Pahokee has named former Blue Devils assistant coach Emmanuel Hendrix as the school’s new football coach, Pahokee assistant principal Brian Lawson told the Sun Sentinel on Saturday.
“A couple of things that stood out for us was, again, his passion for Pahokee, for the program,” Lawson said. “Being a product of the school, he wants to see the school do well. His familiarity with the program, with the community, was also a determining factor.”
Hendrix was the team’s defensive coordinator under former coach D.J. Boldin and was named the team’s interim coach after Boldin departed in February to coach wide receivers at Lake Erie College.
“That’s definitely a plus, that we have somebody that was already on staff,” Lawson said. “We had many other people on staff, but to have coach Hendrix and have him get the — for lack of a better way of saying it — seal of approval from coach Boldin and knowing that coach Boldin even believed that he was ready to take over the reins was pretty good.”
Hendrix, a Pahokee alumnus, has a strong base of support to build on but big shoes to fill, too. In two seasons under Boldin, the Blue Devils went 8-10 — a record that can be misleading. Pahokee started the 2019 season 1-5 before winning five straight games and nearly beating reigning champion Madison County in the state semifinals.
In a pandemic-shortened 2020 season, the Blue Devils went 2-4. They dropped games to resurgent Dwyer and Glades Central teams before falling to Class 6A-1A Tri-County champion Dillard in the playoffs.
“We felt comfortable with extending him the offer and trust that he would be able to kind of help us build on the development of this program,” Lawson said. “We’re not just trying to build a football team. We’re trying to build an athletic program.”
