Thursday Night Watch: Doral Academy Firebirds

30 games are scheduled for tomorrow as the state of Florida moves into week two of the regular season. One of those contests features <strong>Doral Academy </strong>against <strong>Barbara Goleman. </strong>The Firebirds are 1-0 after defeating <strong>South Dade </strong>33-18 in week one. The Gators fell to <strong>Carol</strong> <strong>City</strong> 40-36. I wrote an article about Goleman you can view by clicking <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/07/barbara-goleman-team-preview/">here</a>. Let’s look into the Firebirds who are led by head coach <strong>Eddie Delgado</strong>. <strong>2023 Ryan Gonzalez</strong>/ <strong>2023</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="128374" first="Jason" last="Demetrius"]</strong>/ <strong>2023</strong> <strong>Mark Wilder Jr.</strong>/<strong>2022</strong> <strong>Michael Lomonaco</strong> - Running backs Doral Academy has been fueled by a quartet of running backs through two games, including the preseason classic against <strong>Dr. Krop</strong>. The Firebirds won that game 31-0. The group has rushed for over 600 yards behind a strong offensive line. All four range between 5-foot-7 and 5-foot-11 while weighing between 140 and 190 pounds. Therefore, they all bring something different to the table. LoMonaco (190 pounds) had 10 carries for 154 yards and a touchdown  against South Dade. He looked physical running through the middle of the field and wasn’t afraid to take on contact. LoMonaco hit the second level and got into open space in a hurry. I think I saw a stiff arm or two from him against would-be tacklers for the Buccaneers. Demetrius (180 pounds) is a speedy back that previously played at <strong>Coral Reef</strong>. He scored a touchdown up the middle against South Dade and rushed for a score to the outside against Dr. Krop. His touchdown against the Lightning was particularly impressive as he hit the edge and bolted up the sideline for a 50-yard score. Demetrius ran for over 300 yards and scored four touchdowns as a sophomore (4-game season). Gonzalez is a smart kid (3.5 GPA) that reportedly ran a 4.64 40 at a <strong>Rivals</strong> camp. He has returned two kickoffs for touchdowns through two games. Gonzalez is versatile and a game-changer. Wilder Jr. (175 pounds) is also listed at middle linebacker. Give a bunch of credit to the Firebirds offensive line. 2022 tackle <strong>Julian Gonzalez</strong> is a monster at 6-foot-4 while weighing 275 pounds. 2023 center <strong>Pedro Llanas</strong> checks in at 6-foot-1, 299 pounds. 2023 tackle <strong>Alexis Mendizabal</strong> is 6-foot-3 while also weighing 275 pounds. 2024’s <strong>Anuar Herrera</strong> and <strong>Santino</strong> <strong>Guitan</strong> are additional young prospects to watch. No wonder this group has dominated the line of scrimmage. They are big and cohesive. On defense, Doral Academy is young and talented. 2022 <strong>Nicolas Pelaez</strong> (Defensive back) and 2022 <strong>Andres Martinez</strong> (Linebacker) are two key seniors. The rest of the defense are mostly underclassmen. Therefore, this unit has a lot of potential to develop. Below is a few of them. <div>DB - <strong>Ben Hanks Jr</strong>.  2025</div> <div>DB - <strong>Maurice Andrews</strong> 2024</div> <div>DB - <strong>Sadonnie Gay</strong> 2024</div> <div>LB/DB - <strong>Nicholas Jacoby</strong> 2023</div> <div> <div>LB -  <strong>Rolando Diaz</strong>  2023</div> <div>DL - <strong>Omar Yaques</strong>  2024</div> <div>DL - <strong>Kristian Menkevich</strong> 2025</div> <div>DL - <strong>Nigel Trim</strong> 2023</div> </div> <div></div> <strong>For any South Florida Prep Redzone news or information...please contact Michael Costeines @Steins_23 on Instagram or follow him on Twitter @Mungertown_Mike23.</strong>