Spotlight Shines on Dent

The Muck Bowl the past two seasons has been turned into the Greg Dent Show, as the senior from Glades Central has earned game MVP back-to-back years. It was two touchdown catches and an interception that gave Dent the honors a year ago when he help the Raiders to a 19-14 victory and he was not even a blip on the recruiting radar screen. While Dent is a Miami Hurricane commit and finally landed that Florida State offer he had been coveting so long, he still is not getting the national attention his play on the field warrants.

Is there a better way to help launch a late publicity campaign than in your final Muck Bowl, a game that features numerous Division-I football players and media swarming the sidelines? Dent was dazzling Saturday night hauling in six catches for over 180 yards and a touchdown. The two way star was inserted on the kickoff return team when the Raiders fell behind Pahokee 14-6 in the 1st quarter. Dent responded with an 84-yard return for a touchdown, where he side stepped the first defender, leaped a second, and outran Pahokee speedster Merrill Noel to the end zone.

Later, with the Raiders trying to get more points on the board before the first half ended, quarterback Leron Thomas scrambled and launched a “prayer” down the middle of the field. Then a leaping Dent, floated through the air over Noel and Fred Pickett for a jaw dropping catch. If you did not already know by that point, you knew right then that this was going to be Greg Dent’s game - again.

Throughout the 47-21 Raider victory, the quiet kid from the Muck was showing a confidence and flamboyance on the field you would never expect considering part of why he was “under the radar” was because he did not talk. He would not call the college coaches who had heard about Dent’s spring game performance (2 INT vs. Miami Central). It seemed as if Miami had given up hope on Dent, since they had not heard from him since sending over their offer after that spring game. Part of the reason his commitment to the Hurricanes came as such a surprise to many.

Dent was, and still can be at times, tough to get to open up in an interview. The string of media from across the state (some even out of state) waiting to interview Dent following the game was ironic. It was one interview after another, making him the last player to leave the field. Asked how many interviews he did once he finally made his way to the locker room, “all of them” he said with a smile.

As the Raiders set their sights on a state title run that begins with Cardinal Gibbons this Friday, Dent will continue to play a critical role along the way. If everything goes as the Raiders plan, Dent will have his chance to show the everyone what they have been missing at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.