PALM BEACH COUNTY – Week 7 ended with few surprises, if any at all.
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 right now.
HONEST IMPRESSION: BOYNTON BEACH
We have a Top 10 return.
Boynton Beach (5-2) made a splash back at the No. 10 spot due to its dramatic game-winning field goal made by junior kicker Derek Cole. It was a 22-yarder that propelled his team to a 10-7 road win over previously ranked Seminole Ridge (4-2).
This is one of the high points for Boynton Beach, which is on a four-game winning streak.
After dropping games to Santaluces (22-7 loss in Week 2) and Boca Raton (27-21 overtime loss in Week 3), Boynton Beach has handled the likes of Park Vista (48-7 win in Week 4), West Boca Raton (42-7 win in Week 5), Somerset Academy Canyons (55-14 win in Week 6), and Seminole Ridge.
The question now for Boynton Beach is this: Can it stay in the Top 10 this time?
We will find out when it goes on the road against then-No. 10/now. No. 9 St. Andrew’s (5-1) tomorrow night (Oct. 12) at 6 p.m.
The ranked vs. ranked clash will be for two things essentially:
•Battle for No. 1 running back honors between Bobby Smith Jr. (current No. 1-ranked running back in Palm Beach County) and Bill Young (current No. 2-ranked running back in Palm Beach County)
•De facto District 10-2M championship game; winner will have inside track to winning the district title outright
There is a lot on the line for Boynton Beach, which can win its first district title in school history and keep its stronghold on the No. 1 RB spot with Smith Jr. toting the rock.
QUICK CALL OUT: ALL OTHER TOP 10 TEAMS
The Boynton Beach-St. Andrew’s tilt is our Game of Week 8. It is between the No. 10 and No. 9 ranked teams in Palm Beach County.
But it does not mean the eight teams ahead of them should be ignored this week.
Well, it depends on how one looks at a potential matchup.
No. 1 Cardinal Newman (7-0) completed a triple Muck City sweep, with its 45-0 win over Glades Central in Week 7 making it official. Playing against St. John Paul II (3-4) in Week 8, our top-ranked team also took down sixth-ranked Pahokee (5-2) for a 40-12 win in Week 1 and Clewiston (0-4) for a 42-7 win in Week 8.
All three games were on the road, making the Muck City sweep that much more impressive.
Along with Cardinal Newman, No. 2 Palm Beach Central (5-1; 34-13 home win over Boca Raton), No. 3 Palm Beach Gardens (4-2; Bye), No. 4 Santaluces (5-0; Bye) No. 5 Dwyer (5-2; 12-6 home win over Forest Hill), No. 6 Pahokee (5-2; 27-14 home win over then-No. 8 Atlantic) and No. 7 Inlet Grove (4-1; 40-0 road win over Suncoast) stayed in their same spots as last week. The top seven teams either won their games or had a bye in Week 7.
The only other team besides St. Andrew’s moving up this week is then-No. 9/now-No. 8 King’s Academy (5-1), a 44-0 winner on the road over St. John Paul II in Week 7.
WEEK 8 ACTION: SPOTLIGHT ON DISTRICT PLAY
Aside from Boynton Beach-St. Andrew’s for the District 10-2M, we have two other big district games that serve a de facto title game on Thursday evening (Oct. 13).
•No. 7 Inlet Grove (4-1) vs. Glades Central (1-5): Tomorrow at 6:30 p.m.
This game is most likely for the District 9-2M title. It has many implications here, as the loser of this game may not qualify for the FHSAA playoff next month.
Expect both teams to lay everything out on the field from kickoff until the final buzzer.
Also, we can call this game the Rashad Jackson Bowl.
We can say this because the 2020 Lou Groza Coach of the Year was the head coach at Glades Central in 2020 and 2021. After the 2021 season, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Rickey Jackson transitioned over to Inlet Grove for the 2022 season.
In short, Jackson knows both teams inside and out when it comes to personnel on the field.
•No. 4 Santaluces (5-0) vs. Boca Raton (4-3): Tomorrow at 6:30 p.m.
In Santaluces head coach Hector Clavijo’ first season at the helm, the program is on the cusp of reaching a level it has not been to since 2019 – the last year it won a district title.
The Chiefs can potentially pull this off with a win over the Bobcats tomorrow night at home and improve to 6-0 in the process.
Interestingly, this will be the first of three scheduled games in the next seven days for the Chiefs. The next two games after Boca Raton are away at Royal Palm Beach (1-5; Tuesday, Oct. 18, 6:30 p.m. kickoff) and at home against Spanish River (0-6; Thursday, Oct. 20, 6:30 p.m. kickoff).
We can see Santaluces improving from 5-0 to 8-0 in an amazingly short span of seven days.
NEXT TOP 10 RANKINGS UPDATE: Wednesday, Oct. 19
PHOTO CREDITS: Future Draft Style
