The Royal Palm Beach High School varsity football team fell to John I. Leonard 21-16 on Thursday, Sept. 6 at the Lancers’ home in Greenacres.
Though the Wildcats jumped out to an early lead, the Lancers came from behind in the fourth quarter to score, leaving no time for Royal Palm Beach to catch up.
In the first quarter, both teams struggled to cover ground, turning the ball over after several failed attempts to gain yardage.
With five minutes left in the first quarter, the Wildcats were able to break through the Leonard defense to land near the end zone. A pass from quarterback Anthony McGrew connected with Jojo Williams, who was tackled into the end zone to score a touchdown. An extra point gave the Wildcats a 7-0 lead.
Only two minutes into the second quarter, the Lancers tied the score at 7, taking advantage of a short Wildcat punt.
But for the remainder of the half, both teams battled to take advantage of ball control with little success. Holding and false-start penalties cost both yards. Then, with 1:40 left in the half, the Wildcats put in a field goal to break the tie and make the score 10-7 at halftime.
Royal Palm Beach put in only one more score for the remainder of the game. Meanwhile, the Lancers put in two touchdowns, including a 40-yard touchdown pass with 4:20 left in the game.
Ultimately, Leonard was able to come back and defeat the Wildcats 21-16. The Wildcats will host Palm Beach Central on Friday, Sept. 21 for a 7 p.m. game.
Above: RPB’s Anthony McGrew hands the ball off to Demarcus Holloway.
