WEST PALM BEACH – With a trip to the state semifinal on the line, No. 1 seed King’s Academy Lions (10-1) will play host to No. 2. seed Orlando-The First Academy (9-1) in Friday.
Coming off a 16-7 victory over Holy Trinity in the Class 3A Region 2 semifinal, King’s Academy is currently riding a four-game win streak that includes a last-second win over rival Benjamin to finish off the regular season. It’s one loss was to Gulliver Prep on Oct. 12.
On offense, the Lions have primarily relied on their heavy aerial attack from quarterback Justin Wake, who is one of the most underrated players in Palm Beach County. This season, Wake has completed 54 percent of his passes for 1,773 yards, 20 touchdowns and five interceptions.
When the Lions do turn to their ground game, they primarily rely on Presley Almond, who accounted for just under half of the carries this season. On 160 carries, Almond ran for 988 yards and 12 touchdowns, while Wake added another 11 touchdowns on the ground.
On defense, the Lions have gotten a majority of their production from Cory Croteau and Isaac Scroggins.
This season, Croteau leads the Lions in tackles (72) and forced fumbles (2), while adding two interceptions and two sacks. Croteau has been a massive part in each of the Lions victories this season, and a Lions victory on Friday should not be a different story. Scroggins, who had one of the two Lions interceptions against Holy Trinity, has been a turnover machine this season. Over the course of the 11 games, Scroggins has a team-leading four interceptions and two forced fumbles.
On the other side of the field is a relatively unknown team to Palm Beach County, The First Academy Royals. In their first game of the playoffs, the Royals defeated Father Lopez, 40-20.
Coming into the game with a 9-1 record, the Royals are viewed as one of the best teams in Class 3A. This season, their one loss is against The Villages Charter, who finished the season 10-0 and earned a top seed in Class 4A.
Over the course of the season, the Royals have shown no issues scoring, as they have tallied 398 points and have scored over 40 points in eight of their 10 games.
A majority of their offensive production has come from Rolous Frazier, who has 17 rushing touchdowns on the season.
A win here would do wonders for head coach Keith Allen and the King’s Academy Lions, who look to prove their supremacy in Class 3A Region 2 and beyond. The First Academy is one of the top teams in Class 3A, and in order to be the best you have to beat some of the best.
Prediction: King’s Academy 32, The First Academy 28
