WELLINGTON – It was a total team effort for third-ranked Palm Beach Central in its dominating 44-14 home win over fifth-ranked Dwyer last night (Sept. 3).
From start to finish, it was almost all Broncos as they had their way with the Panthers on offense, defense, and even special teams to an extent.
Palm Beach Central junior quarterback Ahmad Haston threw four touchdown passes in this one, with end zone targets going to the likes of junior receivers Luby Maurice and Javorian Wimberly.
The best thing to see from Haston is the fact that he really trusts his receivers to come through in big moments. This is stemmed from the quality time Haston spends with his receivers both on and off the field.
“We came out here against Dwyer. We already knew the standard,” Haston said. “We knew what to do. We had to show why we are one of the best teams in Palm Beach County. We have a lot of playmakers on our team, so what I did is play point guard, do my reads, spread the ball around, and give everybody touches. That’s what we do here.”
At least one of Haston’s end zone passes were to Maurice, who scored on a 20-yarder with 9:15 left in the fourth quarter. This touchdown gave Palm Beach Central (2-0) a 37-8 lead over Dwyer (1-1).
“Ahmad is a great quarterback,” Maurice said. “Every time I get the ball, he puts it right where I need it to be…Big time players make big time plays in big time games, so I just came out here and executed.”
Wimberly, who also scored at least once in the game, had a memorable one-handed catch toward the end of the first half. He spoke on that play in particular.
“Ahmad put it in the right position for me to go for the ball,” Wimberly said. “I jumped up and grabbed it.”
Running back Alderson Estivil added his commentary on Haston’s high level of leadership and overall play.
“I want to thank our QB for putting me in the right spot,” said Estivil, who caught a touchdown pass from Haston and had a rushing score as well against Dwyer. “He realized the defense was blitzing and left the field wide open. Ahmad is a great leader…We all look up to him.”
As mentioned before, it wasn’t just the offense that was on point for Palm Beach Central.
On defense, Broncos senior defensive back Karon Young caught two timely interceptions.
“It helped us in the game,” said Young, who also recovered a fumble against Dwyer. “They were trying to get some momentum back, but they turned the ball over. We put the ball back in our offense’s hands.”
It was a wonderful thing to see a familiar face back on the field at running back. Senior Markel King, a transfer from Park Vista, put an exclamation point on the game with his electrifying 49-yard touchdown run to ice it late in the fourth quarter.
King’s score – and an extra point made by sophomore kicker Fabian Salazar – gave Palm Beach Central a 44-8 lead.
“I had a good game,” King said. “Had a couple of runs. I could have done more. I just have to prove my point this year.”
Palm Beach Central head coach Scottie Littles spoke on his team’s big win over Dwyer and more.
“I’m proud of the kids,” Littles said. “We did a great job starting fast. The kids responded to some adversity. They fought hard. We told our kids, “We want you to fight, play for each other, be a good teammate, and be disciplined…We’re just going to keep pounding the rock here. At the end of the day, we’re going to find a way on a short week to get ready for a great Boca Raton team.”
NOTES: For Week 3, Palm Beach Central will be on the road at Boca Raton (1-0) next Thursday evening. The date and kickoff time is set for Sept. 9 at 6:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, Dwyer will be hosting top-ranked Palm Beach Gardens (1-1) on Friday, Sept. 10 at 6:30 p.m.
OTHER WEEK 2 FINAL SCORES: PALM BEACH COUNTY
FRIDAY NIGHT
No. 4 Glades Central 18, No. 1 Palm Beach Gardens 3
No. 2 Atlantic (Delray Beach) 56, Lake Worth 0
No. 6 Benjamin 36, Pine Crest 20
Cardinal Gibbons 40, No. 8 Cardinal Newman 14
Park Vista 17, No. 10 Jupiter 9
Rockledge 21, Palm Beach Lakes 6
Camden County (Ga.) 46, Inlet Grove 21
Glades Day 28, St. Andrews 10
King’s Academy 56, Somerset Academy Canyons 21
Champagnat Catholic 35, American Heritage (Delray Beach) 14
Westminster Academy 33, St. John Paul II 20
West Boca Raton 19, Spanish River 6
Berean Christian at Faith Academy – No final score reported as of press time
THURSDAY NIGHT
No. 7 Pahokee 46, Immokalee 0
No. 9 Seminole Ridge 27, Forest Hill 14
Wellington 27, Miami Southridge 6
Boynton Beach 35, Santaluces 26
Olympic Heights 22, John I. Leonard 14
Sports Leadership and Management (West Palm Beach) vs. Palm Beach Christian Prep – No final score reported as of press time
WEEK 2 BYE: Jupiter Christian
WEEK 2 GAME CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19: Boca Raton, Boca Raton Christian, Royal Palm Beach, Suncoast
PHOTO CREDITS: Tra’Nell Hollis
