ITG Next Florida is spotlighting each of the games and teams that will be part of the Broward County National High School Football Showcase on August 24-26. This week we look at the interstate matchup on August 24 between the Cedar Grove Saints of Ellenwood, GA, and the Monarch Knights of Coconut Creek, FL. The game will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Coconut Creek High School Stadium and will be streamed on TKDS Sports.
Overview
Monarch is coming off the best season in school history, winning its second district championship and the first since 2014. The Knights finished 9-3 and will enter the 2023 season as one of the favorites in Class 4M. They have a three-year starter returning at quarterback in AJ Hairston, and he’ll have a very talented receiving corps to deliver the rock to this year.
However, the talented Cedar Grove defense will provide quite the test for the Knights in this Broward County Showcase matchup. The Saints are one of Georgia’s finest programs and have won four state titles in the past seven seasons. Head coach John Adams has put together one of the toughest defensive units in the state, and on offense, they return three-star dual-threat sophomore quarterback EJ Colson, who has already committed to Central Florida.
The Coaches
Monarch: Calvin Davis kicks off his third season with the Knights. This is his second stint as the Monarch head coach.
Cedar Grove: John Adams kicks off his third season as the Saints head coach. He led Cedar Grove to a state championship in 2021, his first season as head coach at the school.
What They Had to Say
From exclusive interviews with ITG Next Florida, following is what each coach had to say about the game.
John Adams: “This is so exciting for these kids. The memories of playing in an event like this will last a lifetime, and this game will be something these kids will never forget.” Adams said the team will fly to the event, adding to the excitement level: “We are going to take around 80 to 90 people out of our program on the flight, and for many of these guys, it’ll be their first time on a plane.”
Of the Cedar Grove opponent in the Broward County Showcase, Adams said “Monarch is like a lot of the South Florida teams with great athletes and a lot of speed. They like to play a lot of man-to-man, bump-and-run coverage, and they have some really fast receivers, so we know they’ll be a tough opponent. Playing a team like Monarch will give us a really good test right out of the gate. I also like the Georgia versus Florida dynamic. That makes it that much better!”
Calvin Davis: “We weren’t originally scheduled to play in this event, but I reached out to the event organizers and expressed our desire to be a part of it, and fortunately for us, there was a team that wasn’t able to make it, so that opened the door for us, and I’m glad it did. We are still a relatively new program, with some really good players, so I felt like this would be a great opportunity to showcase our players. Cedar Grove is a championship program, so I’m eager to see how we stack up against a program like they have.”
Last Meeting
This is the first meeting between Cedar Grove and Monarch.
Last Season
Monarch: 9-3 record and the second district championship in school history.
Cedar Grove: 11-3 record and an appearance in the Class 3A state finals for the fifth time in seven seasons. The Saints have won four state championships during that stretch.
Impact Players
Cedar Grove: “We have a good mix of experience sprinkled in with some new guys this year,” Adams said. “Our secondary is our most experienced group, with two safeties who can fly, and we have three of our four defensive linemen from last season returning.”
The safeties Adams refers to are seniors Joseph Slaughter and Jakyre Horton. Others to watch for on the Saints roster include:
- DB Lakhi Roland, senior (Maryland commit)
- ATH Malachi Miller, senior
- QB EJ Colson, junior
- LB Wesley Brown, senior
- MLB Keith Bass, junior
- DL Kyle Mosley, senior
- OLB Wesley Brown, senior
- DE Javon Beckford, junior
Monarch: “We have a quarterback with a big arm and a big-play offense that likes to take shots,” Davis said. “We like to find mismatches.”
The strong-armed quarterback is three-star AJ Hairston, a senior who is committed to UMass. His receivers and other key Knights players are:
- WR Jabari Brady, sophomore, 55 rec, 864 yards, 6 TDs
- WR Samari Reed, junior
- WR/ATH Clayton “Brite” Cannon, senior
- OL Melvin Puckett, senior
- OL Melvin Puckett, senior
- DL Gabriel Birnbaum, senior, three-star, All-State selection
- CB Kevin Powell, senior
- DB Antonio Ward, junior
- ATH Treyvon Washington, senior
ITG Next Analysis
This should be one of the Broward County Showcase’s most exciting games, with the shutdown corners and all-around smothering defense of Cedar Grove trying to slow down the fast break-style offense of Monarch.
