BOCA RATON – Our area’s most improved private high school football program this year is St. John Paul II.

As the regular season comes to a close tonight for the Eagles, they will look back on how they got to produce a winning season – something that they could not say last year.

At 4-2 and No. 4 in our area’s private school football rankings, this team has been impressive for the most part, which includes their 28-20 road win last week over St. Andrews (0-1).

Here’s how our Team of Week 7 won their third collective honor this fall:

•MVP of Week 6 and sophomore running back Matthew Wilson had a great outing, as he racked up 21 carries for 135 yards and one touchdown. It was evident that his presence on the field would be felt against the Scots.

•MVP of Week 2 and sophomore athlete Benjamin Laurore played well on both sides of the ball, as he had two receptions for 40+ yards on offense, while adding four solo tackles and two pass breakups on defense.

•Breakthrough Player of Week 6 and junior wide receiver Jaylen Leggett caught four passes, including two that went for touchdowns, a 42-yarder on a flea flicker pass and a 4-yarder to the end zone.

•St. John Paul II went into halftime with a 14-0 lead over St. Andrew’s. The road team withstood an attempted second-half comeback by the Scots.

“It feels good,” Leggett said. “We’ve worked hard to earn it. We’re going to keep working hard.”

Next and final regular season game for St. John Paul II: Tonight (Oct. 30) on the road at North Broward Prep (Coconut Creek) (0-1), 7 p.m. kickoff

PHOTO CREDITS: Keith Forde