Chaminade's Donta Simpson is the Broward 4A-1A Football Defensive Player of the Year
Donta Simpson only got to play seven games as a senior for Chaminade-Madonna, but when he was on the field, he might have been the most dominant interior force in the state.
It's why the 6-foot-3, 281-pound defensive tackle is the Miami Herald's Broward County Defensive Player of the Year for Classes 4A-1A.
Simpson missed more than a month before finally getting back on the field for the Lions in the Class 1A semifinals and then helped Chaminade-Madonna roll to back-to-back blowout wins for a fourth straight state title.
In the Lions' 42-7 rout of Clearwater Central Catholic in the 1A championship last month, Simpson had seven tackles and a tackle for loss. He finished his final season in Hollywood with 45 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, six sacks, one safety and one blocked kick in only seven games. Simpson, who won't even turn 18 until the summer, is staying close to home to play at Miami after he finally caught the Hurricanes' attention last year and decided to flip his commitment from Maryland to Miami.
'Luckily, he flipped to us,' Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal said.
Despite the limited production due to a hip injury, Simpson was at his best in the biggest moments, including the state title game. He had three tackles for loss in Chaminade-Madonna's shocking early-season loss to Blanche Ely, recorded a pair of sacks and two tackles for loss when the Lions bounced back against Plantation American Heritage the next week, and had three sacks and three tackles for loss in a rout of Norland a few weeks later.
Although only a three-star defensive lineman in the 247Sports composite rankings for the Class of 2025, Simpson was the defensive anchor—and biggest difference-maker—for one of the best programs in the country.
Above all else, he's a winner, who played an important role in three state championships for Chaminade-Madonna.
Coach Dameon Jones has coached his fair share of high school stars and future NFL players, and had high praise for Simpson: 'The best trench player in the state.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
7 hours ago
- New York Post
Breece Hall taking simple mentality in his make-or-break Jets season
Breece Hall said he went 'back to the basics' this offseason after a disappointing 2024 season both for himself and the Jets. Hall returns for his fourth season to a much different team. Gone are the general manager and head coach who drafted him — with Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh now in Philadelphia and San Francisco, respectively. In their places are Darren Mougey and Aaron Glenn, and a whole new set of evaluators Hall needs to impress. 'I'm around new GM, new coaches, a lot of new coaches. For me, I've got to go prove I am the guy. That's every day,' Hall said Wednesday during the Jets minicamp. 'I feel like my skill set [is] that I'm a three-down back that's second to none. … We have a great running back room with a lot of healthy competition, but my mentality is every day I want to prove that I'm the best back on this roster, one of the best backs in the league.' This is a big season for Hall, who has been steady but has not quite ever realized the potential he showed as a rookie before he tore his ACL. His rushing yards dropped last year (from 998 in 2023 to 876 in 2024), and he scored five rushing touchdowns for the second straight season. Hall is entering the final year of his rookie contract. The running back market got a boost last year thanks to Saquon Barkley, but it is still a position that many teams do not want to reward with big contracts. Jets running back Breece Hall (20) practices at minicamp in Florham Park, NJ. Bill Kostroun/New York Post Glenn has also spoken about the team taking a committee approach at running back, with second-year players Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis having big roles. That could take away from what Hall can do. Despite having to potentially share the load, Hall still should have a major role in this offense. Last season, he somehow did not have one game with 20 carries. That seems unlikely to happen this year with new offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand coming with Glenn from the Lions, a team that was sixth in rushing yards in the NFL last season. 'He's got a very good skill set,' Engstrand said of Hall. 'But he's a worker, like I said the last time we were in here, he's just a worker. He's going to go to work, he works on his craft, he's detailed, and he is an all-around player. He's not, I would say, not pigeonholed into one type of back. He's not an inside runner, not an outside runner, he kind of can do a lot of all of it. And then again, the pass game is huge for us, too.' Hall's name came up in trade rumors around the draft. The Jets pushed back against those rumors, saying they never even took a call about Hall. Still, his name was floating around the Internet and on social media, and Hall saw it. Jets running back Breece Hall speaks to the media at minicamp in Florham Park, NJ. Bill Kostroun/New York Post 'I was seeing it just like everybody else was seeing it,' Hall said. 'If people feel like you're not doing your job, you're going to be replaced. It didn't happen. I'm here. A.G. called me and told me he wanted me to be here. For me, that meant a lot.' Hall said he felt like he received a lot of the blame for last year's 5-12 season. 'It's always frustrating as a team and as an individual when you're not winning games and playing as well as you expect,' Hall said. 'After the season, there's always somebody to blame or someone the blame gets put on. A lot of it just so happened to be on me. It was like, 'OK, just get back to the drawing board, get back to working hard.' I know what I can do. I know the potential I have, but potential only goes so far.'
Fox Sports
10 hours ago
- Fox Sports
Za'Darius Smith: 'Hopefully,' I'm back with the Detroit Lions
Defensive end Za'Darius Smith remains a free agent, but, in the end, he wants to be back with the team that he went to the playoffs with last season, that being the Detroit Lions — who cut him in March. "Hopefully, I can get back to Detroit because the coaching staff and everybody in the front office are great," Smith told USA TODAY Sports. "When I'm there, I feel like a leader and like I can influence the young guys and do great things. Hopefully, I can get back to where I want to be in Detroit." Smith split the 2024 season with the Cleveland Browns and Lions, who acquired him at the NFL trade deadline after suffering myriad defensive injuries, including to star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson, a 2023 Pro Bowler. In all, Smith finished the 2024 regular season with a combined nine sacks and 35 combined tackles. Smith ranked 21st among edge defenders in pass-rush grade (76.5), 33rd in overall grade (74.7) and 85th in run-defense grade (62.8) according to Pro Football Focus. Now, should Smith return to Detroit, there are some changes on the coaching side, as the Lions lost defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn — who became the new head coach of the New York Jets — and promoted former linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard to the position. They also have a new defensive line coach in Kacy Rodgers, among many other coaching changes. The 32-year-old Smith, who expressed that he's focused on "getting a ring now and winning a championship," thinks he and Hutchinson could be a special duo off the edge. "I'm still a veteran. He's [Hutchinson] still a young guy. I can help him with a lot of things. He's already great, but as a player, there are some tools that I know that I can help him with," Smith said. "And there are some things as a young guy that he can help me with." Smith, a three-time Pro Bowler, spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Baltimore Ravens (2015-18), followed by a three-year stint with the Green Bay Packers (2019-21), one season with the Minnesota Vikings (2022) and a season-plus with the Browns before being acquired by the Lions during the 2024 season. Elsewhere, Detroit re-signed defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike, defensive end Marcus Davenport and linebacker Ezekiel Turner to one-year deals apiece, while adding defensive tackle Roy Lopez and selecting Ohio State defensive tackle Tyleik Williams with the No. 28 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Last season, the Lions went 15-2 and claimed the No. 1 seed in the NFC before losing to the Washington Commanders in the NFC divisional round. Detroit's defense surrendered 244.0 passing yards (30th in the NFL), 98.4 rushing yards (fifth), 342.4 total yards (20th) and 20.1 points (seventh) per game. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience National Football League Detroit Lions Za'Darius Smith recommended Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ex-Detroit Lions RB Joique Bell brings portable phone chargers to Ford Field
Ford Field visitors no longer have to worry about a dead phone battery or leaving their devices behind to charge — and they have a former Detroit Lion to thank for it. Six new portable phone charging kiosks debuted at the stadium on Tuesday, June 10, replacing the older locker-style stations. Attendees can now rent chargers and carry them throughout the stadium during football games, concerts and other events. The service is powered by the Detroit-based startup U Charge Up, co-founded by former Lions running back Joique Bell, alongside Daryl Graham, Larry Watson Jr. and Aaron Higginbottom. "As a former Lion and lifelong Detroiter, it's rewarding to introduce a solution that enhances the fan experience at Ford Field,' Bell said. 'With our U Charge Up kiosks, fans can capture memories, stay connected and fully enjoy every moment without worrying about their battery life." More: Za'Darius Smith, an NFL free agent, reveals where he wants to play in 2025 Through the U Charge Up app — available on iOS and Android — users can find the nearest kiosk, rent a high-performance portable charger for $2.50 per half hour, and return it to any of the six kiosks when finished. The service will be available during all Ford Field events. The phone charger kiosks in Ford Field are located at Gates A, B, C, E and G, as well as on the third-floor suites level. The company's technology is already in use at other Michigan locations, including the Hudson Café and Four Winds Casino. Since launching in November 2023, it has expanded to Indiana, Tennessee, Florida, California and Alabama. "We want you to stay connected and stay in the moment," Bell told the Free Press. "We want you to be able to take videos of moments that you may not ever capture again. … Our batteries are small enough to where they can fit in your pocket." U Charge Up says it focuses on sustainability by using eco-friendly, reusable chargers and a rental model that reduces electronic waste. The company also partners with local businesses to promote community engagement and energy-efficient charging solutions. More information is available at The app can be found here for iOS and here for Android. Nour Rahal is a trending and breaking news reporter. Email her: nrahal@ Follow her on Twitter @nrahal1. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ex-Lions RB Joique Bell brings portable phone chargers to Ford Field
