- November 28, 2024
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The PRIDE football team finished fourth in the nation this season. But now, players are faced with their greatest challenge yet: high school.
BY ANDREW O'BRIEN | SPORTS EDITOR
In just its second season, the Ormond Beach PRIDE eighth-grade football team finished fourth in the nation this year after going undefeated in the regular season, winning the conference championship and the regional tournament.
The PRIDE is Ormond Beach’s first youth football team to experience such success.
But now it's time for 17 PRIDE players say goodbye to middle school football. Next stop: high school. Registration for the football and cheer program, for kids kindergarten through eighth grade, is also underway.
Visit www.OrmondBeachPRIDE.com to register.
The team's eighth-grade players are listed as follows, by Ccach Brian Colubiale:
Denzel Houston, QB/LB: Named the AYF Southeast MVP and was nominated for the AYF All-Star team. One of the top eight-grade athletes in Florida, Houston showed his skills throwing, passing and on defense week after week, proving he is ready for the next level. Houston is a two-year PRIDE player.
R.J. Stokes, DB/WR: Likes the big hits on defense. He’s a very dependable athlete who combines hard hits, power and speed, making him versatile for many positions. Very good at reading the play and stopping it before it gets started. On offense, he scored often as running back and wide receiver, but he loves running opposing players over.
Jason Colubiale, WR/DB/QB: A smart player who can play almost any position. Making big receptions and touchdowns at the regional and national level, his hands and route running proved valuable. Colubiale found a love of setting up key blocks and de-cleating players from the receiver position to spring his teammates for touchdowns. Defensively, he was very dependable on pass coverage. He was a two-year PRIDE player.
A’shundre Christian, OL/DL: Tall, strong player. Using his strength and leverage, he was key to the offensive line. On defense, he came off the edge and through the gaps to make big plays in the backfield. He was a two-year PRIDE player.
Na’keven Atkins, WR/DB: Developed into a very good receiver. Using his speed, he was able to fly by defenders on "go" routes, coming up with big receptions.
Thanasi Summerlin, OL/DL: One of the strongest players on the team. Always smiling, he was a joy to coach. He was a two-year PRIDE player.
Damarious Brown, OL/DL: A big player who developed into a very good offensive and defensive lineman. He was also a big producer on extra-point plays, using his hands to make some receptions.
Isaiah Poku, DL/WR: A small defensive linemen with big heart and determination. Only half the weight of many opposing players, Poku used his speed and knowledge to get into the backfield and come up with big plays. He was a two-year PRIDE player.
Chad Davis, WR/DB: Developed into a good receiver and defensive back. He was a great teammate in the regional championship, when asked to move to inside receiver where he helped make big plays to set up touchdowns in the PRIDE’s come-from-behind win.
Blu Diaz, DE/RB: Blu used his experience at the defensive end spot to come up with big plays this season. Most importantly, he was a vocal leader, pumping the team up and playing with emotion.
Sean Smith, Center/DL: A smaller center who was about half the weight of opposing players. He was great with his quarterback snaps in the shotgun formation. He was a two-year PRIDE player.
Jordan Lewis, WR/DE: He was a first-year player who developed very well as the season went on.
Keon Jones, OL/DL: New to football, Jones used his power and size to help strengthen the offensive line.
Jerry Antoine, DE/DL: Antoine developed throughout the season to be a good defensive linemen, who came up with some big plays. He was a two-year PRIDE player.
Jordan Bailey, DB/WR: New to football, but he is a very fast player.
Dimitrios Summerlin, WR/DB: A good player for the team, making good blocks at receiver and helping with defense when called upon. He was a two-year PRIDE player.
Christian Brown, DL/OL: New to football, Brown learned to play offensive line and defensive line for the PRIDE.
