As the fifth week of the high school football season gets underway, three of the six varsity teams in the western communities have winning records. The King’s Academy is undefeated at 4-0, while Palm Beach Central and Royal Palm Beach high schools are both 3-1.
The King’s Academy Lions, under the direction of head coach Dan Burack, are getting better every week. Their most recent win was the strongest performance of the year. It was a 42-0 shutout of Somerset Prep on Thursday, Sept. 12. In that game, TKA senior Javian Jones was brilliant on offense and defense. On offense, the senior wide receiver caught a touchdown pass and had 100 yards receiving. On defense, Jones had six tackles, three pass breakups, two tackles for a loss and an interception.
After four games, two of TKA’s victories have been shutouts. As a team, the Lions have scored 118 points while only allowing 36 points. So far this season, quarterback Joe Dailey has thrown for 13 touchdowns and has rushed for four TDs.
The Lions have a bye week on Sept. 20 and will pursue their fifth win of the season on Friday, Sept. 27 when they travel to Inlet Grove High School.
To remain unbeaten, Burack said the emphasis in practice will be on improving the basic building blocks to success. “We have a few items for team building,” he said. “Football-wise, we will focus on fundamentals and agility drills.”
Palm Beach Central — The Broncos are riding a two-game winning streak and have a bye on Friday, Sept. 20. They will return to action on Friday, Sept. 27, when they host the undefeated Warriors from Jupiter High School, who are 4-0 and also enjoying a bye on Sept. 20.
The Broncos and Warriors share one common opponent — Boca’s Spanish River High School. On Sept. 6, Palm Beach Central defeated Spanish River, 40-21. And on Sept. 13, Jupiter outscored Spanish River, 28-13. The upcoming game should be very competitive, as both teams are ranked near one another in the current Florida High School Athletic Association Class 7A rankings. Palm Beach Central is ranked 19th, while Jupiter is ranked 23rd.
Palm Beach Central’s most recent win was a 23-8 victory against Santaluces High School on Friday, Sept. 13.
Royal Palm Beach — The Wildcats were 3-0 following a strong 40-11 victory on the road against the Suncoast Chargers on Friday, Sept. 6. The key to that victory was a strong second-half defensive effort, as Royal Palm Beach’s defense gave up no points at all.
The highlight of Royal Palm Beach’s second half was a defensive score. It was an 85-yard pick six by defensive back Demetrius Gibson. Key performers in that game were quarterback Max Griner, who completed 12 of 15 passes for 231 yards and three touchdowns. Treven Tipton was Royal Palm Beach’s leading rusher with five rushes for 44 yards and a touchdown.
The following week, on Thursday, Sept. 12, the Wildcats hosted William T. Dwyer High School. It was a key FHSAA Class 6A, District 12 game. Even though Dwyer entered the game winless (0-3), it was expected to be competitive. It was just that, and Dwyer prevailed 21-6. Royal Palm Beach wide receiver Demetrice Rolle scored the Wildcats’ lone touchdown on a fourth-quarter pass from Griner.
According to RPBHS head football coach Chuck Kenyon, his team had many chances to beat Dwyer but didn’t seize the opportunities.
“We must improve offensive productivity,” Kenyon said. “We were in the red zone four times in the first half against Dwyer and came away with no points. We had a third and-goal from the two-yard line and couldn’t punch it in. We had too many self-inflicted stops.”
The Wildcats will work on getting a bounce-back victory on Friday, Sept. 20, when they host undefeated Forest Hill High School (3-0).
Other Football Action — After opening the season with a pair of close losses — by three points against Glades Central and four points against Spanish River — the Hawks from Seminole Ridge High School are having difficulties getting on track. On Sept. 6, the Hawks were outscored 28-3 at Pahokee High School. And on Sept. 13, West Boca Raton High School dominated Seminole Ridge, 42-8.
Seminole Ridge will be looking for its first win of the season on Friday, Sept. 20, when they host the Chiefs from Santaluces High School. On Friday, Sept. 27, the Hawks host the Palm Beach Gardens Gators.
At Wellington High School, head coach Ross Pryor’s team has had an inconsistent start to the season. After three games, the Wolverines are 1-2. Despite the losing record, Wellington has outscored its opposition, 54-40. The one win was a 31-0 victory against Lake Worth High School in late August.
After a bye week, the Wolverines return to the gridiron on Friday, Sept. 20 when they host Spanish River High School. The following week, Wellington hosts Palm Beach Lakes High School.
Pryor is expecting his team to respond with two strong performances in late September by eliminating unnecessary mental errors.
“In games, we must tackle on first contact and execute on offense,” he said. “We only had 29 plays of offense in our last game. We can’t win games like that. We have to execute and do what we know we can do. Penalties have been killing us as of late.”
The Bulldogs from Berean Christian School are 1-4 on the season. The one bright spot was a 14-7 victory against Central Florida Christian Academy on Friday, Sept. 6. The Bulldogs were on the road on Thursday, Sept. 19 against Marco Island Academy. The result was not available at press time. On Friday, Sept. 27, Berean will host Miami Country Day School.
