WEST PALM BEACH – The King’s Academy Lions will be solid at their quarterback position for the next three years.
They got a glimpse of what is in store for them in Week 1 of the regular season against Lemon Bay, when sophomore starting signal-caller Will Prichard had a debut performance to remember.
Listed at 6-foot-2, 195-pounds, the quarterback towered over his opposition by completing 16 of 28 passes for 281 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception in a 33-27 win at home on Friday, Sept. 11.
Two of those Prichard scoring passes were to junior wideout Preston Martin (4 catches, 79 yards, 2 touchdowns), while the other one was to junior running back Dominick Ratty (3 catches, 86 yards, 1 touchdown; 28 carries, 90 yards, 1 touchdown; 81-yard kickoff return for 1 touchdown; 266 all-purpose yards).
As a result of Prichard’s standout performance, he earned our MVP of Week 1 honors.
The Lions quarterback was also mentioned as one of the state’s top performers, according to Florida High School Football’s website, https://floridahsfootball.com .
“It feels great,” Prichard said. “Looking forward to repeating it this week.”
Prichard’s touchdown pass to Ratty came in the first half for King’s Academy.
“The first touchdown to Dom Ratty got the whole team hyped,” Prichard said. “We set up a screen play because we knew they (the Lemon Bay Mantarays) were gonna bring pressure. I dumped it off to Dom, and he did the rest from there.”
The connection between Prichard and Martin was magical against Lemon Bay, as one of his scoring passes came on a 20-yard strike with 1:10 left in the second quarter. An extra point by senior kicker Bernie Cueto gave the home team a 19-6 lead, which carried into halftime.
To seal the win, Prichard fired off a quick pass to Martin, who sprinted 40+ yards to the end zone at the 6:55 mark of the fourth quarter. Cueto’s extra point gave King’s Academy a 33-14 lead, which proved to be enough in the end.
“We both worked really hard this offseason to make sure that we were on the same page,” Prichard said. “I know I can trust him in certain situations, but it was an all-around great game by him. He works really hard and he picked up things really quick as soon as he got here.”
NOTE: Prichard’s next opportunity to shine will be in Week 2 of the regular season against Glades Day. The game is set for a 7 p.m. kickoff on Friday, Sept. 18 in Belle Glade.
PHOTO CREDITS: The King’s Academy Athletic Department
