. The AYFL has been around since 1996. The goal for every program is to get to the playoffs and win the coveted Super Bowl trophy.
Eagles head coach Edner “E” Placide saw his club come out firing on all cylinders on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. The Eagles led 14-0 with Tavares Spillman getting into the end zone on a 60-yard punt return and a 10-yard run in the first quarter.
The Colts attempted to get back in the game with an offensive drive that got to the Eagles’ two-yard line. The Eagles’ defense stiffened up and stopped the Colts on four consecutive plays. With the ball turned over on downs, the Eagles handed the ball off to running back Travis Miranda who proceeded to rip off a 95-yard score to give his club a 21-0 halftime lead.
The Eagles offensive coordinator AJ Miranda had plenty of options with a talented group of players to hand the ball off to. Eagles quarterback Jase LaBianco could pass or hand the ball to running backs Spillman, Miranda or Armani Fagan. Each player was dangerous in the open field and had no problems following their blocks and running between the tackles. The Eagles’ offense continued to take advantage of the Colts’ defense who had trouble containing the edges on end sweeps.
Fagan opened the second half with a 32-yard run that set up a touchdown pass from LaBianco to Da’montae Williams to run the score up to 28-0. Spillman connected with LaBianco on a pass play to close out the scoring and the game at 35-0.
Coach Miranda has his team focused on the stretch run.
“We work hard and we play hard,” he said. “We are here to win it all. We call ourselves the ‘Hit Squad’ and we are here to take over our division.”
Coach “E” has a strong coaching staff supporting him on the sidelines with defensive coordinator Clarence Doe leading a stingy defense. Assistant coaches were John Burgess, Demetrius Jones, Calvin Francois, Jay LaBianco and Kaleb Zachary.
Hollywood Eagles Police Athletic League program director Patrick Agenor is a former product of the PAL youth football program. He oversees the Hollywood Eagles PAL football and cheerleading programs and is a steady presence at every game. There are about 250 youth football players that are divided among eight teams to go along with the five cheer teams that consist of 70 members.
The Hollywood PAL organization has deep roots in the area and has served the community since 1989. Six of the Eagles teams are battling to get in the AYFL playoffs.
“The kids are very excited to be back on the field of play,” Agenor said. “We want to build a bond between police officers and the community and prevent juvenile crime. I love to see the kids out here enjoying the sport. No matter what they may be going through, sports is a safe and fun harbor for them. The Eagles are known for being a very tough opponent.”
