LAKE WORTH – The excitement was palpable as the clock ticked down at Dr. Joaquin Garcia High School.
The Bulldogs had all but wrapped up a 28-6 win against John I. Leonard at that point, but couldn’t quite begin the historic celebrations.
“I knew, when we got to the fourth quarter, we were getting that,” defensive end Jeremiah Antilus said. “We were shutting everything down … I really saw that we had the opportunity to [win] this game.”
As the horn rung and the sea of Carolina blue helmets dispersed from the midfield handshake line, there was no containing the celebrations.
And who can blame them?
For the first time in school history, Dr. Joaquin Garcia High School had won a football game.
“Our kids had a great week of preparation. Came out and executed our game plan,” head coach Brandon Walker said. “We were pretty confident if we could handle them up front from our offensive side of the ball, we could have some success.”
Despite being the newest high school in Palm Beach County and the youngest team in the county – the team has no seniors – Dr. Joaquin Garcia found a way to hang in the game and assert their dominance when necessary.
Following an interception from Kamai Price, Bulldogs quarterback Ramon DeLeon connected with wide receiver Jayden Morton on a 31-yard touchdown pass to open the scoring in the first quarter.
“Past two games, we haven’t really been a first-half team, so I knew I needed to get some points on the board and get everyone hyped,” Morton said.
DeLeon, an 11th grader, had not played football before moving to Dr. Joquan Garcia High School but found a way to handle the moment from start to finish. Although there were some turnovers, he found ways to keep the ball moving through the air and on the ground.
“Kids a leader,” Walker said about DeLeon. “He’s working on developing himself to be a quarterback, but he’s a great leader. And that’s really my number one expectation of a quarterback.”
DeLeon played a direct part in all four of the Bulldogs’ touchdowns today, but it was really the play of the defense that helped push them ahead.
“We locked up everything. It was just very good. Very good defense,” Antilus said. “ I’m proud of my boys. My D-line, my linebackers, my DBs.”
The win propels the Bulldogs to 1-2 on the season and sets them up for a potential late-season push. Although it will be difficult due to the almost unforeseen circumstances of being a new program in their first year, Antilus is hopeful the win will help give the team momentum.
“We’re gonna keep on winning,” Antilus said. “Ain’t no stopping. Just because we get one win doesn’t mean we’re going to stop. We’re going to keep going full throttle.”
Until their next game, though, there might be a moment of brief celebration.
And who can blame them?
STORY BY: Kevin Fielder
COVER PHOTO BY: Christian Proscia
