The COVID-19 pandemic affected many youth sporting programs in South Florida and the Plantation Wildcats youth football program was no exception to the fallout. The Wildcats were one of the dominant programs just a couple of years ago in the AYFL and are hoping to recapture those glory years.
A couple of teams are leading the charge and are establishing a winning pathway for the other age groups to follow. The 12U team is 5-0 and are hoping to defend their Super Bowl title, while the 9U club improved to 4-1 and have their eyes on the big prize come playoff time.
Tavaris Bragdon is the Wildcats director of football operations and along with President Natasha Alexander, they have clearly defined goals for the program to return to the championship level.
“We are making progress with the Wildcats program,” Bragdon said. “Our 12U team remains undefeated and are looking to make it back-to-back Super Bowl championships. Our 9U team is playing very well and I’m very excited about our 6U team who looks like they will be very good in the future, and our 13U club will be heading to the playoffs. Our program is solid across the board, and we are going to get it back and get stronger.”
Plantation has been a haven for talented youth football players and other leagues have set their eyes on that talent and recruited them.
“We are getting that talent to stay home, and good teams have a tendency to attract top players,” Bragdon said. “Our objective is to get Plantation back to being Plantation where we come out and win three to four Super Bowls every year. This is a challenging dynamic especially with all the parity in the AYFL. I’ve been in the AYFL for 10 years and the league is getting stronger. The parity is the strongest it has ever been as the talent is being spread out. The goal is to get the Wildcats back on top.”
Derrick McKenzie is the 9U head coach of the Wildcats who lost their first game of the season 7-6 to Boynton Beach, and then proceeded to reel off four straight victories in impressive fashion. He has been with the Wildcats program for eight years.
“We are developing one game at a time and are a little bit behind, but we continue to get better every week,” McKenzie said. “My game plan is to be firing on all cylinders by week 10. I’ve got two really good quarterbacks to lead our offense as well as a strong running game and a good tight end. We can score all over the place and it depends on what the defense is giving us. Our offensive line is still getting it together. We are seeing great progress.”
Wildcats quarterback Jaleel Rehman alternates taking snaps and is a strong field general and a running threat. He is complemented by the quarterback play of Cyrus Dolison who possesses a strong arm and is tough to bring down. Omari Ragin is the go-to running back and provides strong defense as a safety. The other running backs who are relied on to gain tough yards are Nicholas Ferguson and Rasheed (RJ) Samuels.
On defense the Wildcats have a pair of lockdown cornerbacks with Samuels and Elijah Bell. Outside linebacker Henry Harp anchors the defense.
“We are jelling together and with the talent we have on both sides of the ball, we have a lot to build on,” McKenzie said. “Omari is our slot running back and the best safety in our league. We are known as the No Cap Boyz.”
The Wildcats defense has pitched shutouts in the last three games and are led by defensive coordinator Glynn Robinson. He has been with Plantation for four years.
“I was with last year’s 13U club that made it to the Super Bowl and came back down for the 9U team,” Robinson said. “We are the same coaching staff from last year, but we all just moved down. Right now, our team are still babies, but by week five we will be ready. We will need to work on our line and some small things, but as a unit we are playing outstanding. We move to the ball fast as a unit and are causing turnovers so I can’t ask for anything more. At this age, our defensive pressure causes havoc on the offense. Every day we are getting better. We’re getting playoff ready.”
