PALM BEACH COUNTY – Boca Raton is the area’s best surprise and most improved team.
The Bobcats (5-3, 1-1 in 12-8A) have notched their two most impressive wins in successive weeks at home, starting with a 38-14 win over fellow District 12-8A opponent Monarch in Week 8 and followed by a convincing 43-28 win over Top 10 mainstay Santaluces in Week 9.
For head coach Brandon Walker, it is probably the most satisfying two-week of his time at Boca Raton. The fact that his team is now in control of its Class 8A playoff is a blessing, when one considers the player losses he and his program have had to overcome.
But first things first: Boca Raton must beat Spanish River in Week 10 and Dwyer in Week 11. No other outcome will suffice.
“Our approach is going to be us getting ready for Spanish River,” Walker said. “We gotta take it one game at a time. Hopefully after the Dwyer game, we’re in a position to make the playoffs. It’s definitely easier to get these kids motivated when there’s a playoff opportunity. They’re definitely hungry for the playoffs. If we continue to do what we’ve been doing these last couple of weeks, then we have a good shot at it.”
Combined with its huge Week 9 win over then-No. 7 Santaluces (5-2; 2-0 in 11-8A) and losses by four other Top 10 teams from last week, our Team of Week 9 makes its Top 10 debut this week at No. 6.
The other Top 10 debut this week comes from Park Vista (6-3, 2-0 in 11-8A), a 21-20 winner over then-No. 6 Glades Central (4-4) in Week 9. The Cobras have been just off the Top 10 bubble all season and were only one quality win alway from reaching the top tier.
Park Vista earned its come-from-behind victory in dramatic fashion.
Down by seven and needing to convert on a fourth-and-12 play, senior quarterback Riley Klaus found senior wide receiver Frantz Derival II to give the Cobras a first down deep in Raiders territory. On the following play, Klaus connected with Derival for an 8-yard touchdown pass to put the Cobras down just one point with just over a minute remaining.
Instead of going for the tie and potential overtime, however, the Cobras had a different plan.
Park Vista head coach Dodds sent out the offense again, this time to go for the two-point conversion. The play call – a designed quarterback run for Gio Thomas – worked like a charm, as Thomas found the end zone, giving the Cobras a 21-20 lead and eventual win.
“That decision was made at halftime,” Dodds said. “I told my staff at halftime, ‘If it comes down to it, we know exactly what we were going to do.’ We had kind of worked it out, so there was no doubt.”
As a result of this – plus a legitimate chance at winning the District 11-8A in Week 10 against Santaluces – the Cobras took the Chiefs No. 7 spot and dropped them to No. 8 this week.
The Park Vista-Santaluces tilt on Friday night (Oct. 25; 6:30 p.m. kickoff at Santaluces)is for the district title and a spot in the Class 8A-Region 3 playoffs. The winner is in, while the loser could be eliminated entirely from 8A playoff contention.
The stakes don’t get any higher for this week’s No. 7 and No. 8-ranked teams.
Enough said. Let’s get to the entire Top 10 and teams on the outside looking in.
TOP 10: WEEK 9
1. Palm Beach Lakes (7-0; 7A) [LW: 1]
2. Delray Beach Atlantic (5-2; 7A) [LW: 2]
3. Palm Beach Gardens (6-1; 8A) [LW: 3]
4. Palm Beach Central (6-2; 8A) [PR: 5]
5. Delray Beach American Heritage (5-3; 4A) [LW: 4]
6. Boca Raton (5-3; 8A) [LW: NR]
7. Park Vista (6-3; 8A) [LW: NR]
8. Santaluces (5-2; 8A) [LW: 7]
9. Cardinal Newman (5-2; 3A) [LW: 8]
10. Forest Hill (5-3; 8A) [LW: NR]
Dropped from rankings: Former No. 6 Glades Central (4-4; 4A), Former No. 9 Jupiter (5-3; 8A), Former No. 10 St. Andrew’s (6-2; 8A)
Teams on outside looking in: Benjamin (5-3; 3A), Glades Central (4-4; 4A), Jupiter (5-3; 8A), St. Andrew’s (6-2; 3A), St. John Paul II (4-3; 3A)
WHY FOREST HILL RETURNS TO TOP 10
Believe it or not, Forest Hill has a pretty good chance of qualifying for the Class 8A playoffs this season.
Forest Hill, a 33-13 winner in Week 9 over Olympic Heights, has a realistic shot at winning its next and final two regular season games against then-No. 9 Jupiter (5-3; 8A) in Week 10 and North Miami Beach (5-3; 5A) in Week 11.
Led by head coach Jude Blessington, the Falcons have played reasonably well throughout the season, given the overall level of talent and youth they have. A 7-3 regular season finish should be enough to secure a 8A playoff spot.
Also, let’s not forget the other reasons why Forest Hill made it back to our Top 10.
Losses by Glades Central, Jupiter, and St. Andrew’s (32-14 home defeat to Lake Highland Prep in Week 9) make it possible for Forest Hill to return to a familiar place. And despite Benjamin’s 35-6 win over North Broward Prep in Week 9, we’re not convinced this team deserves to make a Top 10 return over Forest Hill.
And one other thing: Benjamin needs a regular season finale over King’s Academy in Week 10 to be seriously considered for a Top 10 return appearance.
WEEK 10 SLATE
No. 1 Palm Beach Lakes: Home vs. Martin County (2-6) – Friday, Oct. 25, 6:30 p.m. kickoff
No. 2 Delray Beach Atlantic: Home vs. Blanche Ely (7-1) – Friday, Oct. 25, 6:30 p.m. kickoff
No. 3 Palm Beach Gardens: Away at No. 4 Palm Beach Central (6-2) – Thursday, Oct. 24, 6:30 p.m. kickoff
No. 4 Palm Beach Central: Home vs. No. 3 Palm Beach Gardens (6-1) – Thursday, Oct. 24, 6:30 p.m. kickoff
No. 5 Delray Beach American Heritage: Home vs. No. 9 Cardinal Newman (5-2) – Friday, Oct. 25, 7 p.m. kickoff
No. 6 Boca Raton: Away at Spanish River (0-8) – Friday, Oct. 25, 6:30 p.m. kickoff
No. 7 Park Vista: Away at No. 8 Santaluces (5-2) – Friday, Oct. 25, 6:30 p.m. kickoff
No. 8 Santaluces: Home vs. Park Vista (6-3) – Friday, Oct. 25, 6:30 p.m. kickoff
No. 9 Cardinal Newman: Away at No. 5 Delray Beach American Heritage (5-3) – Friday, Oct. 25, 7 p.m. kickoff
No. 10 Forest Hill: Away at Jupiter (5-3) – Friday, Oct. 25, 6:30 p.m. kickoff
OTHER KEY WEEK 10 GAMES
Benjamin (5-3) vs. King’s Academy (5-4) – Friday, Oct. 25, 7 p.m. kickoff
St. John Paul II (4-3) vs. St. Andrew’s (6-2) – Friday, Oct. 25, 7 p.m. kickoff
NEXT TEAM RANKINGS UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct. 29
