The Palm Beach Central High School football team participated in a highly anticipated spring jamboree hosted by Palm Beach Lakes High School on Saturday, May 19.
Teams in attendance were host Palm Beach Lakes, along with Palm Beach Central, South Dade, Rockledge, Centennial, Deerfield Beach and Glades Central high schools. More than 50 college scouts walked the sidelines to view the South Florida talent.
The Broncos faced Centennial High School and bested the Eagles 16-6. Nearly eight minutes fell from the clock before Palm Beach Central drew first blood in what was one of the more physical games of the day.
Bronco running back C.J. Stewart broke a couple of tackles and skated down the sideline 48 yards for the game’s first score. Palm Beach Central converted their two-point attempt and led 8-0 with just over four minutes to play in the first quarter.
The rainy weather took its toll on the offensive units, making it easy for the defenses to create turnovers. The Broncos recovered a fumble late in the second quarter and sustained a solid drive, only to come up empty.
The Eagles had first possession of the second half and drove deep into the Bronco turf, but a turnover denied any chance of equalizing. Da’Quan Hamilton took off on a sweep that paved the way for a 60-yard touchdown run that extended the Palm Beach Central lead to 16-0 in the third quarter.
Both teams found it difficult to navigate offensively as the rain fell harder through the rest of the third quarter. Centennial broke into the Bronco end zone with just over two minutes left to play in the game, to close the margin 16-6. Along with the damp conditions, the Bronco defense equally tormented the Eagle offense, and locked in the 16-6 victory.
“For a spring game, I was impressed how both sides of the ball were. We pretty much executed for the most part the entire game, but made some mistakes, which is to be expected for a spring game,” Bronco coach Tino Ierulli said. “We were limited with practices because of the weather and the field conditions. I was proud of the boys.”
The Broncos concluded the spring season on a high with the win over the Eagles and will look to carry that success into the fall, defending their district title.
