WEST PALM BEACH – The Second Annual Battle of the Beach All-Star was personal for Broward County on this past Saturday night (Jan. 14).
Held at Forest Hill High School, Broward head coach Rex Nottage (North Broward Prep) made sure to get his all-stars to overcome last year’s 49-3 road loss to Palm Beach in memorable fashion.
Broward kept Palm Beach scoreless in the first two quarters by making it 14-0 at halftime and overcoming a late 16-14 deficit to exact revenge on its opposition at the final buzzer, 17-16.
Here is how Broward returned the favor in its exhilarating one-point win.
Down 16-14 with 1:24 left in the fourth quarter, Broward quarterback Ryder Lewin (Cypress Bay) engineered the game’s final drive by using a few plays to get his team in field goal range.
Lewin was particularly good at showing poise in moments where Palm Beach’s defense could have extinguished his team’s revenge hopes, which included two pass completions for first downs with less than a minute left.
When the game got close to the final buzzer, Nottage sent kicker Andres van Woerkom (Pine Crest) to the field for a chance to win it once and for all.
With no pressure in the process – rules do not allow the opposition to attempt a blocked kick in an all-star game – van Woerkom connected on a 47-yard field goal and was lifted up by his Broward teammates for their celebratory moment.
“We were down by two with about two minutes left,” van Woerkom said. “I knew it would come down to me, so I was warming up on the sideline. It was my turn, and I got the points up there to win the game.”
Nottage on the game-winning field goal:
“Each day, we talked about finishing, finishing, finishing,” Nottage said. “Last year, Broward County did not fare too well. It was kind of like revenge for us. We had to pay it back. What a way to pay it back with a walk-off field goal. I’m so proud of Andres van Woerkom for hitting that. He just walked on the field and said, ‘Coach, I got this.’ Way to end a great game.”
Broward overcame two rushing touchdowns in the second half from Palm Beach athlete Ejavious Boswell (Inlet Grove), one of which came on an 11-yard run to the end zone with 5:46 left.
At this point, Broward was up 14-13 and held on to the one-point lead by way of a missed extra point from Palm Beach – a critical moment in how the game would ultimately turn out to be.
Broward even overcame two turnovers its offense would commit at both the 4:51 and 2:42 marks, respectively.
The first Palm Beach defensive big play was an interception by Palm Beach defensive back EJ Jackson (Seminole Ridge) with 4:51 left.
The second one was a forced fumble by Palm Beach cornerback Malik Willis (Inlet Grove) and a subsequent fumble recovery by linebacker Kelvin Rolle (Benjamin) with 2:42 left.
After the second turnover, Palm Beach quarterback Jacob Cashion (St. Andrew’s) led a key drive with a mix of runs and completed passes for positive yardage. This set up a field goal opportunity for kicker Anthony Hinds (Cardinal Newman), who would connect on it with less than two minutes left and give Palm Beach the 16-14 lead.
Nottage and his Broward team had no worries, even as it was down for the first time at that point.
“Our offensive coordinator did a great job of calling some great plays to put us in great position to make plays,” Nottage said. “We drove down the field and lucked out on some plays.”
The first half was a different story, as it was all Broward.
With 8:15 left in the second quarter, Broward defensive back Devan Lamar (Stranahan) recovered a lost Palm Beach fumble and raced the pigskin untouched for the end zone and score.
The extra point by van Woerkom (2-for-2 total) gave Broward a 7-0 lead over Palm Beach.
And with 39.3 seconds left in the first half, we got a nifty touchdown connection. It was a 7-yarder from Lewin to wide receiver Marcus Williams (Blanche Ely), who used one hand to catch the end zone pass while being covered.
Broward got its 14-0 lead over Palm Beach with the second extra point from van Woerkom.
“It scared me for the first one,” Nottage said. “The quarterback scrambled and took off. I know the quarterback is pretty darn good, but the defensive back came up and popped him. Devan Lamar picked up the ball and took it to the house. It was fantastic. So proud of it.”
The Williams one-handed touchdown catch in coverage was arguably the game’s best overall play.
“Let’s talk about Marcus Williams,” Nottage said. “All week, we saw him making these one-handed catches. He’s got the strongest hand we’ve seen as a high schooler. He’s an amazing ball player.”
Nottage had more to say about Williams.
“We knew when we got down to that territory where the ball was going,” Nottage said. “He did that all week against our DB’s. Kudos to him.”
Broward ultimately scored in all three phases of the game in this order – defense, offense, and special teams.
“It was a great team victory,” Nottage said. “They all did their part.”
MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS: BROWARD
Offense – RB Cedric Ward (Blanche Ely)
Defense – DB Devan Lamar (Stranahan)
MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS: PALM BEACH
Offense – QB Jacob Cashion (St. Andrew’s)
Defense – DB Evan Jackson (Seminole Ridge)
NOTE: The Battle of the Beaches All-Star Game was primarily sponsored by Smith, Ball, and Baez Injury Lawyers.
PHOTO CREDITS: Christian Proscia
