LANTANA- It all comes down to this.
Win and you are in the playoffs. Lose and your season ends.
With the District 11-8A championship on the line, crosstown rivals Park Vista (6-3; 2-0 in 11-8A) and Santaluces (5-2; 2-0 in 11-8A) will play another installment in the rivalry with higher stakes: a playoff spot.
While the past matchups between Park Vista and Santaluces have been largely one-sided, the game holds more weight for the Chiefs than just trying to break a losing streak to the Cobras that dates all the way back to 2009 – when the Chiefs last defeated the Cobras.
It’s also a chance for head coach Brian Coe to prove that this Santaluces football team isn’t like previous years, and that this surprise team in Palm Beach County is for real.
Over the course of the season, the Chiefs have relied on a heavy rushing attack that features multiple ways to beat their opponents.
While running back Val Carnegie has controlled the backfield for the most part, impacts from players like Taenard Boyd and Brian Coe Jr. have made the offense a tough one to be stopped.
“Val Carnegie is, in my opinion, one of the best backs in the county, and we go as he goes,” Coe said following the Chiefs dominating win over Spanish River a few weeks back. “We got some guys behind him that are pulling their weight. Brian Coe at fullback is doing a good job up there lead blocking, running when he gets his number called. We got Taenard Boyd, who is running the football well.”
While the Santaluces defense is inexperienced compared to last season, this defense has allowed just 17 points per game, including a stretch of games where the Chiefs allowed just 18 points over four games.
For Park Vista, it’s been the defense that has willed its way to a strong end of the season that includes a 21-20 comeback win over Glades Central in Week 9.
On defense, the production of senior defensive backs Cole Polnasek and Miles Hughes have made life rough for opposing quarterbacks, while linebacker Dylan LaCroix leads a front seven that is capable of both stopping the run and getting into the backfield to sack the quarterback.
“Our defense has been solid all year, they really have,” Park Vista head coach Brian Dodds said following the Cobras’ win against Glades Central. “Our offense just has not played to their abilities all year, but our defense has saved us many, many times. They played their hearts out.”
While the Cobras have struggled on offense for the most part, it was unsung heroes Riley Klaus and Frantz Derival who stepped up and made big time plays when the Cobras needed it most against the Raiders.
Klaus, who finished the game with 75 yards passing, connected with Derival for the game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
Following the game, Dodds compared the Santaluces game to the beginning of the playoffs.
“I told the players, ‘The playoffs really begin now,’” Dodds said. “We know that, and I’m sure Coach [Brian] Coe knows that. We know whoever wins is in, whoever loses is out. So the bottom line is we have to get to work and see if we can get it done next Friday.”
Score Prediction: 24-21 Santaluces
