BY GENE NARDI
The Palm Beach Central High School varsity football squad hosted district rival Palm Beach Gardens High School on Friday, Oct. 30, and fell short, losing to the Gators 14-10.
Palm Beach Gardens recently won the District 9-8A title in a tight battle against Wellington, and entered the game with little at stake other than maintaining an unbeaten district record. The Broncos (2-7, 1-3) had more at stake. Coming off a big win over Jupiter a week ago, the Broncos had the desire not just to spoil the Gators’ unblemished district record, but to earn a two-game win streak. It appeared that was to be, until two late miscues proved catastrophic for the Broncos’ plan.
The two teams displayed solid defensive play, making it a challenge offensively. The Palm Beach Central defense battled in the trenches and found its way to the Palm Beach Gardens quarterback, sacking him three times in the first half.
Defensive back Deion Stephens brought in the game’s first score for the Broncos when he picked up a fumbled snap by the Palm Beach Gardens quarterback and returned the fumble 23 yards for the touchdown. Kevin Hagerty’s kick gave Palm Beach Central a 7-0 first quarter lead.
Palm Beach Gardens tied it up at seven, capping a 65-yard drive with a 22-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. Both teams managed to get just outside the red zone to attempt field goals but fell short to end the first half deadlocked at seven.
The Broncos ate up nearly seven minutes off the clock to start the second half, clawing their way to the Gators’ 24-yard line, and failed to convert on a fourth-and-four, turning over possession to the Gators. Mason Roe came up big for the Palm Beach Central defense, adding two more to the sack tally on the Gators’ next possession. Palm Beach Central regained the lead with a Hagerty 17-yard field goal to grab a 10-7 advantage with less than four minutes to play in the third quarter.
Late in the game, two mistakes would prove costly for the Broncos: a roughing-the-kicker call in the Gators end zone affected later field position, and a late fumble inside the red zone gave Palm Beach Gardens an opportunity to steal the lead.
“We had a punt safe call, and nobody was supposed to go near the kicker,” Palm Beach Central coach Tino Ierulli said. “That affected our field position.”
The Gators would score on a fumble recovery after a Palm Beach Gardens receiver had the ball stripped before he crossed the goal line to take the lead to 14-10. The Broncos had little time to work with and drove to the 40-yard line but could not get the winning score, falling short 14-10.
“That was our game,” Ierulli said. “We’re so young, and we’re building on experience alone. We were in a lot of games this season.”
The Broncos will complete their season Friday, Nov. 6, hosting rival Royal Palm Beach High School at 7 p.m.
ABOVE: Palm Beach Central receiver Jose Calvo runs to the outside to avoid a Gator defender in pursuit.
