Hurricane Milton’s visit to Florida impacted high school football — and all high school sports, for that matter — across the entire state to such an extent that the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) has decided to extend high school football’s regular season by one week in order for teams to play the necessary regular season district games needed to determine which teams qualify for the postseason.
In the western communities, the two most dominant high school football teams are the King’s Academy Lions and the Broncos from Palm Beach Central High School. The Lions remain undefeated (7-0), while the Broncos are sporting a 5-1 record.
At 4-2, the Wildcats from Royal Palm Beach High School are having a strong season, and the Wellington High School Wolverines (3-3) have clawed their way back to .500, while the Hawks from Seminole Ridge High School and Bulldogs from Berean Christian School continue to struggle.
Palm Beach Central — On Friday, Oct. 4, Palm Beach Central hosted Palm Beach Gardens High School. The Broncos overwhelmed the visiting Gators, 48-0, to improve their record to 5-1. In the win, quarterback Chance Routson completed 11 of 15 passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns. Receiver Preston Parker caught two passes for 95 yards and a touchdown. It was Palm Beach Central’s fourth consecutive win. During this four-game winning streak, the Broncos have averaged 34.2 points per game while allowing 9.7 points per contest.
After six games, Routson has thrown for 1,216 yards while completing 57.7 percent of his passes. He has thrown 13 touchdown passes and four interceptions. He’s averaging 174 yards passing per game. Routson’s top receiving target has been Parker, who has caught 20 passes for 347 yards and six touchdowns.
Palm Beach Central’s leading rusher has been Frankie Vomero, who has carried the ball 66 times for 490 yards and four touchdowns. Defensively, Antoine Sharp is leading the team with 68 tackles and two quarterback sacks. The star of special teams remains kicker/punter Ethan Dagostino, who has made five out of seven field goal attempts. His season-long field goal is 47 yards. He has also successfully converted all 24 point-after-touchdown kicks. He’s averaging 44 yards per punt, and 12 of his kickoffs have resulted in touchbacks.
The Broncos’ next game will be Friday, Oct. 18 when they play the Benjamin School Buccaneers in Palm Beach Gardens. On Friday, Oct. 25, Palm Beach Central will host crosstown rival Wellington High School in the annual Wellington Cup game. Palm Beach Central currently has possession of the Wellington Cup.
The King’s Academy — The Lions picked up their sixth victory of the season on Friday, Oct. 4 when they hosted Joshua Christian Academy from Jacksonville for homecoming. It was a happy homecoming for the Lions, as they prevailed 52-0. It was the fourth shutout by TKA this season. On Friday, Oct. 11, TKA was one of the few high school football teams in Florida that played a game. The Lions hosted Somerset Academy Canyons. The Lions doubled up the visitors, 28-14, to improve to 7-0.
In their seven victories, TKA has yielded an average of 7.1 points a game while scoring an average of 30.1 points a game.
On Friday, Oct. 18, TKA will host True North Christian Academy (3-2), and on Friday, Oct. 25, the Lions will travel to Belle Glade to play the Raiders from Glades Central High School.
Royal Palm Beach — On Friday, Oct. 4, the Wildcats traveled to Boca Raton to play the undefeated Bobcats from Boca Raton High School (5-0). On paper, RPBHS was the clear underdog. But Royal Palm Beach head coach Chuck Kenyon brought a team that was focused on winning the game and not just playing the game.
It was a game where the Wildcats seemed to win every statistical battle, including keeping the Boca Raton offense out of the end zone. Royal Palm Beach had strong performances by quarterback Max Griner, who completed 10 of 20 passes for 116 yards. Running back Demetrice Rolle ran for 89 yards on 19 attempts. Wide receiver Demetrius Gibson caught three passes for 63 yards and a touchdown. On defense, Gibson also grabbed an interception.
At the end of the game, Boca Raton held on to defeat the Wildcats, 9-7. The Bobcats scored their points on a safety and a defensive scoop-and-score off a Royal Palm Beach fumble midway through the first half. Boca Raton’s record improved to 6-0, while Royal Palm Beach’s record fell to 4-2.
Kenyon was proud of his team’s overall effort but realizes that the game could easily have been won by his Wildcats.
“We had a chance to take the lead with four minutes to go when we had the ball on a first-and-goal at their one-yard line, but the ball was stripped from us on a quarterback sneak,” he noted.
After having its Oct. 11 game against West Boca Raton High School canceled, the Wildcats will travel to Palm Beach Gardens High School to play the Gators (1-5) on Friday, Oct. 18. On Oct. 25, the Wildcats will play in the annual western communities rivalry game against nearby Seminole Ridge High School. The winner will take possession of a trophy presented every year.
Royal Palm Beach’s originally scheduled Oct. 11 game at West Boca Raton High School will be played on Thursday, Nov. 7.
Wellington — On Friday, Oct. 4, the Wolverines traveled to play undefeated Dr. Joaquín García High School (6-0). WHS was looking to even its record at 3-3. On paper, Wellington was the clear underdog against the undefeated Bulldogs, but the Wolverines played like the clear favorite and won, 7-0.
WHS head football coach Ross Pryor was very pleased but said that his team could have played better.
“Not our best effort, as the offense wasn’t clicking like it could have, but it was a great win,” Pryor said. “The keys to the game were generating the turnovers and our defensive line production.”
According to Pryor, his defense grabbed three interceptions and had six quarterback sacks.
The Wolverines resume play on Friday, Oct. 18 when they host the Lions from Olympic Heights High School, who have yet to win a game (0-6). On Friday, Oct. 25, Wellington plays crosstown rival Palm Beach Central in the annual Wellington Cup game.
Seminole Ridge — The Seminole Ridge Hawks (0-7) are still trying to win their first game of the season. On Friday, Oct. 4, the Hawks lost to the Benjamin School Buccaneers (3-3) in Palm Beach Gardens, 49-14. As it turns out, the Hawks’ schedule was not impacted by the recent storm since they had a bye week on Friday, Oct. 11. The Hawks resume play on Friday, Oct. 18 when they visit William T. Dwyer High School (2-5). On Friday, Oct. 25, the Hawks host Royal Palm Beach in their annual gridiron clash.
Berean Christian School — This football season for the Berean Bulldogs has been up-and-down, with more “downs” than “ups.” Nevertheless, the young Bulldogs have persevered. The season began with three straight losses. Of the next five games, Berean was able to win two of them. Now, with a 2-6 record, the Bulldogs hope to conclude their season on a winning note when they travel to Vero Beach to play St. Edward’s School on Friday, Oct. 18.
