BELLE GLADE – Elijah Delia made an important decision for himself this offseason.
The 2026 offensive lineman/defensive lineman has transferred from Pahokee to Glades Central.
Delia on the decision behind it:
“It was a family decision,” Delia said of the primary reason for the transfer move.
Delia spoke quite highly of Omar Haugabook, who was the Pahokee offensive coordinator last season and is now the Glades Central head coach.
“First and foremost Coach Omar is an amazing football coach,” Delia said. “He’s a great mentor towards me. Coach O is very inspiring and he’s like a second father figure to me. He corrects me when I’m wrong and helps me get back on the right path and teaches me the way to do it. I truly appreciate him for doing that and helping me become a better player, student, and young man.”
This past season with the Pahokee Blue Devils, Delia recorded the following statistics:
•4 pancakes on offense
•3 quarterback hurries on defense
Delia spoke on how the 2023 season went for him.
“I can tell you that my sophomore season at Pahokee was an amazing experience for me,” Delia said. “I had a great time playing under Coach Hawk (Pahokee head coach Matthew Sparrowhawk) and with my phenomenal teammates as well. I really loved how my team came together during adversity and conquered it to win our games last season. I always had a great time playing under former offensive coordinator coach Omar, who is now the head coach at Glades Central High School. He taught me how to play under adversity, learn how to focus on my assignments, do them to the fullest of my abilities at all times, and always give 100 percent.”
Delia recapped his offseason, which has been highlighted by the continuous improvement of his craft through workouts and more.
“I have been doing a lot more plyometrics, speed, and agility as well,” Delia said. “I’m most likely gonna be playing a lot of defensive tackle this season, so I have been working on pass rushing moves and how to stop the run.”
Delia shared his aspirations for his upcoming junior season with the Glades Central Raiders.
“My individual goals are to lead the county in sacks and tackles as a d-tackle, and I also hope to get some offers this season,” Delia said. “My team goals are to go undefeated this season and compete for a state title.”
PHOTO CREDITS: July Sanchez
Muck City Media Enterprises 
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