DELRAY BEACH – The Glades Central Raiders came into their Class 4A – Region 3 quarterfinal matchup with the American Heritage Stallions as the underdog.
As it turns out, the road team played it differently in more ways than one last night (Nov. 12).
Led by senior quarterback Garrison Kepley, the Raiders (6-5; No. 5 seed) reached the end zone on the majority of their offensive possessions against the Stallions (5-5 final record; No. 4 seed) in their 34-20 playoff win.
Kepley had his personal best game of the season to date, as he completed 16 of his 20 passes for 306 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. His best play occurred in the third quarter, when he rolled to the right on a fourth down play to find junior wide receiver Semaj Demps in the end zone, which gave Glades Central a 34-6 lead at the 2:34 mark.
“He’s getting better and better as we go,”Glades Central head coach Rashad Jackson said. “Now he’s getting those reps and he’s coming into form to what I know. I’m just proud of him. He had a good game. He played lights out.”
The running game for Glades Central was also on point, as evidenced by junior running back Nick Workman’s overall effort on the ground. He scored on two short runs in the end zone to give Glades Central a 12-0 lead in the first quarter.
“Nick Workman had a couple of big runs,” Jackson said. “And up front, we blocked solid. The kids knew exactly where to go.”
Kepley concurred.
“The offensive line blocked their butts off,” Kepley said. “They had a really good game.”
Workman chimed in.
“We practiced all week for this,” Workman said. “They had us as 18-point underdogs on the news. We had to come out and play our hardest.”
Demps caught two of Kepley’s three touchdown passes in the game, which also included a shifty one in which sliced through the field for a long touchdown at the 9:46 mark of the second quarter.
The first of two Demps scores helped to give Glades Central a 20-3 lead.
“That kid can fly,” Jackson said of Demps. “We threw him a screen play, and you could see his speed kicking up dirt…That kid, he’s just special.”
The Glades Central defense came through as well.
“They bent but never broke,” Jackson said. “They played fast. They played hard. I’m proud of the way they fought on defense.”
Glades Central senior defensive back Robert Harris agreed with Jackson’s sentiment.
“The defense has been playing great all year like we’re supposed to.” Harris said. “Balls to the wall football. Got on the goal line and made a big stand. They got three points, but we hold ourselves to a higher standard. We want zero points, but we allowed 20.”
Kepley summed up the outcome of last night’s playoff game and overall mission for Glades Central.
“We knew it was win or go home,” Kepley said. “We told ourselves all week we’re not going home.”
With the victory, Glades Central will advance to the Class 4A – Region 3 semifinal round at No. 1 seed Lakewood (7-3) on Friday, Nov. 19. The kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. in St. Petersburg.
OTHER PALM BEACH COUNTY FINAL SCORES: REGIONAL QUARTERFINALS
CLASS 8A – REGION 2
No. 1 seed Palm Beach Central 41, No. 8 seed Centennial 9
No. 2 seed Treasure Coast 47, No. 7 seed Palm Beach Gardens 22
No. 3 seed Boone (Orlando) 42, No. 6 seed Wellington 7
No. 5 seed Vero Beach 46, No. 4 seed Forest Hill 14
CLASS 8A – REGION 4
No. 3 seed Deerfield Beach 21, No. 6 seed Boca Raton 7
CLASS 7A – REGION 2
No. 3 seed Melbourne 41, No. 6 seed Seminole Ridge 7
CLASS 7A – REGION 4
No. 1 seed St. Thomas Aquinas 43, No. 8 seed Atlantic (Delray Beach) 7
CLASS 5A – REGION 4
No. 2 seed American Heritage (Plantation) 42, No. 7 seed Boynton Beach 14
CLASS 3A – REGION 4
No. 3 seed Cardinal Newman 41, No. 6 seed St. Andrew’s 6
CLASS 2A – REGION 4
No. 3 seed Glades Day 38, No. 6 seed Westminster Academy 0
NOTE: We started out with 15 playoff teams, but now we are down to six for the FHSAA regional semifinal round next week.
All FHSAA regional semifinal games will be played on Friday, Nov. 19 at various locations.
Teams still in contention: Palm Beach Central (9-0; 8A), Glades Central (6-5; 4A), Benjamin (7-3; 3A), Cardinal Newman (8-3; 3A), Glades Day (9-1; 2A), and Pahokee (7-1; 1A)
PHOTO CREDITS: Keith Forde
