BELLE GLADE – The high point for Armaud Stinfort this past season happened during a portion of the Muck Bowl.
Though his Glades Central Raiders team suffered a 55-22 road loss to the Pahokee Blue Devils, the 5-foot-7, 161-pound running back got off to a great start himself.
Stinfort had 11 carries for 127 yards and one touchdown in the Muck Bowl. His scoring run was for 55 yards to the end zone, which helped Glades Central get a 7-0 lead over Pahokee early in the first quarter.
“We started off the game fast coming out with a lot of energy and confidence,” Stinfort said. “We took advantage of moving up the field with no mistakes. And for my touchdown, my emotions were so hyped and I was locked in. I really wanted us to get away with the win.”
Glades Central (2-7 final record in 2023) was locked into a close one with Pahokee (6-5 final record in 2023) into a 14-14 tie for a good part of the first half. But a pick-six by Kentucky early enrollee and former Pahokee athlete Hardley Gilmore IV effectively decided the game with less than a minute left in the first half.
At that point, the Blue Devils would go on to take a 21-14 halftime lead and never look back.
“After the pick-six, the team had down hopes about the rest of the game,” Stinfort said. “And as a team, we blamed that pick to the cost of the game when it really just wasn’t team chemistry anymore after the interception. But as a team, we plan to rebuild and be better for next year’s game.”
Stinfort finished his sophomore season with the following statistics:
•101 carries
•525 rushing yards
•5.2 yards per carry
•3 touchdowns
•9 receptions
•84 yards
Stinfort spoke on how his sophomore campaign with Glades Central will propel him to great things in the future.
“All I can say is hard work pays off,” Stinfort said. “We have been working this offseason so we can have a reason to want to demolish this past season and prove a point. So we are just going to keep working and put on a show for our next season.”
A coaching change at Glades Central from Travis Moore to Omar Haugabook took place not long after the Muck Bowl – and Glades Central’s 2023 season – concluded. Stinfort believes this will help invigorate the program in more ways than one.
“It could mean greatness for Glades Central football again,” Stinfort said. “Coach Haugabook keeps me going. He looks out for me. He teaches me life lessons. He shows me bad habits I shouldn’t have and the good habits I should have. He teaches me how to build my craft with different workouts and teaches me how to stay consistent and hard working.”
Stinfort has no college offers or interest at this time. But he has been motivated by a recent team visit to FAU, which happened earlier this week.
You can see some snapshots for proof of this action.
“I’m just being patient and just going to keep working until I get a chance,” Stinfort said. “The FAU visit actually went good. I love watching how a college practice is and what I got to do to get to that level. I talked to the RB position group and they told me how I need to work hard on and off the field and stay ahead of myself. And I took that in because that’s somewhere I wanna be, and it’s my goal to get there.”
Stinford shared his aspirations for his upcoming junior season at Glades Central.
“I want to get a 1,000-yard season with at least 10 touchdowns,” Stinfort said. “And as a team, my goals are to make playoffs, advance to the state championship and win.”
We will follow Stinfort’s progress closely for the next several months and beyond. We wish him nothing but the best on his high school journey at Glades Central.
PHOTO CREDIT: King’s Academy Lions
Muck City Media Enterprises 
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