BY GENE NARDI
On Friday, Oct. 28, the Palm Beach Central High School varsity football squad traveled to face district foe Palm Beach Gardens High School in a must-win contest for both teams. The Broncos fell to the Gators’ fourth quarter rally 24-14.
With the loss, the Broncos’ run at the postseason ended. The loss also concluded a three-game win streak. The winner advances into the postseason as runner-up in District 9-8A. Wellington High School defeated the Gators two weeks earlier to win the district title.
The Broncos (3-6, 2-2 in district) found themselves trailing 7-0 at the 5:53 mark of the first quarter. Palm Beach Gardens took the lead on a 16-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Eli Mathews to receiver Diyonte McCarty.
The Broncos managed to force two turnovers early on but could not capitalize on the Gator mishaps. With less than eight minutes to play in the first half, Bronco running back Anthony Wynds broke loose on a 33-yard run that evened the score at 7-7. Wynds had a career-high game with 283 yards rushing and two touchdowns on the night. It was the turnovers that would later haunt the Broncos at the final whistle.
Palm Beach Gardens responded on the ensuing drive with a 32-yard field goal to retake the lead 10-7, which they carried into the locker room at the half.
In the second half, the Broncos nearly banked solely on their workhorse Wynds to carry the load, and it paid dividends in the third quarter. Wynds capped a 68-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. Adam Virgili’s point-after kick lifted the Broncos into their first lead of the game 14-10.
But the fourth-quarter momentum swing was in favor of the Gators. Palm Beach Central’s defense was holding solid in a goal-line stand when the Palm Beach Gardens running back fumbled the ball before the goal line. The ball launched into the end zone, bouncing end over end. Gator offensive lineman Anthony Lewis recovered it for the go-ahead score. Palm Beach Gardens recaptured the lead 17-14.
Wynds appeared to show signs of fatigue, and the Bronco offense struggled to regain momentum. A late turnover became the pivotal point in the game. Palm Beach Central coughed up the ball on its own 20-yard line. The turnover gave the Gators possession to possibly put the game out of reach with time ticking away. Palm Beach Gardens was able to score one more time on a 3-yard run to make the score 24-14 with little time left to play.
The Broncos knew Palm Beach Gardens would load the box to key on Wynds, forcing them to throw, but the Gators’ defensive pressure was too much for Bronco quarterback Nick Atkins to avoid, and the Broncos could not muster the offense needed to close the gap. The Gators were able to hold on to the 24-14 win and seal the district runner-up spot.
Despite Wynds’ nice numbers in yards gained plus two touchdowns, he also fumbled twice. This marks the second-consecutive season that the Broncos have missed the postseason.
Palm Beach Central will travel to Royal Palm Beach High School for the final game of the season on Friday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m.
ABOVE: Palm Beach Central quarterback Nick Atkins looks for an open receiver down field in the fourth quarter.
