On Wednesday, Sept. 27, the Royal Palm Beach High School varsity football team hosted district foe Palm Beach Lakes High School and fell to the Rams 19-0. The district match-up was a must-win for both teams.
The first half was a dogfight, as both teams struggled to muster consistent offense, but credit goes to the defensive squads for locking down any sustainable drives. Both defensive units would bend on occasion but not break, until late in the second quarter.
Palm Beach Lakes created some momentum after a series of turnovers, and reached pay dirt for the game’s first score to go ahead 6-0. The lone score was all the points totaled in the first half.
The Wildcats had an arduous task in attempting to break through the Rams’ defense and create scoring opportunities.
The second half opened with more opportunities for the Rams than the Wildcats.
Palm Beach Lakes took the momentum it gained going into the locker room at the half and carried it through for the remainder. The Rams added another score midway through the third quarter to extend their lead to 13-0.
The Wildcats gained some momentum via their defense, which placed the offense with good field position to close the margin. Twice in the second half, Royal Palm Beach sustained drives beyond midfield, but a stingy and aggressive Ram defense denied the Wildcats any score.
The Rams would add one more score in the fourth quarter to put the icing on the cake. Royal Palm Beach could not collect enough offense to build a late rally and fell 19-0 at the final whistle.
The game left Royal Palm Beach still searching for a win. District competition continued for the Wildcats as they traveled to unbeaten Forest Hill High School on Monday, Oct. 2 to make up a game delayed by Hurricane Irma, falling to the Falcons 31-7.
