PALM BEACH COUNTY – Week 4 ended in memorable fashion.
The action that took place in our area will explain how we were able to come up with this week’s Top 10.
With that said, let us waste no time by putting the latest Top 10 out now.
1. Cardinal Newman (3-0) [Previous Rank: 2]
2. Pahokee (3-1) [Previous Rank: 3]
3. Palm Beach Central (3-1) [Previous Rank: 1]
4. Palm Beach Gardens (3-1) [Previous Rank: 4]
5. Santaluces (4-0) [Previous Rank: 5]
6. Seminole Ridge (4-0) [Previous Rank: 6]
7. Inlet Grove (2-1) [Previous Rank: 7]
8. Atlantic (Delray Beach) (2-2) [Previous Rank: 8]
9. King’s Academy (3-1) [Previous Rank: Not Ranked]
10. St. Andrew’s (2-1) [Previous Rank: Not Ranked]
Dropped out of Top 10: Previous No. 9 Boca Raton (2-2)
Close to 10: Boca Raton (2-2), Boynton Beach (2-2), Dwyer (2-2), Wellington (2-2), West Boca Raton (2-1)
HONEST IMPRESSIONS: KING’S ACADEMY
Let us congratulate King’s Academy on making our Top 10 team rankings list for the first time this season.
The Lions (3-1) have certainly earned this honor by winning their games, especially in these past two weeks.
A 16-8 home win over Somerset Academy Canyons (3-1) in Week 3 and a convincing 29-7 road win over Glades Day (1-3) that took two days to complete in Week 4 showed us the kind of team we have in front of us now.
Watch for King’s Academy to be a force over the next few weeks ahead, especially after jumped idle St. Andrew’s (2-1) for the No. 9 spot.
King’s Academy kept St. Andrew’s at No. 10 simply because of its head-to-head action in Week 1 – a 24-21 home win that was decided by a game-winning 20-yard field goal by junior kicker Nicholas Cueto.
King’s Academy’s only setback this season was a tough 14-7 road loss to Glades Central in Week 2.
BOCA RATON OUT
With King’s Academy improving to 3-1, Boca Raton (2-2) drops out of our Top 10 due to its 43-7 home loss in Week 4 to Atlantic (Delray Beach) (2-2).
There was some debate on whether or not to keep Boca Raton in our Top 10. This shows how much we value strength of opponent and strength of schedule.
But as stated before, we cannot ignore what King’s Academy has accomplished.
NEW TEAM REACHES SUMMIT
The best overall team right now is Cardinal Newman (4-0), a 51-31 winner in Week 4 over Doral Academy. Almost any Palm Beach County win over a Miami-Dade County team will go over well with our team, and it certainly applies here.
Cardinal Newman is also No. 1 right now because of its 40-12 road win in Week 1 over No. 2 Pahokee (3-1), a 34-14 winner on the road over then-No. 1/now-No. 3 Palm Beach Central (3-1).
The Crusaders are red hot right now, and there are no signs of that slowing down anytime soon.
FINAL CALL OUT: PALM BEACH GARDENS
Our No. 4-ranked team in Palm Beach County is now 3-1 by way of its very close 13-12 home win over Glades Central in Week 4.
With one of the toughest schedules in our area, Palm Beach Gardens has a huge game coming up this week.
Which takes us right to Week 5.
RANKED WEEK 5 MATCHUPS
•GAME OF WEEK 5: No. 4 Palm Beach Gardens (3-1) vs. No. 2 Pahokee (3-1) – Friday, Sept. 23; 6:30 p.m. kickoff
This game will be a rematch of last year’s close one between both teams, when Palm Beach Gardens edged Pahokee on the road for a 35-34 win.
The winner of this key game may have a shot at being our No. 1-ranked team next week if Cardinal Newman suffers a shocking upset loss on the road to Clewiston.
The loser of this game could drop a few spots in our Top 10 next week – depending on how all of the games play out on Week 5.
•SECOND GAME OF WEEK 5: No. 7 Inlet Grove (2-1) vs. No. 6 Seminole Ridge (4-0) – Friday, Sept. 23, 6:30 p.m. kickoff
This is our second most important game in Palm Beach County in more ways than one.
We have a major storyline brewing here, as Inlet Grove seniors Sebastien Christian, Teremun Lott (Illinois verbal commit), and Timothy Mann will be facing off against their original team at home. A lot of pride will be show on the field with both teams, as team respect is on the line in a sense.
Inlet Grove is trying to avenge last year’s 52-18 loss to Seminole Ridge. This was the game in which Christian rushed for 244 yards (career-high) on 24 carries and four touchdowns with his old team and against his new team.
The winner of this game could be in the Top 5 of our team rankings next week.
NEXT TOP 10 RANKINGS UPDATE: Tuesday, Sept. 27 or Wednesday, Sept. 28
PHOTO CREDITS: Jeremy Evans and Top Shot Files
