This year’s high school football regular season is in the books, and the postseason playoffs are underway. Of the six local schools, three have had winning seasons, three have had losing seasons and three have had some postseason success.
The Broncos are the best in the West — The Palm Beach Central High School Broncos have proven to be the best in the west and one of the best high school football programs in Palm Beach County.
The Broncos ended their regular season with a disappointing 28-7 senior night loss to the visiting Crusaders from Cardinal Newman High School. Despite the loss, the Broncos finished their regular season with an impressive 8-2 record and were Class 4M district winners, giving them an automatic berth in the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 4M state playoffs.
The Broncos opened the playoffs on Friday, November 10 with a convincing 36-0 victory against the Spanish River High School Sharks. According to head coach Kevin Thompson, the Broncos’ best players in this game included Nedrick Boldin, Antoine Sharp, Kamare Williams and Whedon Charles.
The Broncos’ second-round regional semifinal playoff game will take place on Friday, Nov. 17, when they host the Boca Raton High School Bobcats (7-4). The start is scheduled for 18:30
To win, Thompson said his team must focus on executing the fundamentals, which includes defensive players making sound snaps, receivers running disciplined routes and running backs moving with power and speed.
Roaring lions in the playoffs — The King’s Academy Lions had another stellar season. The Lions opened and closed their regular season with two losses. Meanwhile, they’ve won eight in a row. During the regular season, the Lions won the FHSAA Class 2M, District 9 title, which earned them a berth in the Class 2M playoffs. On Friday, Nov. 10, the Lions opened their postseason with a convincing 49-7 win against Somerset Academy Canyons. On Friday, Nov. 17, TKA (9-2) will travel to Delray Beach to play American Heritage (8-1). The start is scheduled for 19:30
Seminole Ridge finishes strong — Seminole Ridge High School Hawks (7-3), coached by Chad Chieffalo, had a winning season but didn’t win enough key Class 3M, District 9 games to earn a bid to the state playoffs.
Two of Seminole Ridge’s big wins this past season were against two local rivals: a 27-0 win against Royal Palm Beach High School on Aug. 31 and a season-ending 35-0 win against Wellington High School on Nov. 3.
The top player for Seminole Ridge this past season was junior linebacker/receiver Ty Jackson, who led the defense with 13.9 rebounds per game and had a team-high four sacks. Offensively, Jackson had the most touchdown receptions on his team with five. Seminole Ridge’s top running back was senior Roberto Venero, who averaged 112.0 yards per game.
The Wildcats continue to improve — The Royal Palm Beach High School Wildcats (3-7), under head coach Chuck Kenyon, continue to revitalize a once-proud football program. The Wildcats finished the season with two straight wins. Last year the team had only two wins.
“We’re still moving in the right direction,” Kenyon said. “Even though we lost some offensive players, we have a very good core of guys coming back next year.”
As Kenyon looks back on this season, some of the standout players on his team were senior Tommy Tipton, senior Garvan Dorival, junior Landon Earl and freshman Demetric Roll.
Tipton was an excellent running back and strong defensive back. Tipton scored three touchdowns during his team’s 41-22 season-ending victory against John I. Leonard High School.
Dorival was one of Royal Palm Beach’s top-performing defensemen on the season, while Earl was Royal Palm Beach’s all-season defenseman. He was also the team’s second-leading rusher at 36.3 yards per game.
“Landon has been one of our best football players all season,” Kenyon said.
Rolle led the Wildcats with four rushing touchdowns this past season.
Wellington’s future looks promising — The Wellington High School Wolverines (2-8), under first-year head coach Ross Pryor, are in the midst of a major rebuilding effort. The team’s two wins this season were a 16-15 win over Royal Palm Beach High School on Sept. 14 and a 28-6 win on Oct. 17 against John I. Leonard High School. The team’s statistical leaders are not seniors. The team’s leading rusher was Tyree Pearson, the team’s leading tackler with 10 was sophomore quarterback Jonathan Paul, and the team’s leading tackler with 6.0 tackles per game was Julian Riabuha.
Berean never gives up — The Berean Christian School Bulldogs, members of the Sunshine State Athletic Conference, started their season on an eight-game losing streak and finished with a two-game winning streak.
Those two wins were SSAC playoff games. The two wins were a 21-0 win over Trinity Prep of Winter Park on Oct. 27 and a 26-22 win against Cedar Creek Christian of Jacksonville on Nov. 3.