The Royal Palm Beach High School varsity football team bested Pahokee High School 21-14 on Friday, Sept. 6 in Royal Palm Beach.
In a game rife with penalties that stopped the clock and dragged the game past 10 p.m., the Wildcats pushed through to seal the win, putting them at 2-0 this season.
In the first quarter, both teams struggled to make moves, but incurred multiple penalties that helped keep points off the board.
Early in the second quarter, the Wildcats made a costly mistake. Running back Demarcus Holloway fumbled the ball on the RPB 8-yard line. Pahokee capitalized on the mistake and ran in a touchdown to take the lead 7-0.
The Wildcats turned the tide at the end of the second quarter. With just over a minute left in the half, Pahokee had a pass interference penalty called on them, pushing Royal Palm Beach to the 22-yard line. Quarterback Toddy Centeio threw the ball to D’vonte Burden for a touchdown with about 40 seconds left on the clock. An extra-point kick by Devin Wallace tied the score at 7-7 at halftime.
Royal Palm Beach came out for the second half with renewed vigor, scoring two touchdowns in the third quarter. Charles Perry and Holloway pushed past the Blue Devils’ defense to move the Wildcats down the field. With 5:58 left in the third quarter, Alon Sims ran in a 25-yard touchdown, and Royal Palm Beach took the lead. An extra-point kick from Wallace made the score 14-7.
Four minutes later, the Wildcats sealed their win after a failed field-goal kick by the Blue Devils. Then, Charles Perry pushed 13 yards into the end zone. With 1:51 left on the clock, an extra-point kick from Wallace made the score 21-7.
Though Pahokee fought back in the fourth quarter and managed to score, it wasn’t enough. As the clock ticked down, Royal Palm Beach took the win 21-14.
The Wildcats travel next to West Boca Raton High School on Friday, Sept. 20 for a 7 p.m. game.
ABOVE: RPB quarterback Toddy Centeio looks to hand off the ball.
