BOYNTON BEACH – In what was the most significant game on Thursday night (Nov. 4) for the Somerset Academy Canyons Cougars, they came through when it mattered the most.
Even though the charter high school football program has a short history, this team grew up right before our eyes in the fourth quarter of their 35-21 home win over Coral Shores.
“We had to stay mentally sharp,” Cougars senior quarterback Benson Barnes said. “We knew we had to win the second half…That’s exactly what we did.”
Knotted at 14-14 early in the fourth frame, Canyons (4-5; 4-1 in past five games) took control of the game on the ground as it churned yardage with both short and long runs. The home team’s patience paid off when senior quarterback Benson Barnes reeled off a spirited 8-yard scoring run at the 10:54 mark.
An extra point gave Canyons a 21-14 lead over Coral Shores (5-6).
Canyons overcame three total scores last night from Coral Shores senior leader Chris Cooper, who had two second-quarter rushing touchdowns and a blistering 95-yard kickoff return for a score to help his team tie the game up at 21-21 with 10:37 left.
Canyons did not allow Cooper’s special team score to damper its drive to win, as the offense stuck to its tried-and-true ground game for the most part.
At the 8:46 mark of the fourth, Cougars freshman Waden Charles scampered the Hurricanes defense for an exhilarating touchdown run that helped his team take a 28-21 lead.
“It was a great block by my running back David Duong,” Charles said. “He set me up for the touchdown.”
And later, a recovered fumble by Canyons linebacker Aden Cohen (5:22 mark) set up an eventual 6-yard touchdown run from Barnes (2:20 mark) that would effectively clinch the home team’s 14-point win.
Barnes spoke on his game-sealing touchdown run and more.
“I had my trust in my o-line,” Barnes said. “I know they got my back and I got theirs. I know when coach calls my number, he knows to trust me. I told him, “If you put your trust in me, then we’ll score.” It all starts with the energy. It starts with the sideline, cheering our guys on. We got great fans in the stands. We’re trying to make them proud.”
With the landmark triumph, Somerset Academy Canyons will be watching this weekend to see if it did enough to beat out Teneroc (Lakeland) (5-3) for the No. 6 seed (final spot) in the Class 4A – Region 3 playoffs.
“We stayed the course,” Somerset Academy Canyons head coach Alex Gonzalez said. “I told the kids to stay positive, stay the course…I’m proud of the way we finished. We’re hopeful to see what happens here this weekend.”
For all intents and purposes, Teneroc did its part last night (Nov. 5) by earning an easy 34-0 regular season-ending victory over Cornerstone Charter Academy (0-8).
At this time, Teneroc (No. 292 – 0.477; FHSAA RPI) has the edge over Somerset Academy Canyons (No. 353 – 0.431; FHSAA RPI) for the final 4A – Region 3 playoff spot. But Canyons has a legitimate shot to overtake Teneroc due to its perceived stronger strength of schedule.
For the FHSAA, it simply comes down to two things: final overall regular season record (edge to Teneroc) vs. final strength of schedule (edge to Somerset Academy Canyons).
Both schools will learn of their ultimate postseason fate on Sunday, Nov. 7, when the FHSAA will reveal its final RPI ratings for all high school football programs in eight classifications (8A through 1A).
If Somerset Academy Canyons qualifies for the 4A playoffs, it will be the program’s first FHSAA postseason appearance in school history.
ALL WEEK 11 FINAL SCORES: THURSDAY NIGHT
No. 7 Boca Raton 39, Fort Pierce Westwood 0
St. Andrew’s 29, Pine Crest 7
Olympic Heights 50, West Boca Raton 0
ALL WEEK 11 FINAL SCORES: FRIDAY NIGHT
No. 10 Wellington 21, No. 3 Seminole Ridge 14
Park Vista 17, No. 4 Palm Beach Gardens 10
No. 6 Benjamin 42, King’s Academy 6
Doral Academy 17, Atlantic (Delray Beach) 7
Palm Beach Lakes 14, Dwyer 0
Jupiter 34, South Fork 17
Spanish River 6, Suncoast 0
Royal Palm Beach 17, John I. Leonard 14
Mt. Dora Christian 41, Jupiter Christian 14 – SSAC Playoffs
Lake Worth vs. Boynton Beach – No final score reported
No. 1 Palm Beach Central vs. Santaluces – Game cancelled due to inclement weather
No. 5 Forest Hill vs. North Miami Beach – Game cancelled due to inclement weather
GAME OF WEEK 11: MUCK BOWL
No. 2 Pahokee (6–1) vs. Glades Central (5-4) – 5 p.m. kickoff on Saturday (Nov. 6) at Anquan Boldin Stadium
PHOTO CREDITS: Keith Forde
