DELRAY BEACH – Shelley Singletary had a performance to remember for Atlantic this past Friday night (Nov. 17).
Up 7-0 over Park Vista, the senior running back muscled his way right through the heart of the opposition’s defense for a 33-yard touchdown. It may have only been one play, but it was perhaps the most significant one of the game.
Simplicity can be enough to get the job done. And that’s one reason No. 4 Atlantic (10-1) was able to hold off No. 8 Park Vista (8-3) in a 14-7 win at home.
The Eagles successfully utilized their vast arsenal of talent on both sides of the ball, which was clearly on display in their second playoff win. As a result, they will be in the Class 8A regional final for the third straight season.
“I think it starts up front with our principal (Tara Dellegrotti),” Atlantic head coach T.J. Jackson said. “She does a great job of getting our kids an education. It starts with education and that leads into discipline. Once we get the discipline, it leads to the kids following our lead as coaches.”
Atlantic senior wide receiver Oyeh Lurry-Davis had a sensational game in his own right. Though he didn’t score a touchdown – his 60-yard punt return set up a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Antoine Williams for the game’s first score – he impacted the game in more ways than one.
Lurry-Davis spoke on how it felt for Atlantic to advance to the Class 8A regional final.
“It’s amazing,” Lurry-Davis said. “All these guys are like my brothers. We’re thinking about going to states.”
WESTERN SHOWDOWN
Atlantic’s next playoff opponent on Friday night (Nov. 24) is No. 6 Western, an upstart team that took down heavily favored Palm Beach Central (No. 2 seed in 8A-Region 3) in a 14-12 comeback win.
The Wildcats scored all of their points in the fourth quarter, as they stormed back from a 12-0 deficit to the Broncos.
Despite two second-quarter touchdown passes from Palm Beach Central senior quarterback Nick Atkins (one each to wide receivers Bryan Robinson and one to Fornoris Roberts) and two second-quarter interceptions by junior athlete Akeem Dent, it wasn’t enough for the Broncos (8-3) to hold on at home.
In fact, they just 58 seconds short of making school history.
At least there’s next year.
“We have a lot of young starters coming back, which is going to make next season more exciting for us,” Palm Beach Central head coach Tino Ierulli said. “This was a bittersweet game. My heart goes out to the kids. It’s sad, but it’s a part of life.”
Western is hungry after pulling off two upset playoff wins over Deerfield Beach and Palm Beach Central. Will Atlantic be next on the list?
We’ll find out on Friday night in Delray Beach.
PANTHERS KICKED OUT OF PLAYOFFS
In Dwyer’s 6-5 upset home loss to Doral Academy, no one foresaw a game literally decided by three field goals and a safety.
But that’s exactly what happened, as there was no true standout player in this 7A regional semifinal matchup. It didn’t matter, as the Firebirds defense did a masterful job in shutting down the Panthers offense from start to finish.
“All week, all we heard was ‘70 percent, you’re gonna lose,” Doral Academy senior quarterback Miles Hayes said. “All on social media, people were doubting us, saying ‘Y’all can’t do it, y’all are flukes. Results. Keep doubting us. That’s our motivation. We thank y’all for doubting us. Keep motivating us.”
Dwyer (8-3) missed out on a chance to avenge last year’s humiliating 39-0 playoff loss to defending 7A state champion St. Thomas Aquinas. Now we will see if Doral Academy can pull off yet another shocker on Friday night.
ONE STEP CLOSER TO HISTORY
Oxbridge Academy (9-1) has been in an FHSAA district for only a few years now. But the six-year old program is only one game away from its first-ever Class 3A state title game appearance.
After taking down Melbourne Central Catholic in a 32-7 home triumph, Thunderwolves running back Luis Gonzalez (two touchdowns) reflected on how the game was won.
“It was all about our offensive line,” Gonzalez said. “The holes opened up, and I was gone.”
Oxbridge Academy’s opponent in the Class 3A semifinals will be Florida High. This showdown will be at home for the Thunderwolves on Friday night, with the kickoff being set for 7:30 p.m.
“You can expect a win from us,” Gonzalez said. “We just have to execute on offense, defense, and special teams.”
NO BENJAMIN
Should Oxbridge Academy reach the 3A state final – as widely expected – its opponent could be the team that eliminated Benjamin (8-3) from the playoffs in a 56-0 beatdown last week.
Chaminade-Madonna, which eliminated Oxbridge Academy from last year’s 3A regional final in a 30-12 win, made short work of Benjamin this time around. It was 49-0 at halftime of this year’s 3A regional final, which let the Buccaneers know what they must do to take the next step forward.
Despite the playoff loss, this has to go down as one of Benjamin’s most successful seasons in its history.
PAHOKEE GETS DREAM MATCHUP
A potentially epic showdown between Pahokee (9-2) and Madison County (11-0) is going to happen on Friday night in North Florida.
The Blue Devils took down Frostproof last week in a 42-28 home win. They have won five straight playoff games at Anquan Boldin Stadium, including the 1A regional final that happened this past Friday night.
More than likely, the winner of this year’s 1A state semifinal game will be heavily favored to win the 1A state title in a little more than two weeks.
ROUND 3 GAMES: PALM BEACH COUNTY
Note: All playoff games start on Friday, Nov. 24 at 7:30 p.m.
8A Regional Final: Atlantic (Delray Beach) vs. Western (Davie)
3A State Semifinal: Oxbridge Academy vs. Florida High (Tallahassee)
1A State Semifinal: Pahokee at Madison County
PHOTO CREDITS: Keith Forde
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY: Xavon Christopher, Casandra Clayton, and Ken Stephens
