South Florida Local News

They were the sun-and-fun team.

That was the reputation the UCF Knights brought with them during their inaugural season in the Big 12 a year ago.

The Knights were perceived as a laid-back team from the sun-soaked beaches and palm trees of Florida; a team that strolls into practice in flip-flops and is worried more about time spent lounging in a seaside hammock than pumping iron in a sweat-soaked weight room.

A team that crumbles like a sand castle whenever it is hit in the mouth.

UCF lived up to that stereotype, finishing last in the conference and 125th in the country in rushing defense, getting steamrolled by conference opponents Kansas (399 rushing yards), West Virginia (286) and Kansas State (281).

“We weren’t really a hard-nosed, physical edge team like I’ve had in the past,” UCF coach Gus Malzahn says. “We’re developing that. It’s a process. It can’t be one or two of us. It’s got to be who we are as a group.”

In other words, UCF needs to be stronger, tougher and meaner, especially on the defensive side of the ball where the Knights were softer than a microwaved marshmallow. To that end, Malzahn went and hired old-school, gravelly voiced defensive coordinator Ted Roof.

Roof is a throwback coach who preaches rugged, physical, swarming, slobber-knocking defense. When asked early in fall drills how he plans to train UCF’s players on how to better stop the run, he offered a Lombardi-like explanation on tenacity and fortitude.

UCF RJ Harvey, breaking a tackle against Houston defensive back Brian George last season, had a stellar 2023. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

How do you practice stopping the run, coach?

“You rep it over and over and over and over again,” Roof growled. “You rep it when you don’t feel like repping it anymore. You make them thud up when they don’t feel like thudding up. You understand about the constriction of gaps. Space is our enemy. We want to eliminate the space. We do that by constricting gaps, by disengaging and defeating blockers, and by tackling and by hitting.

“When [the opponent] puts our tape on, here’s what I want them to say about us: ‘They are freaking championship strain. They play physically. They hit you. And they don’t bust.’”

It’s one thing to talk tough. It’s another thing to play tough. Then again, Malzahn and UCF’s returning players, after going through the rigors of their inaugural Big 12 season, know that strengthening their mettle and hardening their edge is something that must be done.

Last year was mostly about the giddiness of just going into the Big 12. This year it’s about the willingness to do what it takes to compete in the Big 12. I firmly believe there was a mindset among UCF players, coaches and fans that the Knights would simply step into a Power 5 league (now Power 4) and be immediately competitive.

The Knights quickly got a reality check and rapidly realized they weren’t in the American Athletic Conference anymore. It’s no secret that UCF’s success there was built on outscoring teams, not outmuscling them. In UCF’s back-to-back unbeaten seasons from 2017-18, the offense was top five in each while the defense was barely in the top 100.

The Knights found out from the get-go that the Big 12 was a different beast altogether. The athletes were better, the coaching was better, the level of competition was higher. UCF had its memorable moments, but mostly it was a season filled with teaching moments. The main lesson they learned can be summed up in the old three-word truism: Might makes right.

None of this should have been a surprise. There is always going to be growing pains when you start competing against programs with more money, bigger recruiting budgets, better facilities and more tradition. Don’t forget, TCU was 11-2, 12-1, 13-0 and 11-2 in the four seasons prior to entering the Big 12 more than a decade ago, but then finished 7-6 and 4-8 in its first two seasons in the league.

As Oprah Winfrey once said, “You must turn your wounds into wisdom.”

Or, in UCF’s case, you must turn your bruises into building blocks. There’s no doubt that the physical beating UCF took was a wake-up call for the program, and it became clear that if the Knights expect to compete with the big boys they must toughen up.

The days of being the sun-and-fun team are over.

It’s time for UCF to trade in those flip-flops for some steel-toed work boots and start stomping their way through the Big 12.

Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on X (formerly Twitter) @BianchiWrites and listen to my Open Mike radio show every weekday from 6 to 9:30 a.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/listen

 

Two Broward Sheriff’s deputies are on administrative assignment after a shootout Tuesday night in Pompano Beach with a man who had previous run-ins with law enforcement.

Scott Simonelli, 51, of Pompano Beach, survived after being shot three times by the two deputies, Sheriff Gregory Tony said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. He was hospitalized and is expected to recover.

A neighbor in Simonelli’s apartment complex, near the 700 block of Northwest Fifth Avenue, called 911 about 9:30 p.m. and said a neighbor was “firing gunshots up into the ceiling and in through the windows” of that family’s apartment, Tony said. Simonelli first tried to shoot through the roof inside his own apartment before shooting through the windows, the sheriff said.

A deputy who was not at the scene heard about the call and told the responding deputies over radio that he knew of Simonelli and that he was violent and had guns, Tony said.

“We’ve had encounters with him in the past related to Baker Acts and other instability issues and threats of violence within the community. So he was known to us,” Tony said.

Deputies arrived within four minutes, and everything was quiet, Tony said. They did not know immediately where the shooter was.

As deputies were assessing the scene, a light on one of the deputy’s guns flickered, which “gave away” where the deputies were positioned, Tony said. Simonelli, who was hiding behind trash cans, shot about 20 rounds from a semi-automatic rifle at four of the deputies. Two deputies shot back.

Body-worn camera video played at the news conference Wednesday showed Simonelli throw his gun out from his hiding place behind a row of trash cans on the side of the apartment building after the shootout with deputies. They then treated Simonelli until Pompano Beach Fire Rescue arrived and took him to a hospital.

Simonelli had not been booked into jail as of Wednesday night.

Simonelli was arrested in November 2023 on counts of aggravated assault, improper exhibition of a firearm and using a firearm under the influence of alcohol after an argument with his neighbor who lived in the apartment above him because he heard the neighbor’s child crying, according to a probable cause affidavit. Simonelli was pacing in the apartment complex’s common area, yelling about his neighbors being “bad neighbors” while holding a gun, the affidavit said. Prosecutors did not pursue the charges, Broward court records show.

Tony said Simonelli had been admitted to a hospital under the Baker Act in November 2023.

Simonelli faces one count of attempted homicide of a law enforcement officer and two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer in connection with the shootout Tuesday, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the deputies’ use of force.

The two deputies who shot at Simonelli are now on administrative assignment, as is customary.

FDLE is investigating at least three other instances so far this year where BSO deputies fatally shot someone. In March, three deputies shot and killed Rafael A. Molina, a Broward County Transit employee, who authorities said minutes earlier had shot his colleague Warren Chambers to death.

In February, a deputy shot and killed a man in Weston after he got out of a car while armed with a weapon and “charged” at the deputies, the Sheriff’s Office said at the time. The man, Mario Bonilla, had recently been reported missing.

In January, a man wanted in connection with a domestic violence incident was shot and killed by deputies in Oakland Park during a standoff and “confrontation,” the Sheriff’s Office said previously.

MIAMI GARDENS — You can pick your here-we-go-again moment. For me, it was Chris Grier admitting he signed an injured Odell Beckham Jr. that said some hefty problems inside the Miami Dolphins weren’t solved again this season.

They’re being repeated.

You had other options to consider. You could go with the Dolphins general manager chuckling at media for questioning a questionable offensive line.

You could also wonder how he reduced their 1-6 record and 92-point deficit against playoff teams last season to a dropped pass against Philadelphia, a pass-interference penalty against Kansas City in Germany …

“Situational football,’’ he said.

But I’m going with this odd Beckham Jr., news that Grier signed him despite knowing he’d miss the start of the season for this franchise tripling down on issues that got this team in trouble the past two years.

It continues this team’s rigid pursuit of fragile players. It underlines the lack of vision in a GM job demanding X-ray vision. It suggests a general-manager-for-life comfort level in a season that demands a win-or-else line across it.

This five-year rebuild enters its sixth season with little to show for it. There’s no building left, too. Grier has constructed the league’s oldest roster. The Dolphins’ average player was 26.94 years old when rosters were set Tuesday afternoon.

Green Bay, the Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay and Kansas City — all playoff teams last year — are the four youngest teams entering this season. Young, healthy and talented. That’s how to win in the NFL.

The Dolphins are one-for-three in that department. They’re talented in the sixth year of their five-year rebuild. They need that top-end talent to carry them, too, because their window is closing, as reminded by the losses of defensive tackle Christian Wilkins and guard Rob Hunt.

The bottom-line is their lines aren’t as talented this year. You can hide that for a while. But Grier grew up with Bill Parcells as his mentor. If he knows one thing, it should be the lesson of strong lines especially when seasons turn late and cold.

But back to the signing of Beckham Jr. Sure, as coach Mike McDaniel says, “100 percent of the players get injured,” in football. But that doesn’t mean you run after them like an ambulance chaser — needing an actual ambulance in many cases.

Tackle Terron Armstead can’t practice due to annual injuries. Guard Isaiah Wynn was re-signed despite not practicing this summer and getting hurt as usual last season. One star edge rusher, Bradley Chubb (knee), won’t start the season and the other, Jaelan Phillips (Achilles), is trying to make the opener.

Now Beckham Jr. is hurt to start the year. He’s a third receiver, so the continued philosophy is the issue here. He’s 31. He’s playing on a twice-rebuilt knee. He’s missed almost half the games (33 of 68) in the past four years is the larger question.

And in a win-or-else season you sign him knowing he’ll miss the opening four games to more injury?

“We’re playing the long game,’’ Grier said.

He’s on a one-year contract. There is no long game. And it wouldn’t much matter, but the Dolphins have the same issues through their receiving corps.

The Dolphins kept four receivers on their roster, because they were the only healthy ones. It’s an issue behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle because this offense uses three receivers the majority of the time.

De’Vone Achane lined up as receiver plenty last year as a rookie and probably stretched that idea in offseason work. Erik Ezukanma is back on the practice squad and can be elevated. But can he stay healthy?

The overriding question about Grier isn’t if he can scout (he can) or run a draft (his are generally fine). It’s the vision as this issue shows. It’s the big picture. It’s also standing for something, anything, when this franchise needed the football guy to stand up since the start of the Tank Era.

Brian Flores is back in the news for his dictator ways that extracted every possible win from an awful team in 2019. He was exact coach you shouldn’t hire when your one goal is the top draft pick. Grier either hired him or, worse, didn’t stand up to stop it.

That was just the start of ways the Dolphins needed a football voice to help in ways Grier evidently didn’t. Not signing Ryan Fitzpatrick or just playing Josh Rosen to get the No. 1 pick? Why damage the Dolphins brand by chasing quarterback Deshaun Watson despite his sexual-assault issues?

Watching owner Steve Ross demand that Flores lose? The entire Sean Payton-Tom Brady debacle? Where was Grier in preventing any of this?

Mike McDaniel is a fun hire. He has yet to prove he can win as this era promised, though — as Grier’s job in this rebuild demanded. So here we go into another season where there’s talent on this roster.

There’s also age like no other team.

And injury already.

And so, here we go again, crossing your fingers is part of this team’s plan.

An appeals court is scheduled Tuesday to take up a state challenge to the dismissal of a perjury indictment against former Broward County Superintendent of Schools Robert Runcie.

A panel of the 4th District Court of Appeals will hear arguments about whether a statewide grand jury had the authority to indict Runcie for alleged perjury involving testimony about a technology contract.

The statewide grand jury was impaneled in 2019 to investigate school safety issues after the February 2018 mass shooting at Broward County’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that killed 17 people.

Related Articles

• Local News | Perjury charge dropped against former Broward Superintendent Robert Runcie

A circuit judge ruled that the statewide grand jury did not have authority to indict Runcie because the alleged perjury occurred in only one judicial circuit, where crimes are handled by local prosecutors or grand juries.

Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office appealed, raising a series of arguments, including that statewide grand jury members were drawn from multiple circuits.

But Runcie’s attorneys argued in a brief this year that the dismissal should be upheld, saying, in part, that the “indictment charged Mr. Runcie with perjury premised on testimony that occurred exclusively in one judicial circuit.”

Today is Wednesday, Aug. 28, the 241st day of 2024. There are 125 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Aug. 28, 1963, during the March on Washington, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech before an estimated 250,000 people in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Also on this date:

In 1845, the first issue of “Scientific American” magazine was published; it remains the oldest continuously published magazine in the United States.

In 1862, the Second Battle of Bull Run began in Prince William County, Virginia, during the Civil War; the Union army retreated two days later after suffering 14,000 casualties.

In 1898, pharmacist Caleb Bradham of New Bern, North Carolina changed the name of the carbonated beverage he’d created five years earlier from “Brad’s Drink” to “Pepsi-Cola.”

In 1955, Emmett Till, a Black teenager from Chicago, was abducted from his uncle’s home in Money, Mississippi, by two white men after he had allegedly whistled at a white woman four days prior; he was found brutally slain three days later.

In 1957, U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond (D-S.C.) began what remains the longest speaking filibuster in Senate history (24 hours and 18 minutes) in an effort to stall the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957.

In 1968, police and anti-war demonstrators clashed in the streets of Chicago as the Democratic National Convention nominated Hubert H. Humphrey for president.

In 1988, 70 people were killed when three Italian Air Force stunt planes collided during an air show at the U.S. Air Base in Ramstein (RAHM’-shtyn), West Germany.

In 2005, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin ordered a mandatory evacuation as Hurricane Katrina approached the city.

In 2013, a military jury sentenced Maj. Nidal Hasan to death for the 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood that claimed 13 lives and left 30 people injured.

In 2016, six scientists completed a yearlong Mars simulation on the big island of Hawaii, where they emerged after living in a dome in near isolation on Mauna Loa.

Today’s Birthdays:

• Former Defense Secretary William S. Cohen is 84.
• Actor Ken Jenkins (TV: “Scrubs”) is 84.
• Former MLB manager and player Lou Piniella (pih-NEHL’-uh) is 81.
• Former MLB pitcher Ron Guidry (GIH’-dree) is 74.
• Former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove is 72.
• Artist Ai Weiwei is 67.
• Actor Daniel Stern is 67.
• Olympic gold medal figure skater Scott Hamilton is 66.
• Actor Jennifer Coolidge is 63.
• Film director David Fincher is 62.
• Country singer Shania (shah-NY’-uh) Twain is 59.
• “Pokemon” creator Satoshi Tajiri is 59.
• Actor Billy Boyd is 56.
• Actor Jack Black is 55.
• Hockey Hall of Famer Pierre Turgeon is 55.
• Actor Jason Priestley is 55.
• Technology executive Sheryl Sandberg is 55.
• Olympic gold medal swimmer Janet Evans is 53.
• Actor Carly Pope is 43.
• Country singer Jake Owen is 43.
• Country singer LeAnn Rimes is 42.
• Rock singer Florence Welch (Florence and the Machine) is 38.
• Actor Quvenzhane (kwuh-VEHN’-zhah-nay) Wallis is 21.

General Daily Insight for August 28, 2024

Spacey vibes are likely to linger throughout the day. The scattered Gemini Moon squares diffuse Neptune before passing into sensitive Cancer, setting a tone that’s a little too emotionally open. Then, idealistic Venus opposes Neptune, giving us a better opportunity to see whatever we want to see. Once communication planet Mercury stations direct at 5:14 pm EDT, the fog should begin to clear. There’s value in the slower patches of life, but this is finally the moment to put our thinking caps back on!

Aries

March 21 – April 19

Receiving validation for serving others may currently seem easier than deciding what you want to do. That being said, letting things go on to the point where you’re obviously being taken advantage of might give you some perspective on the situation. When thoughtful Mercury stations direct in your individualistic 5th house, you’ll probably start to have more ideas about your specific preferences. As long as you handle the responsibilities that are genuinely yours, you can step back from those that aren’t.

Taurus

April 20 – May 20

You may feel the desire to perform for your current peers. As artistic Venus in your 5th House of Self-Expression opposes unrealistic Neptune in your social sector, you probably have some genuine talent to show off. Even so, allowing that approach to become your basic way of connecting with others has its drawbacks. Reconnecting with your internal sense of security can point you toward a more balanced path. When you’re not hungry for attention, that’s often exactly when you get it!

Gemini

May 21 – June 20

Getting an accurate view of a power dynamic in your life could presently seem impossible. With coddled Venus in your 4th House of Nourishment amping up fantastical Neptune in your authority zone, you might not even realize how deferential you are to someone else — after all, they’re probably taking care of you in one way or another! Still, you should listen to what they say. Any sentiments that aren’t quite right are likely to leak out in their speech, so pay close attention.

Cancer

June 21 – July 22

You might now see the wisdom in moderating how you express your political or spiritual views to others. While sweet Venus in your communication zone conspires with fuzzy Neptune in your philosophical 9th house, you may try to avoid conflict by being vague about what you truly believe. This approach often works well with people you don’t interact with very often. At some point, though, your core values will emerge. You’re not forbidden from bending on certain details, but decide beforehand what can’t be compromised.

Leo

July 23 – August 22

Greed could lure you into a bad financial decision with little warning. While abundant Venus in your resource sector provokes shady Neptune in your 8th House of Big Money, having more than usual might just get you scheming to increase your funds further. Your desire for wealth isn’t necessarily about the currency itself — it’s potentially coming from a deeper longing to be taken seriously. Simply approaching the world with greater confidence is easier than you think, and it’s less likely to backfire!

Virgo

August 23 – September 22

Letting someone else idealize you might feel good in the moment. Even when you know their take on you isn’t grounded in the facts, going along with it may seem easier than bursting their bubble. While contemplative Mercury turns direct in your 12th House of the Subconscious, you could at least try to think through why you find this dynamic rewarding or satisfying. Sticking to realistic standards offers more potential for disappointment, but it also gives you the opportunity to experience genuine success.

Libra

September 23 – October 22

Figuring out your role in your community is crucial now. As calculating Mercury spins direct in your social 11th house, you might begin to have a clearer idea of where you stand in relation to others. This insight can help you make decisions about which responsibilities are worth your time. No matter how happy you are to support people and groups that matter to you, you need time to rest and relax too. Be watchful of commitments that have crept in without sufficient thought.

Scorpio

October 23 – November 21

Blending in with a group might come more easily to you than normal. As amiable Venus in your community sector pressures foggy Neptune in your self-expression zone, you’re likely to be good at telling people what they want to hear. What do you get out of doing this? Going with the flow can make sense when you don’t have anything else to do, but you may have some compelling alternatives coming to mind throughout the day. Make a point of listening to your inner voice.

Sagittarius

November 22 – December 21

Filling a void could be an impossible task weighing on you today. You might throw yourself into achieving impressive conquests recognized by the outside world, but that won’t necessarily touch your internal sense of unease even if you succeed. While articulate Mercury turns direct in your 9th House of Beliefs, you may benefit from investigating the ideas behind your efforts and rooting out any unhelpful misconceptions. Do your best to bring good things into the world for the sake of everyone’s happiness — including yours.

Capricorn

December 22 – January 19

Faking it until you make it is somewhat possible at the moment. If you need to appear more sophisticated than you are, you can accomplish that by keeping your answers vague rather than getting into specific details that you don’t have. Still, that’s only going to work with people you don’t know super well. With perceptive Mercury turning direct in your 8th House of Intimacy, close connections can likely figure out what’s really going on. You might as well come to peace with that!

Aquarius

January 20 – February 18

A frustrating relationship issue may begin to unsnarl itself today. As messenger Mercury turns direct in your 7th House of Partnership, you can look forward to your communications with others getting clearer. On the potentially negative side, that means any ambiguity you intentionally brought into the equation — for whatever reason — could get called out as well. Your embarrassment surrounding your financial status is probably creating bigger problems than the facts of the matter themselves. Take a deep breath and power through it!

Pisces

February 19 – March 20

You now have a chance to make progress on a task that has been stalled. With nimble Mercury shaking off a retrograde in your 6th House of Responsibilities, your ongoing effort and attention are potentially ready to pay off in the form of a new way to navigate the situation. Try to avoid getting caught up in conflict over who should receive credit for the accomplishment, though. Just having the job finally done should be enough of a reward for everyone involved!

After months of preparation and speculation, UCF kicks off the 2024 season by hosting New Hampshire on Thursday.

What can fans expect from the Knights when they take the field in the Bounce House against the Wildcats?

“I want to play good team football,” said coach Gus Malzahn. “I want us to be sound on offense without all the penalties and [expletive]. I want to be sound on defense and see some hits where the crowd goes ‘Woo!’

“I want to play good discipline football and return to basics. We talked about the whole fall camp, not having those self-inflicted wounds. That’s the challenge.”

UCF was among the most penalized teams in the Big 12 last season, causing Malzahn to refer to the Knights as undisciplined and soft. Thus, the team’s mantra is toughness and togetherness.

“You’re going to see guys flying around,” said fifth-year linebacker Ethan Barr. “A defense that comes in waves non-stop. We’ve got so many guys and a lot of depth. It will be a relentless defense that comes in waves at teams, no matter who’s in the game. It’s a defense that will step up, force turnovers and get off the field.”

That physicality isn’t limited to the defense.

“When you turn on the film, you’ll see a team that screams physicality,” said fifth-year quarterback KJ Jefferson. “It puts the fear in the opponent. Guys being physical, they’re desperate to win and desperate to win those one-on-ones. That’s the main thing. We want to go out there and prove we’re a dominant football team.”

What did Jacurri Brown do to earn the backup QB job?

From the moment the Miami transfer arrived on campus following the spring transfer window in April, it was assumed Jacurri Brown (6-4, 220 pounds) would have the inside track on the backup job.

The redshirt sophomore spent much of the summer and preseason camp competing with redshirt freshman Dylan Rizk and true freshmen Riley Trujillo and EJ Colson. Ultimately, Brown’s abilities and limited experience won him the job.

“We let him go live a couple of weeks ago in the scrimmage and it was completely different letting a guy like that go live with his playmaking ability,” said Malzahn. “He and KJ have similar skill sets, so you don’t have to change your offense completely.”

Redshirt senior Trent Whittemore is one of three receivers starting for the Knights. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

Who emerged at 3rd receiver spot?

With Kobe Hudson and Xavier Townsend having locked up the top two receiver spots, the biggest uncertainty heading into the season was who would start as the third receiver.

The group is deep, with Chauncy Magwood and transfers Jacoby Jones and Ja’Varrius Johnson, but veteran Trent Whittemore ultimately received the nod.

“Trent has been one of those guys who has been in the background since he’s been here,” Malzahn said of the redshirt senior. “He’s starting to establish himself as one of our better receivers. He’s always been one of those dirty-work guys. He’ll block, he’s very smart but taking his game to the next level. More than anything, he’s gotten more opportunities.”

Whittemore (6-4, 211), whose father Mark played at UCF in the 1990s, appeared in every game last season and finished with 3 catches for 13 yards.

How did Knights solidify offensive line?

The offensive line was a crucial contributor to UCF finishing fourth in the nation in rushing (228 yards per game) and helping RJ Harvey rush for a career-high 1,416 yards. The unit returned starters Marcellus Marshall, Adrian Kight and Adrian Medley.

The biggest surprise outside the football building was the emergence of redshirt senior tackle Paul Rubelt, who earned the starting nod at right tackle. The coaches have praised his development throughout spring and fall camps.

“Paul has grown as much as any player in one year as I can remember,” said Malzahn. “His knowledge of the game, his mindset, everything that goes with it. He’s starting to come on and is turning into one of our better offensive players.”

“The growth that has taken place in his game has been exponential,” added offensive line coach Herb Hand. “I don’t know if there is a more improved player in our building.”

The 6-11, 300-pound Rubelt won the job over Western Kentucky transfer Wes Dorsey.

UCF linebacker Ethan Barr is one of six transfers on defense to be named to the starting lineup for the Knights’ opener against New Hampshire. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

Which transfers earned defensive starts?

No unit underwent more of change than the defense, which added a new coordinator in Ted Roof and more than a dozen transfers. Six of those players earned starting spots in the season-opening depth chart.

Defensive end Nyjalik Kelly (Miami), linebackers Deshawn Pace (Cincinnati) and Ethan Barr (Vanderbilt), cornerback Mac McWilliams (UAB) and safeties Sheldon Arnold (East Tennessee State) and Ladarius Tennison (Ole Miss) all earned spots.

“Anybody that has started has earned it,” Malzahn said of the upperclassmen. “In the secondary, we have a lot of guys that could be listed as starters. That’s a good thing. We have some depth back there.”

The unit hopes to improve after finishing the season ranked 81st in the country in total defense and 122nd in rushing defense.

Matt Murschel can be reached at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com

GAINESVILLE — Florida’s visit from No. 19 Miami on Saturday in the Swamp has a make-or-break feel.

A victory would provide season-opening optimism for Billy Napier. A loss would rekindle doomsday scenarios for the third-year coach.

Neither result or reaction might have staying power against a schedule featuring seven subsequent preseason Top-25 foes. But perception is reality when a program is coming consecutive losing seasons featuring just two wins in 11 meetings with ranked opponents.

“We understand,” Napier said. “One of the things about this group of players: They’ve got pretty good awareness. They understand the magnitude of the game.”

UF has won 33 straight home openers, but is a 2.5-point underdog against Miami, which has talent and motivation following a 7-6 season.

In-state rivals coming off disappointing finishes have questions and concerns entering their first meeting in Gainesville since 2008.

In a 2019 matchup, UF linebacker Jonathan Greenard sacks Miami quarterback Jarren Williams at Camping World Stadium. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) How does Miami QB Cam Ward handle the Swamp?

The Gators’ crowd has overwhelmed many talented signal callers.

Future stars Joe Burrow of LSU and Bo Nix of Auburn each threw 3 interceptions during losses in 2018 and ’19. Eight years ago, Missouri’s Drew Locke averaged a league-high 335 passing yards when he arrived, but produced just 39 along with a pair of pick-sixes.

During the Gators’ 29-16 win against Tennessee in September, the Swamp rattled quarterback Joe Milton III and caused five false starts and two wasted timeouts during the Vols’ opening second-half drive.

Next up Ward, one of the top quarterback targets in the transfer portal.

Few have his experience or track record, including 13,874 passing yards and 119 touchdowns during two seasons each at Washington State and FCS Incarnate Word.

“I feel I’ve been watching Cam Ward forever,” Napier said.

Never at either school did the 22-year-old face the hostile environment he will in a sold-out Swamp.

“Gator Nation is going to be on full display Saturday,” Napier said. “We’re going to have 93,000 of our dearest friends out there. It’s critical.

“We want to create a nightmare for the opponent.”

Ward hasn’t been as sharp on the road. He threw 9 of his 16 interceptions at Washington State during 12 away games and 28 of 48 touchdowns in 13 home games.

Miami’s Cam Ward, one of the most coveted quarterbacks in the portal, transferred to Coral Gables out of Washington State. (D.A. Varela/Miami Herald) Who else will test Florida’s defense?

Coach Mario Cristobal made sure Ward won’t have to carry the ‘Canes’ attack.

Miami signed 247Sports’ No. 2 tailback out of the portal, Damien Martinez (Oregon State), and the No. 10 receiver, Sam Brown (Houston). Martinez rushed for 1,185 yards and 9 touchdowns; Brown posted 103 receptions for 1,286 yards and 7 scores the past two seasons.

Meanwhile, slot standout Xavier Restrepo (85 catches, 1,092 yards, 6 TDs) will be Ward’s go-to option.

“They’re going to give him the ball,” UF veteran cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. said.

Marshall and the secondary were allowed 8.3 yards per attempt last season to rank 119th nationally and a 146.29 pass rating (111th); the run defense yielded 4.84 yards per carry (111th); and the Gators’ 22 sacks tied for 101st.

Significant improvement across the board is imperative against Miami’s retooled attack.

Are Austin Barber and Florida’s offensive line ready for DE Rueben Bain Jr. and Co?

The Gators’ biggest question mark goes against the Hurricanes’ biggest strength.

Florida will find out quickly whether the O-line has improved.

The unit remains a work in progress — and a bit of a state secret. Who will take the field first remains undecided.

There are options.

“There’s four tackles on our team that I think we could put out there and play in a game right now,” Napier said.

Miami defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. was a 2023 Freshman All-America after recording 12.5 tackles for loss. (Lynne Sladky/AP)

Whoever lines up will have his hands full with Bain and the Hurricanes’ front seven. The Miami native and middle linebacker Francisco Mauigoa combined for 30.5 tackles for losses, including 7.5 sacks each.

On the other side from Bain, veteran end Akheem Mesidor returns after missing last season with surgeries on both feet after he tallied 10.5 TFLs in 2022.

Everything begins with the 6-foot-3, 275-pound Bain as the focal point.

“He’s just really unique,” Napier said. “Loose-hipped, twitchy power. He’s instinctive. We anticipate him even being better in Year 2.”

Barber’s growth at left tackle is key. The redshirt junior was a Freshman All-America on the right side in 2022, but struggled with injuries and the position switch last season as UF allowed 39 sacks.

Can Mertz capitalize on UF’s speed at receiver?

Sophomore Aidan Mizell of Orlando and true freshmen Tank Hawkins are track stars in cleats, topping 23 mph on GPS tracking. Wisconsin transfer Chimere Dike’s topped his personal best each time he tested this offseason. Sophomore Tre Wilson is quicker than a hiccup.

They’re not alone.

The Gators have speed to burn on the outside. It can be hard to keep up.

“It doesn’t really make me feel like I’m slow,” redshirt junior Kahleil Jackson said. “But it definitely motivates me to get a little bit faster.”

Mertz aims to play a little bolder and push the ball down field. An SEC-leading completion rate of 72.9% and just 3 interceptions in 2023 belied his reputation as being reckless at Wisconsin.

But his average depth of target (ADOT) was 6.8 yards, or about 3 yards below the top QBs.

“We are trying to get Graham to be more aggressive without being careless,” Napier said. “He proved that he could play clean ball. Now, let’s try to be aggressive.”

Mertz is ready to silence his skeptics of his downfield passing. Last year, UF managed just 14 completions of 30 yards or longer, tied for 104th nationally.

“One thing the guys are excited for: We want to be explosive,” he said. “We weren’t as explosive as we wanted last year. I like the deep ball, too.”

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

Miami at UF

When: Saturday, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, 3:30 p.m.

TV: ABC

 

Protesters gathered on Tuesday in Miami-Dade and other parts of Florida to voice outrage at the state’s plan to install golf, pickleball, 350-room hotels and other attractions to various state parks.

At Oleta River State Park in North Miami Beach, a crowd of 120 or so people gathered to voice their opposition. Similar protests took place Tuesday at other parks and the state DEP headquarters in Tallahassee.

The plans for Florida’s Great Outdoors Initiative were released last week, instantly drawing a bipartisan public uproar.

Many opponents were left questioning why the Florida Department of Environmental Protection would propose such a bold, specific and organized campaign.

Amid the outcry, a golf course proposal at Jonathan Dickinson State Park was abandoned. The state department originally planned public hearings near the nine affected parks, but those hearings were delayed.

Condo towers loomed in the background in Miami-Dade on Tuesday as the crowd chanted, “Save our parks!” A proposal at Oleta includes plans for up to four pickleball courts, a disc golf course and glamping facilities.

Alexandra Maxwell, born and raised in Florida, moved to Miami a few years ago. “This is one of the last places in Miami-Dade County where you can truly come and see natural Florida as it once was, and as it should be,” she said.

When she and her husband visit the park they like to “get away from people. I don’t want concrete. I don’t want people. I want to go into the trees, I want to feel nature, I want to wade in the mangroves, I want to find peace.”

Community organizer Catalina Lemaitre leads a protest at Oleta River State Park in North Miami Beach on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. Parkgoers gathered to make art and voice opposition to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Great Outdoors Initiative proposal to add golf courses, hotels, pickleball courts and other developments to nine Florida state parks. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)

As for the potential pickleball courts, which would be built in the open field where the protest took place, she said, “We already have so many courts. … I don’t believe we need pickleball, glamping or disc golf here.”

Artist Susan Lee-Chun took her two sons to the rally. She said she loved the park because it gives her the ability “to just disconnect with literally what’s on the perimeter here,” pointing to the condo towers beyond the tree line. “This is an amazing escape. This is what Miami was, prior to all of us being inhabitants, so it’s nice to go back to the history of the land, and to share it with the boys.”

They go mountain biking, hiking and looking for insects on the ground. “They’re invested in the earth, the soil,” she said. “They know the world has more to it than just being an urban dweller.”

She fears greater changes in the park. “They take an inch, and it grows and multiplies. My concern is that the pickleball is one step in the direction of the park moving away from a nature focus. What’s gonna happen next? That’s a concern.”

People enjoy kayaking at Oleta River State Park in North Miami Beach on Monday, Aug. 26, 2024. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Her aptly named son, Ranger, said, “I love going on hikes and seeing nature.” His dream is to become a park ranger.

Yaya Hernandez, who visits the park as an escape, said that adding the amenities would lead to more trash and less serenity. “There would be less preservation of the energy that’s supposed to be in this park. I think the energy would be wrong if there was something like that in here. The park is supposed to be about connecting to nature.”

Sam Van Leer, founder of the Urban Paradise Guild, has spent hundreds of hours there at the park removing invasive plants and planting native species.

He has restored native maritime hammock habitat near where the disc golf course would go, and is thankful that the park removed invasive Australian pines. But he said the area, which was off-limits on the day of the protest, floods in the wet season. He suggested putting disc golf in the open field where the protest occurred.

Though glamping may just seem like a high-end version of camping, it often includes air conditioning and catering.

It’s unclear if that would be the case in Oleta. Either way, he thinks it’s a horrible idea.

“If you’re going to turn it into glamping, you’re essentially saying you want this park to be a resort. … It’s so somebody can make money operating a resort,” he said. “Here, we’re in Miami (with hotels and short-term rentals). Why is the state trying to compete with the local economy?”

“Let’s persevere Oleta as natural as we can. That’s the unique thing. There’s nothing unique about a resort.”

The 1,033-acre park is wilderness within a city. It’s hemmed in by the bustle of Biscayne Boulevard and the condo towers of North Miami Beach and Sunny Isle. It feels, in some places, like a slice of the Everglades smack in the middle of a city.

Martin County protests

In the Stuart area, 150 or so protesters gathered at Flagler Park on the banks of the St. Lucie River to voice outrage over a now-abandoned proposal that would have put three golf courses inside Jonathan Dickinson State Park.

A nonprofit group called the Tuskegee Dunes Foundation said it had teamed up with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to develop the proposal. But immediate and pronounced public outcry prompted it to withdraw the plan last Sunday.

Its one-page website, devoid of information on the group’s history or its board members, ran a statement that said, “We have received clear feedback that Jonathan Dickinson State Park is … not the right location. We did not understand the local community landscape and appreciate the clarity. We will not pursue building in the beloved Jonathan Dickinson State Park.”

Jennifer Parr of Palm City protests against the Great Outdoors Initiative proposal to add golf courses, hotels, pickleball courts, and other developments to nine Florida state parks at Flagler Park in Stuart on Tuesday, August 27, 2024. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

The statement also said it believed the golf courses would be “enhancing the natural beauty of Florida’s beloved environment.”

At the protest Tuesday, Robert Rosa, who is part of the American Indian Movement, addressed a crowd.

“We are all natural beings, and when we lose connection to the grass, to the trees, to the insects, to the four-legged creatures, we lose a piece of ourselves,” he said.

Rosa also called out Gov. Ron DeSantis, asking why he hasn’t yet shut down the proposals.

DeSantis has a reputation for enhancing protection for the Everglades, and helping to add land to the Florida Wildlife Corridor, which is one reason some people find the whole thing so curious. DeSantis has yet to address the initiative and the controversy surrounding it.

DeSantis’ spokesman Jeremy Redfern last week said the proposal was intended to make the parks “more visitor-friendly.”

“No administration has done more than we have to conserve Florida’s natural resources, grow conservation lands, and keep our environment pristine. But it’s high time we made public lands more accessible to the public,” Redfern said Thursday.

The DeSantis administration has not answered additional questions about the initiative.

‘Not getting any answers’

Kathy Moore, 63, said she’s visited Jonathan Dickinson State Park at least a hundred times throughout her life. Though she’s never been much of a protester, she said she’ll demonstrate in opposition to the DEP’s initiative until the public gets confirmation, in writing, that the Great Outdoors Initiative isn’t happening and won’t ever happen again. Moore also said she isn’t convinced the Tuskegee Dunes Foundation’s withdrawal of the golf courses is a done deal.

“We’re not getting any answers,” she said. “Hopefully it can be stopped, and I’ll be out here sweating until they do.”

State Sen. Jason Pizzo, who represents part of Broward and Miami-Dade counties, is in agreement with Republican and Democratic state officials in that the Great Outdoors initiative is “inconsistent with the philosophy and ethos and use” of the state parks, he said.

He pointed out that state park lands would be alluring to developers because they could bypass land-acquisition costs. Currently, it’s unclear if developers are tied to any of these proposals.

Kathy Moore, of Jupiter, protests in front of Jonathan Dickinson State Park on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

About 150 people gathered at a rally outside Honeymoon Island State Park along the central Gulf coast, many carrying signs with slogans such as “Save Don’t Pave” and “Parks Over Profit.”

“It’s just contrary to what our parks are about,” said Democratic state Rep. Lindsey Cross prior to the rally. Plans at Honeymoon Island include pickleball courts to be constructed near its unspoiled sugar-sand beaches. “It’s a place to slow down, to reconnect with nature,” Cross said.

Bonnie Malloy, a senior attorney at the Earthjustice Florida Office, used to work for the DEP as an enforcement attorney and in-house counsel, largely while Rick Scott was the state’s governor.

“There’s a lot of smart, great people (at the DEP) that are trying to help protect the environment, and that doesn’t necessarily make the agenda at the end of the day,” she said, adding: “There’s a lot of direction that comes from the governor’s office.”

Information from The Associated Press was used to supplement this report. 

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON, Associated Press

Vice President Kamala Harris is sitting down with CNN this week for her first interview since President Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid.

She will be joined by her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in a joint interview with CNN anchor Dana Bash in Savannah, Georgia.

The interview will air at 9 p.m. Thursday Eastern time.

Harris has been criticized for not holding news conferences or granting interviews with news outlets since Biden stepped aside on July 21.

Donald Trump’s campaign has kept a tally of the days she has gone by as a candidate without giving an interview. On Tuesday, the campaign reacted to the news by noting the interview was joint, saying “she’s not competent enough to do it on her own.”

Earlier this month, Harris had told reporters that she wanted to do her first formal interview before the end of August.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Disbarred celebrity lawyer Tom Girardi was convicted Tuesday of embezzling tens of millions of dollars from his clients, including several with severe physical injuries and families of people killed in accidents.

After a 13-day trial and less than a full day of deliberations, the federal jury in Los Angeles found the 85-year-old Girardi guilty of four counts of wire fraud.

Girardi is the estranged husband of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Erika Jayne and appeared on the show himself dozens of times between 2015 and 2020.

He was once among the most prominent lawyers in the nation, often representing victims of major disasters against powerful companies. One lawsuit against California’s Pacific Gas and Electric utility led to a $333 million settlement and was portrayed in the 2000 Julia Roberts film “Erin Brockovich.”

But his law empire collapsed, and he was disbarred in California in 2022 over client thefts.

Former clients who testified against Girardi included an Arizona woman whose husband was killed in a boat accident and victims who were burned in a 2010 gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno, south of San Francisco.

“Tom Girardi built celebrity status and lured in victims by falsely portraying himself as a ‘Champion of Justice,’” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement after the verdict. “In reality, he was a Robin-Hood-in-reverse.”

An email to Girardi’s attorneys seeking comment on the conviction was not immediately answered.

During trial, defense lawyers sought to blame the thefts on his firm’s chief financial officer, Chris Kamon, who is charged separately and has pleaded not guilty. They portrayed Girardi as a mere figurehead in recent years, with a valuable name.

Prosecutors played jurors voicemails in which Girardi gave a litany of false reasons why money that a court had awarded could not be paid, including tax and debt obligations and judge authorizations. He frequently told them, “Don’t be mad at me.”

Girardi’s attorneys also had argued that he was not competent to stand trial because he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Issues with his memory had led another court to put him in a conservatorship under his brother.

But prosecutors contended that Girardi was exaggerating his symptoms, and a judge ruled that he was competent for trial.

Girardi could get as much as 80 years in prison at his sentencing, which is scheduled for December. A judge has allowed him to remain free until then.

Girardi also faces federal wire fraud charges in Chicago, where he is accused of stealing about $3 million from family members of victims of a 2018 Lion Air crash that killed 189 people.

By AAMER MADHANI, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s top Middle East adviser on Tuesday held talks in Doha with senior Qatari leaders on the efforts to complete a cease-fire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas as well as Qatar’s prime minister meeting this week with Iran’s president, according to a U.S. official.

White House senior adviser Brett McGurk’s talks with Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani come after the prime minister’s Monday visit to Tehran to meet with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian.

The talks also come as cease-fire talks aimed at winning at least a pause in the war between Israel and Hamas are shifting to Doha this week after several days of intense negotiations in Cairo. A round of high-level talks ended Sunday without a final agreement. But talks continued at lower levels Monday in an effort to bridge remaining gaps.

Those working-group level talks are now expected to resume Wednesday in Doha. It was not clear why the location of the talks shifted from Cairo or whether this will have an impact on negotiations.

An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were discussing sensitive cease-fire talks, confirmed an Israeli delegation will head to Doha on Wednesday.

The U.S. official, who was not authorized to discuss the sensitive talks publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that McGurk met with the Qatari officials and the focus of their conversation.

Tensions have been escalating between Israel and Iran, and with groups — Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis — that are backed by Tehran. Iran has vowed to retaliate against Israel for last month’s assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh last month in Iran.

Hamas has been designated a terrorist group by the United States, Canada, and European Union.

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday expressed openness to renewing negotiations with the United States over his country’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, telling its civilian government there was “no harm” in engaging with its “enemy.” The timing of Khamenei’s remarks came just one day after the newly minted Iranian president’ visit. There have been indirect talks between Iran and the U.S. in recent years mediated by Oman and Qatar, two of the United States’ Middle East interlocutors when it comes to Iran.

Biden earlier in his presidency had pressed Iran to return to compliance with the nuclear deal that was brokered by the Obama administration in 2015 but scrapped in 2018 by former President Donald Trump.

Since the deal’s collapse, Iran has abandoned limits that the agreement put on its program, and is enriching uranium to up to 60% purity — near weapons-grade levels of 90%. After the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by the Iran-backed Hamas, the U.S. administration has put efforts to revive the nuclear agreement on the shelf.

Pezeshkian, 69, who ran as a reformist politician within Iran’s Shiite theocracy, was elected last month to replaced he late President Ebrahim Raisi, a hard-line protégé of Khamenei, killed in a helicopter crash in May. The new president is closely aligned with former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who reached Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers that saw sanctions lifted in exchange for the atomic program being drastically curtailed.

Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

It has been a while since three nationally ranked Broward powers St. Thomas Aquinas, Chaminade-Madonna and American Heritage all lost their season openers, so they are looking to get back on track. Of course, this season all three teams opened their seasons against teams nationally ranked higher.

St. Thomas Aquinas, the five-time defending state champion, actually moved up two spots in this week’s Max Preps poll to No. 9, while Chaminade-Madonna slipped from No. 9 to No. 11. American Heritage stayed at No. 20.

I went 10-3 last week, missing by one point on the West Boca-Benjamin game, three points in the Milton (Ga.)-Western contest, and seven points in the Chaminade-Madonna-St. John Bosco contest. I finished 151-28 last year after going 144-41 in 2022.

Here is this week’s slate:

Thursday

Deerfield Beach (0-1) at Monarch (1-0) (7 p.m.) Monarch is coming off a thrilling 30-29 win over Peachtree Ridge (Ga.) thanks to sophomore quarterback Jack Spaeder (17-23-2 for 210 yards). Senior Samari Reed, an Ole Miss commit, ran for 122 yards and three TDs, caught four passes for 21 yards and added 25 yards in kick returns to finish with 168 yards. Deerfield failed to get much going in its 23-0 loss to Piper. Monarch 40, Deerfield Beach 14.

Dwyer (0-1) at Boca Raton (1-0) (6:30 p.m.): Dwyer dropped its opener to Jupiter 27-0 last week while the Bobcats picked up a 21-0 victory over Boynton Beach. Boca Raton senior Brody Costolo had eight solo tackles and an assist in the victory. The Panthers could only muster 105 total yards. Boca Raton 17, Dwyer 10.

Lake Worth (0-1) at Wellington (0-1) (6:30 p.m.): Lake Worth fell 49-13 to second year school Dr. Joaquin Garcia and junior quarterback Caleb Butler, who threw for four scores in his debut. He’s a junior transfer from Palm Beach Central. Wellington forced five turnovers on defense in its 26-12 loss to Centennial. Wellington 20, Lake Worth 17.

Palm Beach Lakes (1-0) at Forest Hill (1-0) (6:30 p.m.): Both teams opened with wins — Forest Hill topped John I. Leonard 44-0, and Palm Beach Lakes downed Coral Springs 41-13. Senior Chris Harris ran for 159 yards and a score, while junior QB Quentin Williams threw for 99 yards and two TDs for Palm Beach Lakes. Forest Hill held John. I Leonard to just 79 total yards. Forest Hill 13, Palm Beach Lakes 12.

Friday

No. 11 Chaminade-Madonna (0-1) at Blanche Ely (1-0) (7 p.m.): Blanche Ely, under new coach Terence McFadden, hung 62 points on Boyd Anderson last week. Chaminade-Madonna is coming off a disappointing 34-27 defeat to now No. 3 St. John Bosco in an ESPN game. The Lions have played Blanche Ely twice since 2017 winning both games, 38-0 in 2018 and 44-0 in 2017. Chaminade-Madonna 33, Blanche Ely 17.

No. 9 St. Thomas Aquinas (0-1) at Boyd Anderson (0-1) (Friday 7 p.m.): The Raiders gave the country’s No. 2-ranked squad Bishop Gorman (Nev.) all it could handle in a 29-21 loss at home in another ESPN game. Two late interceptions doomed the Raiders’ rally. Boyd Anderson fell to Blanche Ely 62-31. St. Thomas Aquinas 40, Boyd Anderson 6.

Western (0-1) at  No. 20 American Heritage (0-1) (7 p.m.): Western let a late lead in its game against Alabama power Hoover slip away in the game’s final nine minutes and fell 17-14. Despite 157 passing yards and two touchdowns from junior Texas commit Dia Bell to Miami commit junior Malachi Toney and 177 rushing yards and a score from Byron Louis and a score, the Patriots, ranked No. 20 in the nation, fell to then No. 6  Milton (Ga.) 37-28. American Heritage 24, Western 14.

Everglades at Richmond Hill (1-0) (Georgia) (7:30 p.m.) Everglades’ junior QB Elijah Chollett threw for 207 yards and two scores in a 24-10 victory over Fort Lauderdale. Richmond Hill was led by Caleb Easterling who ran for 146 yards and two scores, along with Joshua Troupe who totaled 137 yards rushing. Richmond Hill 20, Everglades 14.

Miramar (0-1) at Plantation (1-0) at PAL Field (7 p.m.): Miramar came up short, losing 27-0 to then No. 52 Miami Norland, while Plantation hung on for a 27-21 victory over Dillard. Plantation 13, Miramar 12.

Jonesboro (Ga.) (1-1) at Atlantic (1-0) (6:30 p.m.): After winning its opener, Jonesboro fell last week 48-8 to Douglas County and travels to Delray Beach, where it will take on the high flying Atlantic Eagles, who topped Palm Beach Gardens 42-3. Senior QB Lincoln Graf was 14 for 23 for 160 yards and a score and added two scores on the ground. Atlantic 28, Jonesboro 24.  

Tampa Jesuit (0-1) at Benjamin (0-1) (6:30 p.m.) The Tigers are smarting from a 48-34 loss to host Bishop Verot last week. Senior running back Justin Thurman rushed for 100 yards and three touchdowns in the loss. Benjamin junior running back Phoenix Donghia ran for two first-half TDs, but the Buccaneers blew a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter. Junior running back and Sun Sentinel Super 11 selection Javian Mallory finished the game with 144 yards and two TDs. Benjamin 23, Tampa Jesuit 17.

King’s Academy (1-0) at Fort Pierce Westwood (Friday 7 p.m.): King’s Academy blanked St. Andrew’s 13-0 in its opener last week. Senior QB Joe Dailey threw two touchdowns, including a 47-yarder to senior fullback Kosuke Kakata. King’s will travel to the Panthers, who are playing their first game of the season. King’s Academy 17, Fort Pierce Westwood 16.

West Broward (1-0) at Camden County (Georgia) (2-0) (7:30 p.m.): West Broward travels out of state after its 57-14 victory over South Broward. Sophomore running back Amos Bradford had 11 carries for 200 yards and two scores, while senior running back Elijah DeWoskin led the way with 13 carries for 88 yards and two scores. Camden County has a knack for scoring, as it put up 51 points and 60 points in the Wildcats’ two victories. Camden County 24, West Broward 20.

Cardinal Newman (1-0) at Carrollwood Day (Friday 7 p.m.): Junior Leslie Mosley excelled on both sides of the ball as he caught a touchdown pass from junior Jyron Hughley and also had an interception in a 46-7 win over host Monsignor Pace. Hughley had 88 yards passing and three passing scores for the game. He also tallied 61 yards on the ground and 2 TDs. Sun Sentinel Super 11 selection senior Jaylen Brown added 145 rushing yards and a score. The Patriots were doubled up 28-14 by Tampa Plant in its opener. Cardinal Newman 42, Carrollwood Day 6.

Glades Central (1-0) at Martin County (0-1) (Friday 7 p.m.): Glades Central earned a hard-fought 34-31 overtime victory over Seminole Ridge as senior Jermyll Ray finished with 203 all-purpose yards, including a kickoff return to tie the game in the final two minutes to force overtime. The Tigers opened the season with a 20-12 loss to Sebring. Glades Central 21, Martin County 20.

Alabama

Last year’s record: 12-2, 8-0 SEC

• Nearly 40 players either transferred or left for the NFL, but quarterback Jalen Milroe’s return was critical after he accounted for 3,365 total yards and 35 scores during his first season as starter.
• The defense returns just five starters after it lost a trio of pass rushers with 26 sacks, led by Dallas Turner, and the SEC leader in passes defended, cornerback Terrion Arnold. Each player was a first-round draft pick.
• Alabama replaced two-time All-American kicker Will Reichard, the all-time NCAA Division I FBS scoring leader, with Miami (Ohio) transfer Graham Nicholson, who was 27 of 28 on field goals in 2023.

Arkansas

Last year’s record: 4-8, 1-7 SEC

• Boise State transfer quarterback Taylen Green, a 6-foot-6, 221-pound junior, replaces record-setter KJ Jefferson, who transferred to UCF after throwing for 7,991 yards, rushing for 1,868 and accounting for a school-record 88 touchdowns.
• Defensive end Landon Jackson, whose 13.5 tackles for loss rank third among SEC returners, anchors a defense that allowed an average of 357.2 yards under new coordinator Travis Williams, down 108 yards per game from 2022.
• New offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino was 34-17 in four seasons as Arkansas head coach, including 11-2 during his final season in 2011.

Auburn

Last year’s record: 6-7, 3-5 SEC

• 5-star freshman receiver Cam Coleman looks to ignite the SEC’s worst passing offense (162.2 ypg) after second-year coach Hugh Freeze stuck with quarterback Payton Thorne, who ranked 13th among 14 SEC starters in passing efficiency.
• New defensive coordinator and former UF assistant DJ Durkin inherits three of the Tigers’ top four tacklers, include edge rusher Jalen McLeod, who had 10.5 for loss.
• Tailback Jarquez Hunter is the leading returning rusher in the SEC, with 909 yards.

Florida

Last year’s record: 5-7, 3-5 SEC

• Quarterback Graham Mertz returns for a sixth season after finishing with an SEC-best 72.9% completion rate, 20 touchdowns and 3 interceptions in his Gators debut.
• Significant defensive improvement is imperative after UF allowed an average of 38.2 points during a season-ending five-game skid, had an SEC-low 3 interceptions and managed just 22 sacks — the program’s fewest since 2013.
• Coach Billy Napier enters Year 3 in Gainesville with four new assistant coaches, three on defense, and an additional special teams analyst after a 5-7 finish.

Georgia 

Last year’s record: 13-2, 8-0 SEC

• Quarterback Carson Beck set a single-season school record with a 72.4% completion rate while his 3,941 passing yards ranked third.
• Georgia led the conference in scoring defense (15.6 ppg) but allowed its most points since 2020 when schools faced an all-SEC schedule.
• Coach Kirby Smart moved Mykel Williams, the team’s most talented front-seven defender, from end to outside linebacker after the Bulldogs tallied their fewest sacks (30) since 2018.

Georgia quarterback Carson Beck posted a school record 72.4% completion rate while passing for 3.941 yards and 23 scores. (Brett Davis/AP)

Kentucky

Last year’s record: 7-6, 3-5 SEC

• Georgia transfer quarterback Brock Vandagriff, a 5-star prospect, inherits one of the SEC’s best wideout tandems in Barion Brown and Dane Key (85 catches, 1,175 yards, 10 scores combined in 2023).
• Massive tackle Deone Walker (6-6, 348) is a force who posted 55 tackles, including 7.5 sacks, and now anchors one of the SEC’s top defensive fronts.
• Kentucky’s 5-0 start and 7-6 finish was a bit reminiscent of Mark Stoops’ early years in Lexington; his 2014 squad began 5-1 and 2015 team 4-1 before each finished 5-7.

LSU

Last year’s record: 10-3, 6-2 SEC

• Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, a 22-year-old redshirt junior, replaces Heisman winner Jayden Daniels, who accounted for 4,946 total yards and 50 scores.
• Linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. has a case for the SEC’s best front-seven defender after registering 75 stops, including 13 for loss, and 3 forced fumbles as a sophomore.
• After consecutive 10-win seasons, coach Brian Kelly can ill afford the Tigers missing the expanded 12-team playoff in Year 3.

LSU coach Brian Kelly speaks with his players during a game against Florida State at Camping World Stadium last season. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

Mississippi State

Last year’s record: 5-7, 1-7 SEC

• The Bulldogs fired first-year coach Zach Arnett and hired Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby after missing a bowl game for the first time since 2009, Dan Mullen’s debut season in Starkville.
• Seven of the top eight tacklers from 2023 are gone, leaving former UF assistant Coleman Hutzler coordinating a defense with two returning starters.
• Visits to Texas, Georgia, Tennessee and Ole Miss highlight one of the nation’s toughest schedules.

Missouri

Last year’s record: 11-2, 6-2 SEC

• Receiver Luther Burden returns as the SEC’s top playmaker on the perimeter; his 1,212 receiving yards ranked third and he has 17 touchdowns in two seasons.
• To finish 11-2 after consecutive 5-7 seasons, the Tigers won four games by 7 points or fewer, tied with Ole Miss for tops in the SEC.
• Missouri returns just five defensive starters, losing two of its top three tacklers, along with sack leader Darius Robinson and interceptions leader Kris Abrams-Draine.

Oklahoma

Last year’s record: 10-3, 7-2 Big 12

• Sophomore quarterback Jackson Arnold takes over an offense with just two returning starters, none on the offensive line.
• Defensive-minded third-year coach Brent Venables was known at Clemson for developing elite defensive linemen akin to 6-foot-2, 320-pound TCU transfer tackle Damonic Williams, who started 27 games the past two seasons.
• The Sooners join the SEC coming off a lull in Big 12 domination — no title game appearances in three seasons — and without an All-American performer since 2019.

Ole Miss

Last year’s record: 11-2, 6-2 SEC

• The Rebels had a plus-11 turnover margin and won four games by 7 points or fewer, trends that are difficult to repeat hoping to build on 11 wins.
• USC transfer quarterback Jaxson Dart thrived under Lane Kiffin, accounting for 31 scores including 23 passing against just 5 interceptions.
• A quartet of defenders ranked among 247Sports’ top-50 transfers — tackle Walter Nolan (Texas A&M), edge rusher Princely Umanmielen (Florida), linebacker Chris Paul Jr. (Arkansas) and cornerback Trey Amos (Alabama) — will spearhead a retooled unit.

South Carolina 

Last year’s record: 5-7, 3-5 SEC

• Coach Shane Beamer enters a pivotal Year 4 after he followed two promising seasons with a 5-7 dud he cannot repeat.
• The Gamecocks must replace their quarterback and receiving corps, but added Arkansas star tailback Rocket Sanders and 5-star tackle Josiah Thompson to an offensive line with four returning starters.
• Linebacker Debo Williams, the SEC’s leading returning tackler (113 stops), will spearhead a defense with seven starters back and 5-star edge rusher Dylan Stewart in the fold.

Tennessee

Last year’s record: 9-4, 4-4 SEC

• Offensive whiz and former UCF coach Josh Heupel believes highly touted quarterback Nico Iamaleava could be the best he’s coached, while returners Bru McCoy and Squirrel White form a formidable receiving duo.
• Edge rusher James Pearce Jr. is among the SEC’s most dominant defenders — 14.5 tackles for loss, including 10 sacks, as a sophomore — but Tennessee lost 10 defensive backs and return no starters on the back end.
• Tennessee’s opponents had a combined 52% win rate in 2023, second lowest in the SEC ahead of only Missouri (44.3%).

Texas

Last year’s record: 12-2, 8-1 Big 12

• Quarterback Quinn Ewers lost receivers Xavier Worthy and AD Mitchell to the NFL, but Alabama transfer Isaiah Bond was among the biggest offseason acquisitions in college football.
• An offense averaging 35.8 points returns four starters in the offensive line along with sophomore tailback Cedric Baxter, a former Edgewater standout.
• Sophomore star linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. looks to shore up a front seven losing Outland Award winner T’Vondre Sweat, fellow tackle and first-round draft pick Byron Murphy and All-Big 12 linebacker Jaylan Ford.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian visits with then-Bama coach Nick Saban prior to the Longhorns’ 34-24 win last season in Tuscaloosa. (Vasha Hunt/AP)

Texas A&M

Last year’s record: 7-6, 4-4 SEC

• Quarterback Conner Weigman is as talented any passer in the SEC, putting a premium on his recovery from a serious ankle injury in September.
• After going 16-9 at Duke, Mike Elko replaced Jimbo Fisher; Elko served as A&M’s defensive coordinator during a 9-1 2020 when the Aggies led the SEC in total defense.
• Purdue transfer end Nic Scourton, who led the Big Ten with 10 sacks, tackle Shemar Turner, who totaled 10.5 tackles for loss in 2023, lead a talented defensive front.

Vanderbilt

Last year’s record: 2-10, 0-8 SEC

• Transfer QB Diego Pavia, the 2023 Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year, arrives from New Mexico State with coordinator Tim Beck looking to provide stability for coach Clark Lea, who has played multiple quarterbacks in 22 of 36 games.
• The Commodores return just three starters on each side of the football as Lea enters his fourth season searching for answers and assuming the role of defensive play caller.
• Linebacker Langston Patterson (team-high 74 stops) and safety CJ Taylor (55) are solid pieces to build around as is versatile TCU sophomore transfer Randon Fontenette.

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

Here are the top stories for Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. Get the weather forecast for today here.

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State park tension continues, despite withdrawal of golf plans at Jonathan Dickinson

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Special counsel urges appeals court to reinstate classified documents case against Trump

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Miss Manners: She refused to let me wear custom slippers in her home and it caused me pain

More than 11 years after a 4-year-old boy was found dead in a Coral Springs apartment, his mother has been arrested and accused of his murder.

Destene Simmons, 34, was booked Friday into the North Broward Bureau on one count of first-degree murder and one count of aggravated child abuse in her son Antwan Hope Jr.’s death. Port St. Lucie Police Department helped with the arrest, though Coral Springs Police in a news release Monday did not say when she was initially arrested.

Just days after Antwan was found dead on June 10, 2013, Coral Springs Police considered Simmons a person of interest. The police department did not elaborate in its news release on why the arrest came more than a decade later and denied releasing the warrant for Simmons’ arrest, citing an ongoing investigation.

Simmons, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and depression, was having her first unsupervised visit with Antwan at her apartment in Coral Springs since she allegedly attempted to suffocate him in 2011. In three cryptic 911 calls that morning, Simmons asked for help without giving her address and without saying why she was calling.

“I just want someone to come out,” Simmons told a 911 operator. In a later call, Simmons gave her address in the 9000 block of Northwest 28th Drive, saying only, “My baby don’t want to come out,” before hanging up.

The Sun Sentinel reported on June 18, 2013, that Destene Simmons remained a person of interest in the June 10, 2013, death of her 4-year-old son, Antwan Hope Jr. (Newspapers.com)

Officers discovered Antwan’s body on a bed, still in his pajamas, inside the apartment. Police immediately considered the death suspicious, and Simmons was hospitalized and had a psychological evaluation.

The police department has released few details publicly about Antwan’s death and their investigation since, including his cause and manner of death. Court records in the case were not available Monday night.

Antwan’s father, Antwan Hope Sr., filed a negligence lawsuit against the Department of Children and Families and ChildNet, a contractor of the department, on the one-year anniversary of his son’s death, alleging Simmons killed him or that he died “as a result of severe neglect due to her mental incapacity to properly care” for him. He alleged DCF and ChildNet were negligent by allowing Simmons’s visit despite her allegedly attempting to suffocate him.

The lawsuit also alleged Simmons “would regularly take Antwan Hope Jr. from his residence and walk around in the streets with him at 3 a.m. in the morning” and refused others to interact with him. Court records in the lawsuit are no longer accessible.

Former Broward Judge Elizabeth Scherer lambasted the child protection agencies in court a few days after Antwan’s death and said that a court order was violated in allowing Simmons to visit her son unsupervised. Scherer was supposed to review a home study before Simmons could have unsupervised visits, which was not filed until the day after Antwan died.

“The system has failed you, and I’m sorry,” Scherer told Hope Sr. and his relatives in court at the time.

Information from the Sun Sentinel archives was used in this report.

This is a developing story, so check back for updates. Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.

On Aug. 15 in Tampa, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis publicly announced that “we do not have a pro-life majority in Florida.”

Therefore, in order to subvert the will of the people, he further stated that the real work will be in convincing people who support abortion rights that Amendment 4 is too extreme.

They hope to do this through a misleading and fear-mongering “financial impact statement,” which they somehow managed to get attached to the ballot question voters will see as they vote.

Don’t be fooled.

The DeSantis administration has no interest in representing the people of Florida, only the governor’s own far-right political agenda.

Victoria Fowler, Fort Lauderdale

My mind, body and soul

For my mind, no government or political party should tell me what I can read or study in school.

For my body, no government or political party should tell me who I am or what I can do with my own body.

For my soul, no government or political party should tell me who, what or where I can worship.

Since I pay my taxes, at least let me control my own mind, body and soul. The government can have the rest.

Please vote to save your own mind, body and soul.

Donna Volpe, Boca Raton

Everyone must vote

Why do conservative lawmakers feel they have the right to tell women what they can do with their bodies, while men enjoy unlimited access to sexual enhancement drugs?

Under the United States Constitution, we are all supposed to be equal with equal rights.

But sections of the population feel differently. Men can make choices for themselves about their bodies, while women have “choice” forced on them as if we were still living in the dark ages.

The only way we can address this inequality is to get out and vote for Amendment 4 in November for women’s rights. Abolishing women’s contraception is the next step after the reversal of Roe v. Wade, as has been outlined in Project 2025.

More than just women need to vote in November. We also need fathers, brothers, uncles and grandfathers to vote to protect these rights for women. Talk is cheap, but votes count.

Fred Hartmann, Aventura

A change in ideology

It is hard to believe that Kamala Harris has the intelligence or sincerity to run a country.

She’s being directed by members of her party to deliver speeches as a strong moderate-thinking Democrat, rather than the progressive one she is, to grab votes away from the undecideds.

Question: How does a person change ideologies in a span of about five minutes? Answer: To become the next president.

Donald Trump has a big mouth and we all wish he would shut up and continue his campaign minus his ranting and raving. But in the end, he’s an American through and through, and he doesn’t have to change his ideology to prove anything. We know exactly where he stands.

This election is going to be one for the history books. As the old saying goes, may the best man win.

Roberta Chaleff, Tamarac

For the second consecutive season, the Miami Dolphins defense is under new leadership.

Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, who has a different style and philosophy than his predecessor, Vic Fangio, takes over a unit that finished No. 10 in the league in total defense (318.3 yards allowed per game), but No. 22 in points allowed per game (23).

There are already early-season hurdles to clear, ranging from edge rushers Jaelan Phillips (Achilles) and Bradley Chubb (knee) recovering from their injuries to making up for the loss of defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, one of the defense’s heart-and-soul players last season.

The Dolphins, who should play more man-to-man defense and blitz more frequently this season, did fairly well in free agency. Players such as cornerback Kendall Fuller, linebackers Jordyn Brooks and Anthony Walker Jr., and safeties Jordan Poyer and Marcus Maye are good additions.

But the defensive losses were deep when you also consider familiar faces such as cornerback Xavien Howard, linebacker Jerome Baker, safety Brandon Jones and edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel also departed.

Here’s how the Dolphins’ starting defense is shaping up:  

Edge rusher Chop Robinson

6 foot 3, 254 pounds; rookie season

Normally, Phillips would be the starter. And that could still happen. But we’re taking the cautious approach here. Robinson, the rookie first-round pick from Penn State looked better and better as training camp progressed. He should be a factor even after Phillips returns.

Edge rusher Emmanuel Ogbah

6-4, 275; eighth

Normally, Chubb would be the other starter. But Ogbah, the replacement after Shaq Barrett’s sudden retirement, was productive early in training camp and seems an easy choice as a starter. He should be in the rotation when Chubb returns.

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DL Zach Sieler

6-6, 300; seventh

Big things are expected from Sieler, who had a career-best 10 sacks last season. Sieler will get lots of attention with Wilkins gone, but he has the skill set to make the jump from good to borderline Pro Bowl-level.

DL Da’Shawn Hand

6-3, 302; seventh

This is a big opportunity for Hand, who flashed last season with 17 tackles in 198 snaps from scrimmage and 45 snaps on special teams in 16 games. Miami needs a replacement for Wilkins and Hand was good in training camp. The Dolphins will be rotating defensive linemen to make up for the loss of Wilkins, so veteran Calais Campbell should also see plenty of action. 

LB Jordyn Brooks

6-0, 240; fifth

Brooks is a tackling machine who has had more than 100 tackles in three of his four NFL seasons, including recording 111 tackles last season with Seattle. He’ll bring a physical presence to the defense.

LB David Long Jr.

5-11, 225; sixth

Long was last season’s leading tackler with 113. His aggression and physicality set a tone for the defense. He’ll be a heart-and-soul player on the defense this season. By the way, this is the final year of Long’s contract so expect big things.

CB Jalen Ramsey

6-1, 208; ninth

Ramsey, the star of the defense, is a likely Hall of Famer. Weaver wants to use him as a “chess piece,” meaning highlighting Ramsey’s versatility. Ramsey missed the first seven games last season but was still Miami’s best defensive back.

CB Kendall Fuller

5-11, 198; ninth

Fuller, the free agent signee from Washington, steps in at the spot vacated by Howard. Fuller, who had two interceptions and nine passes defended last season, has position versatility, meaning he can play either side or inside, which could be valuable if the Dolphins plan to use Ramsey as a “chess piece.”

Nickel/slot CB Kader Kohou

5-10, 197; third

Kohou, a sensation as an undrafted rookie in 2022, was a target last season as teams stayed away from Ramsey and Howard. Kohou was targeted 83 times in 2023, and quarterbacks completed 81.9% of those passes. By comparison, Fuller was targeted 80 times and quarterbacks completed 68.8% of those passes.

S Jevon Holland

6-1, 205; fourth

Holland only played 12 games last season due to injury, but he was effective with 74 tackles (fourth on the team) and that 99-yard interception that might have won the New York Jets game on Black Friday. By the way, expect big things because it’s the final year of his contract.

S Jordan Poyer

6-0, 191; 12th

A seasoned veteran, Poyer brings experience, skill and maturity. Poyer had 101 tackles in 16 games in 2023, but he failed to record an interception for the first time in seven seasons. Still, this is regarded as a quality signing and that’ll probably end up being true. And with the late offseason addition of veteran safety Marcus Maye, the Dolphins have depth at the position.

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Life looks normal walking along the streets of Tel Aviv. However, strolling through the streets of Southern Israel, I can see evidence of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war — bullet holes and burned-down buildings.

I’m a 20-year-old student at Florida Atlantic University studying journalism. In May, thanks to Taglit Birthright Israel, I traveled to Israel for 10 days. The nonprofit organization funds free trips, valued at around $4,500 per participant, for Jewish young adults ages 18-26.

Jessica Abramsky is a junior majoring in journalism at Florida Atlantic University. (courtesy, Jessica Abramsky)

The comprehensive trip took me all over the country, from Tiberius to Jerusalem and Sderot. Throughout the trip, I experienced togetherness, sadness and joy.

I had wrestled with whether I should go on the trip, and some of my family was nervous too. I realized it might be dangerous, but I felt compelled to visit Israel during this time because of the war. I have felt more connected with my Jewish identity since the war started.

I wanted to bear witness. I needed to talk to civilians, survivors and soldiers. I wanted to know what it was like to be in Israel on Oct. 7. But while I was on the ground in Israel, I felt very safe.

Since Hamas’ terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, leaving 1,200 dead and 250 taken hostage, Israel has launched retaliatory strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza. Through news outlets, the Gazan Health Ministry reported in late July that just under 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war. It’s unclear how many deceased are Hamas terrorists,  but Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said on Aug. 15 that the military has killed over 17,000 Hamas terrorists since the start of the war, the Times of Israel reported.

Because of the war, tourism to the area has shriveled. Our tour guide, Amir, who worked for the tour company Authentic Israel, told me it was very difficult. Virtually all tourism was suspended for months. He was supporting his family by selling fruit.  He said that tourism started to pick up again in May, when colleges ended for the year in the U.S. and tour agencies began sending travelers over the summer.

In Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, people worked, shopped and ate in restaurants with no direct signs of the military battle in Gaza. But in southern cities like Sderot, where some people have returned to homes they fled, and northern cities like Tiberius, where war refugees have relocated because of Lebanon-based Hezbollah attacks, the effects of the war are felt by everyone.

More than 100,000 Israelis remain displaced within Israel, according to HIAS, an Israeli nonprofit organization for refugees.

Under a government-funded program, my hotel in Tiberius housed some of these families alongside more-typical guests. I saw displaced young children eating at the hotel breakfast buffet instead of their kitchen table before they headed off to school.

Soldiers weep at Mount Herzl National Cemetery in Jerusalem

At Mount Herzl National Cemetery, on the west side of Jerusalem, we witnessed multiple funerals for soldiers who had died recently in Gaza. Some of the soldiers attending the service for a fallen comrades looked numb. Others cried. Most had eyes bloodshot from tears. On the graves lay handwritten letters and photos, and on the headstones mourners had placed stones, a Jewish tradition to symbolize the lasting memory of the deceased, as stones are more permanent than flowers and photos.

Israeli soldiers mourn a fallen comrade at the Mount Herzl National Cemetery in Jerusalem. (Jessica Abramsky)

One fallen soldier, Staff Sgt. Aner Elyakim Shapiro, was at the Nova Music Festival near Re’im, Israel, on Oct. 7, less than 10 miles from the Gaza Strip. The story, as told from one of the Birthright staffers accompanying my trip, was that as terrorists threw grenades into the open shelter in which he hid with 30 others, he lobbed them back at his attackers. He tossed seven grenades back before the eighth killed him. A photo of Shapiro in the bomb shelter sat on his grave. Hersh Goldberg-Polin, one of Hamas’ current Israeli-American hostages, was taken out of the bomb shelter.

Site of the slayings: 360 small trees mark each festival victim

The same day I went to Sderot, I also visited the site of the Nova Music Festival, which took place in the early morning hours of Oct. 7 in the Negev Desert near Re’im. The festival was an open-air event during the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret.

It was eerie to be there, where Hamas initiated a surprise attack on Israel, killed 360 and took dozens of hostages.

A few of the memorials at the site of the Nova Music Festival, where some 360 concertgoers were killed in the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack. (Jessica Abramsky)

There, black poles with victims’ photos and names spring from the desert ground, which had been a festival dance floor. Red plastic flowers stand at the base of each pole. Spent candles to memorialize the dead line the walls of open-air bomb shelters.

Across the street stand 360 newer small trees — one for each festival victim.

Surveillance footage of the attacks

During my visit to Sderot I not only visited the sites of the attacks but also heard from survivors.

While visiting a community center, I heard from a volunteer paramedic with Magen David Adom, Israel’s national ambulance service, and a volunteer with ZAKA, Israel’s top non-governmental rescue and recovery organization. Walking into the center, there were fallen Hamas rockets on display. Our tour guide, Amir, said they keep them to raise awareness and because so many have fallen since Oct. 7 that they do not know what to do with them.

We also watched surveillance camera footage from the streets of Sderot on the day of the attack. We watched Hamas terrorists murder families and shoot at moving vehicles on the road. We saw Hamas terrorists kill the parents of two young girls as the girls sat in the back seat of their vehicle. But the children were left untouched. The paramedic theorized the terrorists did not kill the girls to “make them suffer.”

Throughout, the paramedic narrating the camera footage showed little emotion, even as he watched and explained the recordings of the murders of people he knew.

At an observation deck atop a small hill facing Gaza, we came within a few miles of the war zone. It was surreal to be standing in a city that was devastated on Oct. 7, looking into the Gaza Strip, where the situation is awful.

Smoke rises from the war zone in the distance, as seen from the city of Sderot, Israel. (Jessica Abramsky)

Palestinians have been forced to live under harsh conditions: little food, shelter or security. The world, Israel and the U.S. included, has sent thousands of humanitarian aid packages to Gaza, including medical supplies, food and water. Aid is incredibly useful, but it breaks my heart to hear reports that Hamas terrorists steal the supplies rather than share them with civilians who need them. They have hijacked aid trucks numerous times.

This just creates a worse environment for everyone who lives there.

In the sky: Dark, gray smoke from explosions

While we were in Sderot, especially close to Gaza, we could hear explosions and see dark, gray smoke floating into the sky, which Amir said was mostly IDF carrying out targeted implosions of buildings known to be terrorist hideouts. Israeli fighter jets roared overhead.

At one point, we wandered over to a destroyed police station. The building was captured by about 10 terrorists on Oct. 7, who stole from the armory and murdered the police officers inside. We learned that the police chief decided to implode the building to kill the terrorists hiding on the roof, instead of sending a SWAT team to its death.

At a playground in a residential part of Sderot near the end of our trip, we sat down to discuss the emotions and sights of the trip. I was mentally and emotionally drained.

We shared personal stories and some people cried, as they have lost friends and family on Oct. 7. Amir then brought our attention to a large green caterpillar-like tunnel structure snaking through the playground.

He asked if we knew what it was; we thought it was a tunnel for the kids to play in. And it was, but it was more than that. It was also a bomb shelter for children.

This is the reality for children in southern Israel — they are taught from a young age to get to the shelter fast and to bring the younger kids with them. It is heart-wrenching that these are the memories Israeli children will hold onto for life.

Jessica Abramsky is a junior majoring in journalism at Florida Atlantic University.

Q: Ira, you continue to list Nikola Jovic as the starting power forward. But what if Erik Spoelstra goes in a different direction? – David.

A:Then it gets interesting for the Heat on multiple levels. First, I’ve been listing Nikola Jovic as the starting four because I’m not sure I see another option on this roster. I still think it would be too soon for Kel’el Ware. Haywood Highsmith would be an undersized stretch. It hardly would be maximizing Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s skill set. And it seems as if the Heat and Erik Spoelstra have moved beyond a pairing of Bam Adebayo and Kevin Love in the first five. But . . . if the Heat do move in such a direction, then I’m not sure where Nikola Jovic might fit as Erik Spoelstra cycles through his rotation, considering the volume of wing options he has at his disposal in smaller-ball pairings. So I almost think you start Nikola at the start of the season to initially get the best read on your roster. Of course, that all could be what camp is about.

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Q: Ira, it’s been a month since summer league and we haven’t seen Heat players working out together. Wouldn’t it be a good idea for the NBA to have mini-camps like the NFL in the offseason? – Len.

A: First, compared to the NFL, there hardly is much of an NBA offseason, when considering camps can start as early as late September and the playoffs can end as late as late June. The NFL, by contrast, has almost six months of offseason free and clear to spot in mini-camps and OTAs that hardly are optional. Still, many teams have players who organize informal get togethers during August and September ahead of camp. But you can’t talk about seasons being too long and complain about players not being available and then expect them to work year-round (even as the rest of us do). For the Heat, the mandate has been clear: Enjoy your offseason, but arrive to camp in shape, as opposed to starting to get in shape at that stage. And, all the while, plenty of players are still working together in groups.

Q: Goran Dragic carried the Heat during difficult times. Heat Nation really appreciated what he did for us. – Jurgis.

A: Which is why it was heartening to see Chris Bosh, Josh Richardson, Chris Quinn, Andy Elisburg, Adam Simon and so many others from the Heat at Goran Dragic’s farewell game in Slovenia. I remain of the belief that No. 7 should be in the rafters at Kaseya Center. But, failing that, I would like to see some sort of Heat shrine or museum to at least honor the next tier of players for contributions such as Goran, a place where those such as Rony Seikaly and Glen Rice could be honored, as well as franchise mainstays such as Ron Rothstein, Keith Askins, Eric Reid, Jose Paneda, etc.