- April 19, 2024
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The Ormond Beach Pride Varsity team won its second conference championship in a row Oct. 28 and will play in the Ocala regionals Nov. 15-18.
BY MATT MENCARINI | STAFF WRITER
Twos were wild for the Ormond Beach Pride Varsity team last weekend.
The Pride won their second consecutive Florida Youth Football and Cheer Conference Oct. 28, beating the Daytona Beach Hurricanes for the second time this year and advancing to the American Youth Football regionals for the second year in a row.
“It’s awesome,” head coach Brian Colubiale said. “Back-to-back years (with) undefeated seasons (and) back-to-back championships. We’re proud. The boys did a great job today. They played together as a team. Couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Quarterback Denzel Houston put the Pride into the end zone on the game’s opening possession, with a keeper up the middle. His pass to Damarious Brown for the two-point conversion gave the Pride an early eight-point lead.
Houston added three more rushing touchdowns and connected with Na-Kevan Atkins on a 25-yard touchdown pass as the Pride rolled, 32-0, past the Hurricanes.
Ormond Beach beat the Daytona Beach 32-6, Sept. 15, in their third game of the season.
“There was a lot of talk, because a lot these kids go to school with each other, that they were going to change up all these different formations and run all these different plays,” Colubiale said. “We just know how to play. We know how to line up and adjust to anything anybody shoots at us, so far.
“So, no, they didn’t surprise us. We we’re looking forward to a good challenge and I think we responded pretty good.”
Up next for the Pride will be the AYN regionals Nov. 15-18, in Ocala. But until then: practice.
“I’m a little superstitious with that,” Colubiale said. “We’re going to pretty much kind of keep (the practice schedule) the same. We’ll do two days a week. That’s what we’ve been sticking with.
“A lot of coaches believe in three days a week, but with this team, they’re doing it right. We don’t want to wear them out. We want to keep their interest in the game and keep them going.”
For Colubiale and the Pride, a second trip to the regionals brings up bad memories. They made the trip last year, with an undefeated record and a conference championship, but lost to a team they beat in the regular season.
“We've got a lot more work to do,” Colubiale said. “We have unfinished business. We’re coming back with some experience this year. So we’re excited about that.”
