PALM BEACH COUNTY – We had a first week to remember with our area’s public high school football programs.
It was refreshing to see most of our Palm Beach County teams back on the field, considering the fact we were facing the possibility of having no season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was also refreshing to see all the safety protocols in place for all of the Week 1 games at Boca Raton High School, Jupiter High School, and Wellington High School on Oct. 30 and Oct. 31.
Led by Palm Beach County athletic administrator and director Valerie Miyares, the district ensured that all teams and their fans were able to enjoy the new experience in more ways than one. Kudos to the School District of Palm Beach County for a great weekend.
With that said, we witnessed a few surprises in Week 1.
Atlantic has taken the No. 1 spot away from Palm Beach Lakes (No. 1 to end the 2019 season), while Glades Central is far and away the most improved team in Palm Beach County (No. 2; Week 1 rankings).
There are more surprises past Atlantic, Palm Beach Lakes, and Glades Central. Read on to see them all for yourself.
WEEK 1 RANKINGS: PALM BEACH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
1. Atlantic (Delray Beach) (0-0)
Week 1 result: Up 14-0 in the first quarter over West Boca Raton; game was halted and postponed due to lightning (Saturday, Oct. 31)
Skinny: Until a team from our area actually beats the best overall program in Palm Beach County over the past several years, the No. 1 spot will belong to the Eagles. Ask anybody who the top team is, and they will go with Atlantic – unless you are from the Muck.
2. Glades Central (Belle Glade) (1-0)
Week 1 result: Beat Palm Beach Central, 41-0 (Saturday, Oct. 31)
Skinny: The most impressive performance of Week 1 came from Glades Central, as it surprised just about everyone outside of the Muck with a resounding 41-point win over Palm Beach Central. Led by new head coach Rashad Jackson, the Raiders gave us a semblance of their glory days, when they were used to defeating teams well before the first play of many games.
3. Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens) (1-0)
Week 1 result: Beat Pahokee, 25-22 (Saturday, Oct. 31)
Skinny: The Panthers got back their quarterback, and it showed in a thrilling three-point win over the Blue Devils. Senior signal caller Trevon Taylor was the singular difference in this one, as he put the team on his back late in the fourth quarter with his 2-yard touchdown run and 2-point conversion pass to wide receiver Ty Bohne at the 4:50 mark.
4. Palm Beach Gardens (1-0)
Week 1 result: Beat Palm Beach Lakes, 16-8 (Saturday, Oct. 31)
Skinny: The Gators are going to be tough to beat this season, as this team has a fresh wave of talent on both sides of the ball, complete with a nice mix of youth and veteran leadership. This was evident as they stopped the Rams at their 1-yard line in the final seconds to secure the win.
5. Palm Beach Lakes (West Palm Beach) (0-1)
Week 1 result: Lost to Palm Beach Gardens, 16-8 (Saturday, Oct. 31)
Skinny: Yes, last year’s No. 1 overall team lost in their season opener. But the Rams were one yard short of forcing overtime and possibly stealing a win from the hungry Gators.
The Rams have the No. 1 running back in Antonio Outler, who scored in the second half and was primed to do so again late in the fourth quarter.
6. Pahokee (0-1)
Week 1 result: Lost to Dwyer, 25-22 (Saturday, Oct. 31)
Skinny: The Blue Devils took a 22-17 lead late in the third quarter and looked poised to hold on for a win over the Panthers. Head coach D.J. Boldin has his young team trending in the right direction, despite the final outcome.
7. Royal Palm Beach (1-0)
Week 1 result: Beat Wellington, 26-21 (Friday, Oct. 30)
Skinny: We have a potent scoring connection between senior quarterback Peyton Mainolfi and junior wide receiver Cody Wasielewski, as they teamed up for three touchdown passes in the air. Mainolfi went on to have four touchdown passes in his team’s season opener.
8. Park Vista (Lake Worth) (1-0)
Week 1 result: Defeated Santaluces, 25-7 (Saturday, Oct. 31)
Skinny: The Cobras got their sweet revenge as they took down the Chiefs in an 18-point win. Led by the quarterback tandem of senior Gio Thomas and junior Brock Hansel (70-yard touchdown pass to Josh Richards), they avenged their district title game loss from last year by effectively utilizing their offense, defense, and special teams in this one.
9. Boca Raton (1-0)
Week 1 result: Defeated Boynton Beach, 20-7 (Friday, Oct. 30)
Skinny: The Bobcats were due for a nice opening win at home, as they used the power of senior running back Trotsky Horton (transfer from Olympic Heights) to get them to a 13-0 halftime lead over the Tigers. To seal the win, senior defensive back Sam Bach (remember his name) caught a clutch interception in the fourth quarter.
10. Suncoast (1-0)
Week 1 result: Defeated Village Academy, 50-14 (Saturday, Oct. 31)
Skinny: Suncoast edged out Jupiter for the No. 10 spot due to its dominating performance on offense, defense, and special teams. Sophomore quarterback Joshua Ramos had a game to remember (12-18, 200 yards, four touchdown passes), while senior athlete William Wells was in MVP form with four total touchdowns in this one, including his punt return for a score.
Close to 10: Forest Hill (0-0), Jupiter (1-0), Palm Beach Central (0-1), Seminole Ridge (0-0), Wellington (0-1)
WEEK 2 PUBLIC SCHOOL GAMES: Friday, Nov. 6 and Saturday, Nov. 7
