BOCA RATON – Who thought Boca Raton would be over .500 at this point in the season?
Aside from the Bobcats team themselves and maybe some of their faithful fans, not many gave them much of a chance to do anything this fall.
It sure feels great to silence the hordes of doubters – at least for one week.
How did the Bobcats turn a 3-0 halftime deficit into a 6-3 comeback win at home tonight over the Fort Pierce Central Cobras?
It was through sheer patience on both offense and defense.
It was through a steady running game and a secondary that didn’t give up the big play. It was through a coaching staff, led by head coach Brandon Walker, that never gave up.
It paid off in a big way, especially when a third-down opportunity early in the fourth quarter turned into an 8-yard touchdown run by senior athlete and team leader Tra’Nell Hollis.
The score effectively decided the outcome, and Hollis couldn’t have been any more proud of tonight’s win.
“It was a team effort the whole drive,” Hollis said. “It was time to step up. I want to thank my offensive line for making it possible for me to score.”
Walker spoke on the score by Hollis.
“Tra’Nell is an all-around great player,” Walker said. “He’s the guy we lean on both sides of the ball. The touchdown drive was 90 percent him. He ran very hard tonight and had some plays on the other side of the ball for us as well.”
Later in the fourth quarter, Boca Raton’s defense clamped down when it mattered the most. The Bobcats never allowed Fort Pierce Central’s offense to get near the end zone, even down to the Cobras last drive of the game.
“It came down to who wanted it the most,” Hollis said. “We stuck together and fought for each other on those last plays.”
Walker touched on how his team dug deep to earn this win tonight.
“We went into halftime and made a few adjustments,” Walker said. “Offensively for us, it was about a matter of execution. We were able to string a few plays together and get the touchdown…Our guys finally came and played together in the second half. Good things happened for our team.”
Fort Pierce Central head coach Jeff Cameron spoke on the game’s outcome from his own point of view.
“Our defense played well and kept us in the game,” Cameron said. “We just didn’t execute on offense. We put ourselves in first and a lot of negatives…It was a little bit more disheartening by far.”
WEEK 5 SLATE
Boca Raton (2-1): Away at Treasure Coast (2-0) – Friday, Sept. 20, 7 p.m. kickoff
Fort Pierce Central (1-2): Home vs. Fort Pierce Westwood (0-1) – Friday, Sept. 20, 7 p.m. kickoff
