BY GENE NARDI
If you ask new Palm Beach Central High School head football coach Tino Ierulli where his squad is at the start of practice, he’ll direct you to the weight room.
Weight training may be synonymous with football, but Ierulli is focused on evaluating the talent of his players during camp to determine who will start in the fall.
“The transition has been very good to South Florida,” he told the Town-Crier. “You can definitely tell a difference between South Florida football and Central Florida football.”
Ierulli was hired by the school in the spring, replacing former head coach Rod Harris.
Ierulli comes from Lake Minneola, in the Central Florida area, where he was the team’s defensive coordinator.
Ierulli explained that the team will be going to a multiple set offense and use the athletes it has to its advantage, employing various formations.
Defensively, the coaching staff plans to go with a more aggressive blitz attack style. “We have a high football I.Q. and are very talented,” Ierulli added.
More than 30 players from the Broncos graduated last spring, but several key players will return in critical positions.
Kemar Downer returns to the Broncos’ offense and will most likely play a dual role. California junior transfer Savoin Harris will also see time under center as the quarterback. Senior Larry Dunnon will add to the receiving corps, along with senior Luis Peguero at tight end.
With Dunnon and Peguero both at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, Downer and Harris should have no problem finding these two downfield.
The Bronco offensive line was hit hard by the Class of 2014’s departure, but will be led by Zikk Omoruyi and Jamie Saah, who have had a strong camp thus far, Ierulli said.
The line will be stacked with Omoruyi and senior Devin Raiford. The linebacker to watch will be senior transfer Joseph Ierulli, playing the inside position. The 6-foot, 220-pounder was a two-year starter at Lake Minneola.
The Broncos are optimistic about the fall season under their new leadership and have a promising outlook in District 10-8A.
The competition is stacked in the six-school district with Park Vista, Boca Raton, Santaluces, John I. Leonard and Spanish River, but the Broncos appear to be headed in the right direction.
The Broncos travel to Miami Northwestern for their Kickoff Classic on Friday, Aug. 22 at 7 p.m. The squad then heads to rival Royal Palm Beach in the regular-season opener on Friday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m.
ABOVE: New head coach Tino Ierulli directs the Bronco squad during camp.
