BOCA RATON – Tra’Nell Hollis said he’s not trying to see anything less than the playoffs for his senior year.
His prophetic words were spoken and posted on his Twitter account earlier this summer.
Hollis and the Boca Raton Bobcats (8-2) earned the No. 8 seed in the Class 8A – Region 3 playoffs after they scored a 19-12 homecoming win over Dwyer in Week 11. In the victory, our Breakthrough Player of Week 11 and sophomore running back Trey Rainey had 160+ total yards, including his game-sealing 67-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that gave Boca Raton a 19-6 lead.
Currently ranked as our No. 4 team in Palm Beach County, Boca Raton is on a five-game winning streak, which includes victories over Monarch (38-14 in Week 8) and Santaluces (43-28 in Week 9). This is the primary reason why the Bobcats share Team of Week 11 honors with the No. 1-ranked Palm Beach Lakes Rams (9-0).
“It’s a amazing to be noticed as a team,” Hollis said of Boca Raton, which has won Team of the Week honors twice this season (also in Week 9). “We’ve fought hard for everything we’ve achieved this season. Nothing was handed to us, so to win team of the week, it’s well deserved by us.”
Aside from Boca Raton having to overcome a rash of player losses prior to the start of this season, the program has had to deal with a more serious situation involving its longtime assistant coach Jack Urbaniuk, who last month found out that his young daughter Riley had a brain tumor on her second birthday.
Boca Raton’s motto is ‘Together We Will’. The program is fighting together for Riley, who is the primary inspiration behind their spirited run to the playoffs and hopefully beyond the first round.
Boca Raton head coach Brandon Walker spoke on what his team has had to overcome this season to reach the 8A playoffs.
“I’m so excited for these kids,” Walker told Fox Sports Florida yesterday. “These kids have worked their tails off since last summer. They believed in what we’re doing, and when you got a great group of kids, you have success.”
As the Bobcats play their hearts out #ForRiley, their focus right now is pulling off a shocking upset on the road Friday night (7:30 p.m. kickoff) at No. 1 seed Vero Beach (9-0).
“It’s a team effort with everyone putting in work,” said Boca Raton junior defensive end/tight end Ashton Gillotte, who is quite possibly the heart and soul of this rising program. “It feels awesome. We have been the underdogs with so many doubters all year. We play for our teammates and Riley. We got to focus on the new week and new goals. Teamwork makes the dream work. States are in our future. First, we have to get the dub this week. Our next victim to bear is Vero Beach.”
To donate funds or contribute to Riley’s recovery, you can send an email to Boca Raton athletic director Matthew Ryder at matthew.ryder@palmbeachschools.org.
