LANTANA – Heading into halftime, there was not much going right for Santaluces, especially on offense.

Not only did the Chiefs have just seven points, but poor execution on drives pushed them behind the sticks. 

Those problems, compounded with some special teams errors, meant that Santaluces trailed Boca Raton 14-7 heading into the break.

While Santaluces faced some significant adversity in the first two quarters, head coach Hector Clavijo was as cool as a cucumber and was not worried one bit about what was happening.

“I walked in, I told them, ‘Hey guys, this is what’s going to happen,’” Clavijo said. “‘We’re going to kick the ball off, defense is going to get a stop, we’re going to get the ball back. We’re going to score, and it’s a tied ball game.’”

Call it poetic justice because that’s precisely what happened in the second half of the game.

After kicking the ball off to Boca Raton, an unforced error by the Bobcat offense allowed Santaluces to recover a fumble inside Boca Raton territory.

“That was great because I feel like we were down on momentum,” Clavijo said about the turnover. “That was a big momentum change for us, so I really liked it. I really liked that they were able to fight.”

On the following drive, Santaluces responded with an 18-yard touchdown from quarterback Will Prichard to an outstretched Makai Lewin, tying the game up at 14-14.

That stretch of a few minutes was a sign of things to come in the second half, as Santaluces rode its strong defense to a 21-20 victory over Boca Raton to clinch the 4M-District 11 title.

Overall, while the performance still might not have been to the level that Clavijo wants, he was still pleased with the way that Santaluces responded to the situation.

“I am happy with the fact that we were able to face adversity, and the kids were able to show some resiliency in the fourth quarter,” Clavijo said. “That was kind of my halftime speech. I said, ‘You got to want it. If you don’t want to be out there, if you don’t want to play ball, don’t come out in the second half. Just sit down, turn your stuff in, and I won’t even be mad at you, but I want guys that are going to come out here and have that dog.”

While multiple players had big-time moments throughout the game, it’s hard not to look past three players, in specific: Prichard, running back Curtis Douglas, and cornerback Jerome Mitchell.

In the fourth quarter alone, all three of these players came away with two game-changing plays that undoubtedly helped give the Chiefs the win.

First, with Santaluces down a score, Prichard connected with wide receiver Devon Leonar to set up their offense at the Boca 25-yard line. A few plays later, Prichard found Chase Hanning near the front pylon for an 11-yard touchdown to give Santaluces a 21-20 lead.

“I didn’t see him make too many bad decisions,” Clavijo said about Prichard. “I just don’t think that he had the time, and Boca gave us some fits that were different than what we watched on film. … He played good. He took care of what he needed to take care of.”

Later in the fourth quarter, it was Mitchell’s turn to make the highlight reel. 

With Boca Raton threatening to score to take the lead back from Santaluces, Mitchell leaped and made a circus catch for the interception. 

It was not the first time Mitchell came away with an interception either, as the baseball player-turned-defensive back had three interceptions in the first three games.

“He’s a raw talent,” Clavijo said. “He played [football] when he was younger, and he hasn’t played in years. He didn’t have all summer with us, he didn’t have spring. He just showed up six weeks ago, seven weeks ago, after the baseball stuff was over. His trajectory is super high.”

Prichard echoed a similar statement as Clavijo, saying, “If you don’t know who Jerome Mitchell is, you’re going to know pretty soon.”

Mitchell was the epitome of what Santaluces’ defense has been this year: suffocating and opportunistic when it came to creating turnovers. 

For players on the Santaluces defense, their impact is noticeable.

“I love our defense,” Douglas said. “We’re probably one of the best defenses in the county. They clutched it up for us.”

To close out the game, Douglas – who was playing through a leg injury – got a huge run that got Santaluces a first down. That first down allowed Santaluces to the kneel the ball and end the game.

“I had a lot of yards, but it wasn’t about me,” Douglas said. “It was about me helping us score. At that point, I knew I had to do what was best for the team.”

Prichard also offered his input on what Douglas brings to the table.

“Curtis is an absolute monster,” Prichard said. “I love playing with him. He’s one of my best friends; he and I do stuff all the time. I really believe Curtis is a Power 5 football player.”

With the victory, Santaluces remains undefeated on the season at 6-0.

The rising program will continue its season on a short week, as the Chiefs will travel to Royal Palm Beach on Tuesday, Oct. 18.