How Semaj Demps sparked Glades Central football in key district win over King's Academy

BELLE GLADE — Gatorade baths are usually reserved for playoff games or victories over archrivals.

Thursday night's game didn't fall into either category for Glades Central, but as the final seconds ticked off the clock to conclude a hard-fought 14-7 win over King's Academy, the Raiders made sure to drench first-year coach Travis Moore.

The celebration was a long time coming, in more ways than one. For Moore, 30, it was not only his first win at Glades Central, but his first as a varsity head coach. For the Raiders, it was a breakthrough win after a Kickoff Classic drubbing by Miami-Booker T. Washington and a stunning first-week loss to Seminole Ridge.

Even the game itself took a long time to complete. A thunderstorm delayed the kickoff for an hour and 45 minutes, and the jubilant Raiders didn't storm the field until nearly 11 p.m.

"It felt great," Moore said of his postgame bath. "I was kind of sore standing up for four or five hours."

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The game marked the first big district matchup of the season in Palm Beach County. Glades Central improved to 1-0 in Class 2M-District 9 (1-1 overall) while King's Academy dropped to 0-1 and 1-1.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

1 . Semaj Demps breaks loose

Glades Central's Semaj Demps, a small but speedy wide receiver who's committed to Purdue, is used to drawing plenty of attention from opposing secondaries.

"If it's one-on-one, I can beat anybody," he said.

Problem is, Demps often attracts two or even three defenders, so he knows his opportunities are going to be limited. But when he found himself in one-on-one coverage on the game's first series, he slipped behind his defender, caught a Casey Felton pass about 40 yards downfield and sprinted into the end zone to complete a 67-yard touchdown.

"I knew I had to get us on the board early, get the energy going," he said.

Demps caught three passes for 115 yards. He had a key 13-yard reception to keep the winning drive alive in the fourth quarter. He also broke free on another deep route and might have had a second TD if the ball hadn't been underthrown.

Walking off the field, Demps showed off the Purdue Boilermakers gloves he wore the entire game. "My other team's playing tonight," he said, referring to Purdue's Big Ten opener against Penn State. "I have to find out how they're doing." (Purdue lost 35-31.)

2 . Defense stands tall

Glades Central's normally stout defense had been shaky in the Kickoff Classic and the regular-season opener, but the Raiders held the Lions in check for most of the game.

King's Academy managed only one sustained drive, going 70 yards in nine plays to tie the score at 7 in the third quarter. Joe Dailey connected with Jermaine Council on a 38-yard pass and then tossed a 3-yard scoring pass to Cory McEnroe

Otherwise, Thernadrik Young had a key interception and the Raiders forced a turnover on downs on the Lions' final possession, sealing the victory with 2:26 left.

The Raiders offense, meanwhile, did just enough. Felton, a senior who played defensive end last season, completed 13 of 22 passes for 203 yards. "He's maturing before our eyes," Moore said. "I think this is the first time he's played quarterback since he was a freshman. You learn by doing."

Kienaskia Workman led all rushers with 51 yards on nine carries, including a 6-yard touchdown run with 7:58 remaining for the winning points.

Moore also had high praise for Omarion Hill, who played center for the first time and anchored the offensive line. "He played phenomenally well," Moore said. "We gave him the game ball."

3 . Growing pains for King's

Ben McEnroe, King's Academy's first-year coach, saw his team take a tough loss after pulling out a first-week victory with a field goal in the closing seconds.

"I was proud of the way our kids competed," McEnroe said. "We fought and we gave ourselves a chance to win. We can learn from that and keep growing."

The Lions lost tight end Jackson Worley — "our best offensive player," in McEnroe's words —to a leg injury early in the first quarter. Worley is a senior leader on a decidedly young team. Dailey, Council and Cory McEnroe, the key players on the touchdown drive, are all underclassmen.

"There's nothing we can do about the weather, the injuries, the calls, the other things that affected the game," McEnroe said. "But we have a lot to clean up."

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Semaj Demps, Glades Central football beat King's Academy for key win