The Palm Beach Central High School varsity football team hosted Jupiter High School on Friday, Oct. 20 in a District 9-8A showdown, and the Broncos shut out the Warriors 34-0 to cap the night’s homecoming festivities.
The Broncos are 5-2 overall and remain unbeaten at 3-0 in the district. With one more district game against rival Palm Beach Gardens High School, Palm Beach Central has all but sealed the crown on the 2017 season.
The Bronco offense kicked into gear immediately on the team’s first possession. Palm Beach Central capped a 50-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run by C.J. Stewart. Quarterback Nick Atkins extended the Bronco lead to 14-0 on the following possession when he crossed the goal line from 11 yards out on a keeper up the middle.
Jupiter struggled to move the ball through the first quarter but found some momentum to drive into Palm Beach Central territory during the second quarter. However, the drive was snuffed out by an interception.
The Broncos added to their lead midway through the second quarter when Atkins linked with receiver Fornoris Roberts on a 46-yard touchdown pass, but the kick after was partially blocked. Palm Beach Central closed the book on the first half with a 20-0 lead.
The second half varied little from the first, with the Broncos adding another 14 points. Early in the third quarter, Bronco special-teams punt rusher Aaron Pierre stripped the ball from the Jupiter punter after a high snap and returned it 27 yards for another touchdown. The play lifted the Broncos to a 27-0 advantage.
Palm Beach Central added one more score before the final whistle to seal a 34-0 homecoming victory.
Atkins completed 12 of 18 passes for 217 yards, threw for a touchdown and is credited with one rushing score. Stewart rushed for 141 yards on 16 carries, and Lakevious Simmons had 12 rushes for 91 yards. The Broncos totaled 449 yards on offense for the night.
With the win, the Broncos are still spotless in district play. They host district foe Palm Beach Gardens on Friday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. The Gators were upset by Wellington High School 21-17 last week, which created even a bigger gap in the district competition for the Broncos.
