WELLINGTON – Anarjahe Douriet knows a thing or two about the virtue of patience and poise.
The quarterback has been at Palm Beach Central since his freshman year of high school and has had to wait for his turn as a starter. The years of watching and learning from the likes of Nick Atkins (2017 starter; 2018 class) and Michael Moreland (2018 starter; 2019 class) have paid off in a big way for the 6-3, 206-pound senior.
As a result of his perseverance, Douriet gets a chance to create his own history in tonight’s Class 8A – Region 3 semifinal game at home (7 p.m. kickoff) against Deerfield Beach (8-3).
The pro-style quarterback is the only player in Palm Beach County to have thrown for six touchdown passes twice in a season (Week 2 at Dwyer; Week 12/8A – Region 3 quarterfinal vs. Centennial). He may need to do that for a third time against the Bucks, who are a 17-point favorite over his Broncos (9-2).
If Douriet accomplishes this feat tonight, he’ll probably be the first quarterback in Palm Beach County to have done so in one season. His feat of two six-touchdown pass games hasn’t been done in recent memory, so in a sense, he’s already created some history for himself.
“I get it done with the help of my receivers,” said Douriet, who currently has two offers from Columbia and Howard. “Even when I throw a bad ball, they find a way to come up with a catch. The o-line, they’re always here to protect me from my backside, my blind side. They’re my protection. It’s not always me; it’s them as well.”
Douriet, who has been a two-time nominee for MVP of the Week, is a realist who has no problem owning up to situations that may not go his way.
Our No. 3-ranked quarterback and No. 48-ranked overall player from the Class of 2020 had at least a couple of rough games, which happened in home losses to Atlantic (Week 1) and Palm Beach Lakes (Week 7). His team’s two defeats this season were to our top two teams in Palm Beach County.
“They always tell me to keep my head up and don’t press,” Douriet said. “Against Palm Beach Lakes, I played pretty bad. But my team found a way to stick with me. My teammates have my back, no matter what I do.”
With that said, Douriet and his teammates cannot play any kind of bad against the team that ended their season last year.
Palm Beach Central (11-2 final record in 2018) advanced to the regional final round for the first time in school history, but suffered a 21-6 road loss to the Bucks, who advanced to the 8A state semifinals last season.
“We gotta execute,” Douriet said about tonight’s game against Deerfield Beach. “Offense, defense, special teams. Just have to make the right reads. Don’t force anything.”
Palm Beach Central head coach Scott Littles has a lot of confidence in what Douriet can do at his position.
“Anarjahe is a great player,” Littles said earlier this week. “He makes a lot of big time throws. He puts us in the right play and calls the right protections. We’re excited that he’s continuing to grow.”
We’ll get to see how Douriet fares against Deerfield Beach in about 12 hours. Here’s hoping he performs well enough to help Palm Beach Central turn the tables on Deerfield Beach and advance to the 8A regional finals again.
PHOTO CREDIT: Gene Nardi
