Monarch @ Piper
WEEK 4 | 2023 SEASON
September 13, 2023
by Josh Zedner
Sunrise, Fla. | “Knights Slice Through Bengals”
Florida Man Sports is back with a Wednesday night showdown between the Monarch Knights and the Piper Bengals. The game started over an hour after its scheduled 7 PM start time due to a lightning delay, so both teams were more than ready to kickoff this Broward County faceoff.
Piper started the game with the ball and dealt with steady pressure from the Knights’ formidable defensive line who forced an early punt. UMass commit 2024 QB AJ Hairston led Monarch down the field easily with a screen pass to 2026 ATH Jabari Brady that would have been an easy score if not for a great rundown and tackle by 2024 FS Demarcus Pierre. Hairston then threw a great pass into the chest of 2025 ATH Samari Reed for a Knights TD.
After a few quick 3-and-outs by each team, Hairston found Reed again on a screen pass that was easy and breezy as Reed flew through the Bengals for the second Monarch touchdown, making the score 13-0.
Piper looked to have something going late into the 2nd quarter when 2025 QB Christian Mata started connecting with 2024 RB/TE/P Jean Telfort and 2025 WR Jamir Telfort. But Monarch 2024 LB Santana Harrison and former-Piper 2024 ATH Malik Kesley made some key plays to stall the drive on the goal line and leave the Bengals scoreless before the half.
The Knights looked to be in control prior to the end of the half, but Hairston was injured on a run and was forced to leave the game before the 3rd quarter started. He was replaced by 2027 QB Jaden Phillips. After a Knights 3-and-out to begin the 3rd quarter, Piper muffed a punt that was recovered by Monarch. It luckily didn’t result in any points because Phillips couldn’t get the offense going to start his stint at QB.
The Bengals finally responded, after many missed opportunities, when Mata completed a dump-off pass to 2025 WR Antonio Harris that got Piper deep into Monarch territory. The drive culminated in a touchdown by 2025 RB Tyrik Caldwell to cut the lead to 13-6. But the Bengals’ hope was short-lived, as Reed dazzled once again with a silky smooth kick return touchdown. It was Reed’s 4th kickoff return touchdown in 4 games now.
This pretty much stalled any momentum that Piper had, as Harrison and 2024 DL Trevon Chisholm broke through the trenches and smashed Bengals when they attempted to get something going. 2025 DB Terence Johnson Jr. came through with an INT that was taken deep into Bengals territory, and then Kesley crashed into the endzone (behind a HELMET KNOCKING pull block from 2024 OL Melvin Puckett) to get the lead up to 20.
The game was salted away at this point, as 2024 RB Emmanuel Lavaud scored another TD for the Knights. And on the Bengals’ last stand, 2024 DB L.J. Muff had a ridiculous interception over a Piper receiver. The final score was 32-6.
The Monarch Knights now move to 3-1 on the season after an impressive performance on both sides of the ball. It will be interesting to see how they respond after Hairston was injured, though. Phillips has a tall task ahead of him as a freshman QB. But with potential star weapons such as Brady, Reed, and 2024 ATH Clayton Cannon, he could be in a good spot to make smart decisions and let his guys do the hard work. After two poor performances in a row, the Piper Bengals have a bit of soul searching to do. They need to find an identity on offense. It’s fair to say that neither the passing nor rushing attacks were getting much going tonight. With a solid defense and core of receivers, they have some potential but we shall see what the future holds.
FINAL SCORE:
Monarch beats Piper 32-6
About Josh Zedner:
Joshua Zedner is a beat writer covering high school football for Florida Man Sports. A native of Miami Beach, he attended Florida International University before finishing his undergraduate Business Administration degree at the University of Florida. Josh is an avid Miami sports fan, and he also writes a music review blog as a passion project under the @AlbumAnalysisWithZ handle on Instagram.
