The Miami Dolphins and the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE) recognize the week six youth football players, coach and parent who have demonstrated their commitment to being leaders on and off the field:
• High School Player of the Week: Derohn King from Piper Senior High School. King is a freshman quarterback and commanded his offense against district opponent Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, throwing for 224 yards and two touchdowns. Under King’s leadership, the Piper Bengals remain undefeated at 6-0.
• High School Coach of the Week: Max Edwards from Miami Northwestern Senior High School. The Northwestern Bulls are currently 6-1 and are one of the leading teams in the playoff race.
• Youth Player of the Week: Jarvis Johnson from the Miami Xtreme Football League. Johnson plays running back and linebacker for the North Miami Redskins 10U. He rushed 16 times for 125 yards and three touchdowns and made six solo tackles in a 24-0 victory over the South Kendall Seahawks.
• Team Mom of the Week: Karen Davis from the American Youth Football League’s Plantation Wildcats. Davis is known as, “The kindest person in the park,’ according to Wildcats Head Coach and Captain of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department Patrick Heart. She has amazing organizational skills, overseeing the park’s uniform committee, managing concession stands, the parent snack schedule, team fundraisers and making sure the players have transportation to and from practice each day (further information below).
Davis replaced her car earlier this the year and selected a new vehicle based on her responsibilities as a team mom. “My car needed to be able to hold my wagon that has everything I need for practice and the game,” said Davis. Her car is filled with shoulder pad parts, helmet parts, knee pads, thigh pads, girdles, mouthpieces, extra jerseys, socks, cleats and much more. “Karen’s first aid kit would put most trainers or doctors to shame. Karen is always prepared and is known for having peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for hungry kids after practice each night who need a meal,” said Wildcats Defensive Coordinator and Pembroke Pines Police Officer Jason Grieves.
Each week, Davis holds “Fun Fridays” for the kids that often include team scavenger hunts, ice cream, prizes for players with perfect practice attendance and t-shirts for the most improved players. Additionally, she finds time to help families who fall on hard times. Once there was a parent that needed to move quickly, because she lost her apartment, and Davis was instrumental helping the family find an apartment, move and made sure their son was at practice each night.
Today, several officers were on hand to present the awards to High School Player of the Week Derohn King and High School Coach of the Week Max Edwards. Officer Yarborough from the Broward Sheriff’s Office visited Piper Senior High School and Miami-Dade Police Department Sergeant Jesus Gonzalez, Officer David Thompson, Officer Anthony Turner and Officer Jason Whiting were present at Miami Northwestern Senior High School.
Each award recipient will be presented with a plaque on the field during the Oct. 16 Dolphins home game at Hard Rock Stadium against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and receive acknowledgement of their accomplishment in the game program and through the Dolphins’ and RISE’s social media platforms. They also will receive a pair of tickets to a Miami Dolphins home game and a Dolphins/RISE T-shirt.
As a newly added component of the program and part of the Dolphins/RISE partnership, winners will be empowered to make a difference by participating in a RISE training program where they will learn how to use the unifying power of sport to promote the importance and benefits of unity, equality and inclusiveness as well as address racial tensions their teams, schools and communities might experience.
Awardees also will be encouraged to take a pledge, committing to stand up to racial inequality and share how they plan to affect change by creating a “How I RISE” video message, which will be posted on RISEtoWIN.org.
***Photo/Video Credit: Miami Dolphins***