PALM BEACH GARDENS – Jakobe Hines has a way of getting in the right position at the right time.

As evidenced by last week’s game between Palm Beach Gardens and Dwyer, the senior defensive back had a big moment at the goal line. He caught an interception at the Gardens end zone, which ended a Dwyer scoring opportunity.

Despite Palm Beach Gardens (1-1; No. 6 in New Era Prep Top 10) dropping a 28-18 decision to Dwyer (2-0; No. 2 in New Era Prep Top) on the night of Nov. 7, Hines said he gained a lot from this experience.

“I did the best of my ability,” Hines said. “I executed what I was told to do by my coach and ended up with a big time interception to give my team momentum. Even though we fell short, I feel like it was a great effort by the team offensively and defensively.”

Hines has blossomed right before our eyes over the past two seasons. The Inlet Grove transfer tallied 45 tackles, 15 pass breakups, six interceptions, and one touchdown in 10 games as a junior.

The 5-foot-10, 170-pound defensive back decided to move on from Inlet Grove and play his senior year at Palm Beach Gardens on Aug. 19.

Hines reflected on his choice.

“It feels good because I’m comfortable with the competition level,” Hines said. “I improved and worked hard during the offseason so the regular season could be a breeze. So far, I like the way I’m performing at Gardens. The coaching scheme is a little different, but I like it because it put me in position to make big plays.”

Hines (No. 5-ranked defensive back & No. 43 overall player in Palm Beach County) has longtime teammates and fellow defensive back Josue Charles with him. Both of them transferred together from Inlet Grove to Palm Beach Gardens this past summer.

“That’s my right hand man,” Hines said of Charles. “We have been playing together for three years now. We have a certain way of playing receivers or quarterbacks. Either he baits the quarterback and I jump the route to get the pick, or I bait the quarterback and he picks it. But for the Saturday night game, he gave the opportunity to make that play by baiting the quarterback and coming a few steps off the opponent to make it look like the receiver was open. The quarterback took the shot and I jumped it.”

Next game for Hines and Palm Beach Gardens: Tonight at 6 p.m. against No. 10 Jupiter (2-0), Jupiter High School

PHOTO CREDITS: Envy Designs and TNT Artistry