PORT ST. LUCIE – The final sighting last night (Jan. 6) in the Treasure Coast for Wilky Denaud took place at the Centennial-John Carroll boys basketball game.

After Centennial (12-3) wrapped up its 71-69 home win over John Carroll (11-3), Denaud took the time to reflect on his high school football experience with the Golden Rams (Class 1S) and how it ultimately led him to Auburn (SEC).

The 6-foot-4, 245-pound defensive end and four-star (247Sports.com) had a memorable senior season in which he registered 66 tackles and five sacks in 10 games played, according to MaxPreps.

But the Treasure Coast area’s No. 2-ranked overall player in the Class of 2023 chose to deflect from himself and focus on his team when looking back on this past season.

“The senior season has been unlike any other season for John Carroll,” said Denaud, who will be spending his first full day today (Jan. 7) at Auburn as an early college enrollee. “Just coming out on top in the region and in the district. And just having one of the better seasons in John Carroll’s history, something that hasn’t been done in 19 years.”

Denaud is referring to John Carroll’s landmark 2022 season, which resulted in the team’s first state semifinal appearance since 2003.

John Carroll finished with a 10-2 overall record and our No. 1 overall team ranking.

“This season we knew our blessing. We knew our jobs,” Denaud said. “With all the adversity we had, we were definitely able to come out of it closer to the end. It definitely helped that we had some guys who really wanted it.”

Denaud played for John Carroll over the past four seasons, beginning in 2019 as a freshman. For him, it was an eventful journey, to say the very least.

“Coming in as a freshman and making an impact, playing with Jay Allen and Casey Bruno, all the big name guys out of Fort Pierce and John Carroll,” Denaud said. “It was good playing with those guys. And obviously when they left, I had to carry the legacy on. Me, Aidan [Singleton], Tony [Colebrook], TJ [Alford II], all those guys. We battled through adversity, going through many regional final games. Obviously coming out on top this year in the regional final and making it to the Final Four.”

Denaud made sure to give a special shout out to Mickey Groody, his high school head coach and athletic director.

“The alpha dog. That’s what we call him,” Denaud said about Groody. 

“He fought through everything,” Denaud continued. “All through playoffs, he made us all his No. 1. Sometimes he would put his family and come into weight room with us. We would get on the field and do some extra after practice. I’m very thankful for him. Obviously he’s been a big and tremendous help in my recruiting process.”

Moving on from John Carroll to Auburn now, Denaud’s goal is to simply get locked in and stay that way. He feels this approach is the best way to handle any situation on the next level, especially when it comes to the coaching changes that have taken place at the SEC school.

“The job is still the same for me,” Denaud said. “Whether there’s a difference coaching staff or not, the job’s still the same with me. I’m going in to be a big impact in the SEC. I’m doing that regardless of who the coach is. I stayed with them through the coaching changes. I feel like it’s the culture that will keep me motivated.”

Denaud went further into his approach for success at Auburn.

“You gotta want it more than everyone else,” Denaud said. “Everybody in the SEC are dogs. But it’s really who wants in more. Like Coach Groody said, the job’s not finished. I’m gonna take that mentality with me when I go up there.”

PHOTO CREDITS: Christian Proscia