DELRAY BEACH – The FHSAA Class 4A playoffs started off with a bang last week for American Heritage (Delray Beach).
Our area’s No. 1-ranked private school team took care of business in the 4A-Region 4 quarterfinals, as the Stallions took down the Avon Park Red Devils in a convincing 42-0 victory on Nov. 13.
For their breakthrough playoff win, they were selected as our Team of Week 10.
American Heritage (3-3) got a big contribution effort from senior linebacker Kyle Boone, who had 14 total tackles, one tackle for loss, and one interception returned for a touchdown. Boone’s score came during the first drive of the second half.
“Kyle Boone is a very instinctual player,” American Heritage head coach Nick Martinez said. “He is one of the main reasons we have pitched two straight shutouts.”
American Heritage has outscored its last two opponents by a score of 61-0 (Avon Park and Cardinal Newman). It is the team’s best stretch of the season by far.
In addition to that, the Stallions defense allowed less than 50 rushing yards to the Red Devils (3-5).
Aside from Boone, a key cog in American Heritage’s defense was junior Santhony Brown, who had 10 tackles and caught an interception in last week’s playoff win. Brown’s luck came in the fourth quarter to seal the Stallions shutout.
And led by sophomore quarterback Dylan Rizk on the offensive side of the ball, Palm Beach County’s top-ranked private school compiled 478 total yards.
“I am happy with the way the team came out,” Martinez said. “We were able to put together a complete game in all three phases of the game.”
Now with that victory notched under their belt, the Stallions will be fully motivated for tonight’s (Nov. 20) Class 4A-Region 4 semifinal playoff game against the Lemon Bay Manta Rays (8-1).
American Heritage is favored by Joe Pinkos to beat Lemon Bay by 6 and advance to next week’s Class 4A-Region 4 final (Nov. 27). The kickoff for tonight is set for 7:30 p.m. in Delray Beach.
“We are just happy that we get another home game,” Martinez said. “We haven’t played home in over a month. You have a Lemon Bay team that is extremely disciplined with a lot of wins under their belt. I’d say we’ve had a great week of practice, and I just look forward to seeing all the hard work we’ve put in play out on the field come game time.”
PHOTO CREDITS: Mike Hall Jr. and Herve Coby
