The Royal Palm Beach High School varsity football team defeated Palm Beach Central High School 15-6 on Friday, Sept. 21 at the Wildcats’ home in Royal Palm Beach.
Both teams battled through a torrential downpour, fighting to make plays and keep up a good defense. But ultimately, the Wildcats made key plays to come out on top.
The Wildcats scored first, late in the opening quarter. Though they appeared to be turning over the ball on a fourth down, Royal Palm Beach faked a punt with Jake Wehrle carrying the ball for a first down. Jimmy Moreland then carried the ball nearly 50 yards to score. A 2-point conversion made the score 8-0.
Despite their good effort, the Broncos had problems breaking through the Wildcat defense and were left scoreless at the end of the first half.
Midway through the third quarter, Moreland took the ball 33 yards to put the Wildcats near the end zone. With about 7 minutes left in the quarter, he scored another touchdown. An extra-point kick made the score 15-0.
But the Broncos weren’t going down without a fight. In the fourth quarter, Palm Beach Central’s Tommy McDonald ran the ball 3 yards to score for the Broncos. A mistake on the snap cost Palm Beach Central the extra point, leaving the score 15-6.
Though the Broncos were close to scoring several times in the fourth quarter, Royal Palm Beach made key plays to secure their win. With about 4 minutes left in the game, the Broncos’ Lloyd Howard was tackled on a long 57-yard run, and he dropped the ball. De’Andre Simmons recovered the fumble to thwart a Palm Beach Central touchdown.
Then, with just over a minute left in the game, Moreland intercepted a pass from Palm Beach Central quarterback Kyle Schafer, holding back the Broncos and securing the 15-6 Royal Palm Beach win.
The Wildcats travel to Santaluces High School on Friday, Sept. 28 for a 7 p.m. game. Meanwhile, Palm Beach Central hosts cross-town rival Wellington High School at 7 p.m. on the same day.
Above: Bronco Lloyd Howard is taken down by the Wildcat defense.
