BOCA RATON – After a long offseason, where the 2020 high school football might have seemed in doubt, there was football in Boca Raton, as St. John Paul II matched up with Berean Christian on Friday, Sept. 18.
Although it was football on the field, the aspects leading up to the game were different.
A temperature check was conducted before fans could enter the stadium and masks were worn throughout the facility. Coaches on both sides wore masks, as did the referees and support staff.
Following the game, there was no post-game handshake line, a sign of the changes.
“Very different,” St. John Paul II head coach Kelcey Brooks said about the gameday procedures. “Not really usual but the refs here tonight made it easy. They made it very easy, so I was happy about that. Just this being our first game with the new rules, I was kind of skeptical with how it would be.”
Despite the differences, it was a successful game for St. John Paul, as all three phases combined for a dominating 45-0.
The Eagles (1-0) were led by junior wide receiver Jamal Crawford. The lengthy wide receiver was all over the place for St. John Paul, combining for three touchdowns in the win.
“He played big-time ball tonight,” Brooks said of Crawford. “I knew he could do it. I told him all week to just focus on his craft and everything will work itself out, and it did. We’re very excited for him coming back. He’s only a junior and he’s just now playing wide receiver.”
After not touching the ball for the majority of the first quarter, the second quarter was all St. John Paul.
Crawford’s first score came early in the second quarter, when AJ Sheridan connected with him in the back of the end zone. Using his length, Crawford was able to reach over a Berean Christian defensive back.
The Eagles second touchdown came soon after.
After forcing Berean Christian (0-2) to a fourth down deep in their own territory, Roderick Parker broke through the Berean Christian line and forced a block. As the ball laid in the end zone, Crawford recovered it.
Crawford’s third touchdown came in a strong third quarter for the Eagles.
In the pivotal quarter, the Eagles scored four touchdowns, beginning with a 15-yard quarterback keeper from junior Antonio Scionti.
Scionti’s second touchdown came just 30 seconds later. After forcing a fumble, Scionti threw the ball towards Crawford, who beat a Berean Christian cornerback for the touchdown.
Following Crawford’s touchdown, touchdowns by Matthew Wilson and Clayton Thevenin pushed the lead to 39-0.
Curtis Douglas would cap off the flurry of St. John Paul touchdowns with a short touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Despite the strong performance, Brooks felt like his team could improve.
“Gotta get better,” Brooks said. “Honestly, it was a good victory for the kids. But as a coach, you always look at those mistakes.”
KING’S ACADEMY 41, GLADES DAY 20: Lions sophomore quarterback Will Prichard led a second-half surge, as he completed 17 of 31 passes for 221 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception.
Senior linebacker Stenton Quaye led all King’s Academy defenders with 8 tackles, while senior kicker Bernie Cueto was 2-for-2 in his field goal attempts and 5-for-5 on extra points in Friday night’s 21-point road win.
King’s Academy is 2-0, while Glades Day is 0-1.
WESTMINSTER ACADEMY 35, BOCA RATON CHRISTIAN 19: Senior wide receiver Malik Jean-Louis had 96 receiving yards and a touchdown, while adding another score on a kickoff return. But it was not enough for the Blazers (0-1), who lost at home to the Lions (1-1).
PHOTO CREDITS: Keith Forde
