MOORE HAVEN – All an individual may need is a second chance at a dream position.
Less than one year after his two-year head coaching tenure ended with the Pahokee Blue Devils, Emmanuel Hendrix earned his next shot at it but somewhere else, which will be with the Moore Haven Terriers.
Hendrix, who finished his tenure with his alma mater with a record of 18-5 and two trips to the Class 1R-Region 4 playoff final at Hawthorne, is a proven winner in more ways than one.
The Muckstepper is one of two head coaches in Pahokee’s recent and very illustrious history (six official state titles) to be undefeated in the Muck Bowl against storied crosstown rival Glades Central (2-0; 28-0 home win in 2021 and 46-13 road win in 2022) – current Blue Devils head coach Matthew Sparrowhawk is the other one (1-0; 55-22 home win in 2023).
The Pahokee native plans to bring that same level of success and more to the Moore Haven Terriers upstart football program. He plans to build upon Moore Haven’s two consecutive Class 1S-Region 4 playoff final appearances of its own at First Baptist Academy (Naples), which was led by former head coach and Belle Glade native Jackie Garrett (15-8 final record in 2022 and 2023).
Hendrix was officially named as Garrett’s successor earlier this month.
“It feels amazing,” Hendrix said. “Anytime an administration trusts you with their program and the growth in development of their student athletes is an honor. This comes after going through some turbulent times before Coach Garrett stepped down. I am very optimistic about this upcoming season, because I have a lot of talent coming back on the defensive side of the football. With me being named head coach, I am extremely optimistic because I can put my handprint all over this team. Now I have a group of leaders on this team just like when I had BJ Boldin, Deejay Holmes, and Ja’Shaun Benjamin at Pahokee. Every program needs those type of kids to take the next step.”
Hendrix shared his expectations for what the 2024 season will bring for the Glades County football program.
“You can expect a tough, fast disciplined football team,” said Hendrix, who was the Terriers defensive coordinator last season. “We will make a very deep run again this year. I expect to be practicing on Thanksgiving again.”
Hendrix went into his contribution to Moore Haven’s run to its second consecutive Class 1S-Region 4 final appearance.
“I led a defense that forced over 30 turnovers and over 50 sacks on the year,” Hendrix said. “We were able to win games because we keep giving a struggling offense the ball back. I have the 4 main contributors returning next year in Daquon Adderley, Aaryn Askew, CJ Hunter and Truvonta Moody.”
As the defensive coordinator, Hendrix recapped his best game at the helm last season with Moore Haven.
“It would have to be the kickoff classic against Glades Central,” Hendrix said of Moore Haven’s 23-0 win. “It was a big game because it was against Glades Central. They only earned two first downs the entire night, and they never got in scoring position. The kids realized that if they did their jobs, we could be very good on defense. It was definitely a confidence builder for the defensive unit getting the shutout.”
For the next two seasons (2024 and 2025), Moore Haven will be playing in the FHSAA Rural classification with the likes of Pahokee, Hawthorne, Chiefland, Fort Meade, Marathon, Trenton, and Wildwood in Region 4.
We congratulate Hendrix on being Moore Haven’s next head coach and we wish him all the best moving forward.
PHOTO CREDITS: Provided photos
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