WELLINGTON – No. 2 Palm Beach Lakes scored early and often, and when they needed it the most, the defense held strong as the Rams held off a potential late comeback by No. 3 Palm Beach Central, defeating the Broncos 31-14.
In the first half, the Rams offense scored three touchdowns, and the defense intercepted two Anarjahe Douriet passes, including one for a touchdown.
The Rams began their scoring on the first drive of the game, when Micah Butler set the Rams up at the Palm Beach Central 13-yard line following a long return on the game’s opening kickoff. The drive would be capped off by a Tre’von Taylor touchdown pass to Christopher Johnson.
A few plays later, South Dakota commit Vincent Starling intercepted Douriet’s pass off a tip, and returned it 40-yards for a touchdown, doubling the Rams lead.
It did not take long for the Rams to continue their defensive dominance. On the Broncos next possession, Delroy Lewis intercepted another Douriet pass, and Taylor connected with Johnson again.
“We came out crisp, we studied, going 100 percent, practicing everyday,” Palm Beach Lakes quarterback Tre’Von Taylor said. “We executed, and my line did good blocking.”
Early in the second quarter, running back Antonio Outler scored on a 30-yard touchdown run, giving the Rams a 28-0 lead going into halftime.
On their first drive of the second half, Palm Beach Central began to slowly claw their way back into the game, when Douriet connected with Erick Torres through the air.
After a field goal by Palm Beach Lakes, Corey Reddick returned the following kickoff 81 yards for a touchdown, putting the Broncos behind 31-14.
It was, however, the closest the Broncos would get as a turnover on downs later in the game ended the Broncos hopes of a comeback.
“This was a ball game that we expected to win,” Palm Beach Lakes head coach Al Shipman said. “We came out on fire, and we made them turn the football over. We were able to capitalize on some of their mistakes. We just got to keep doing what we do, playing Rams football.”
Palm Beach Lakes (5-0) will attempt to continue in Week 7 against Seminole Ridge, while Palm Beach Central (4-2) hopes to regroup and continue its run towards a district title with a game against Forest Hill.
