WELLINGTON — Palm Beach Central sophomore quarterback Caleb Butler connected with junior wide receiver Waden Charles for two touchdowns, senior running back Leon Williams and junior Ze’Quan Wright combined for over 250 total yards and two scores, and the host Broncos held off visiting Boca Raton 34-28 in a Class 4M regional semifinal on Friday night.
Palm Beach Central (10-2), which reached the state semifinal for the first time in school history last season, will play at Monarch in a regional final next Friday.
Palm Beach Central jumped out to a 14-0 advantage at the end of the first quarter and had a 17-7 lead at halftime. The Broncos led 31-21 at the end of the third quarter.
Boca Raton (7-5), which trailed 34-21 with 4:50 left, rallied late as sophomore quarterback Chance Routson fired a 6-yard touchdown pass to junior Damien Taylor with 2:58 remaining. The Bobcats forced a punt and took over at their 20-yard line with 1:20 left. Routson led the team downfield to the Broncos 23 with four seconds left. The final pass of the game toward the end zone was broken up.
Butler finished with 143 passing yards and two touchdowns. Charles had four catches for 74 yards and two scores. Williams had 134 yards and a touchdown and Wright added 123 yards and a score. Junior kicker Ethan Dagostino converted a 31-yard field goal in the second quarter and 37-yard field goal in the fourth. Junior Damon Allen recorded two interceptions on defense for the Broncos.
Palm Beach Central committed six unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in the contest, but were able to advance .
“We have been preaching the whole week you’re not playing the same [Boca] team,” Palm Beach Central coach Kevin Thompson said. “Those guys fought real hard. If I was their coach, I would be really proud of them. We found ways not to be disciplined and it will cost us. We are going to preach some discipline this week. We are going to watch the film and show them all the mistakes that they made. We will need to coach them and get better.”
Palm Beach Central started their second possession on offense at the Boca Raton 39. Butler connected with Charles for a 14-yard touchdown to make it 7-0 with 6:28 left in the first.
“It was definitely a good feeling to have a big game,” Charles said. “Whenever I have a chance to make a play for my team, that’s what I do. We fought hard to get the win. We will have to be prepared for next week.”
Butler fired a 32-yard pass to junior Nedrick Boldin down the left sideline to the Bobcats 2. Williams rushed up the middle for a 2-yard score to increase the lead to 14-0 with 4:29 left in the first.
“That feeling of losing the state semifinal hurt me last year and I never want to feel that again,” Williams said. “I am just proud of myself the way I played in this game and I listened to my coaches and worked hard.”
The Broncos lined up for a 32-yard field goal attempt early in the second quarter. They mishandled the snap and failed to convert after an incomplete pass on the play.
The Bobcats attempted a fake punt at their own 21 and were stopped on a run up the middle.
Dagostino drilled a 31-yard field goal to push the lead to 17-0 with 8:15 left in the second.
The Bobcats responded on the ensuing drive. Taylor took the ball on a double reverse and sprinted for a 13-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 17-7 with 7:04 left in the first half.
Williams had nine carries for 75 yards on the next series. The Broncos failed to score after they were called for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty as they were lined up for first-and-goal at the 1. On fourth-and-goal at the 2, Williams was stopped for a 3-yard loss.
The Broncos had another scoring chance late in the first half before the Bobcats recorded an interception in the end zone.
Senior Chris Bloomfield had a 92-yard kickoff return down the right sideline for a touchdown to open the second half for the Bobcats.
The Broncos quickly responded back as Wright had an 8-yard touchdown run to make it 24-14.
Palm Beach Central recovered a fumble at the Boca 36 on the ensuing possession. The Broncos capitalized as Butler fired a 25-yard scoring pass to Charles to make it 31-14.
The Broncos failed to get a punt off on their next possession after Dagostino’s knee was ruled down on the play. Junior running back Tarrel Ocean rushed for a 2-yard score to make it 31-21 with 6:16 left in the third.
The Broncos failed to capitalize on another scoring chance later in the second half. They lined up for a 26-yard field goal attempt and mishandled the snap.
Dagostino converted a 37-yard field goal to extend the lead to 34-21 with 4:50 left.
Boca Raton won a district championship and opening round playoff game under the direction of first-year head coach Alex Savakinas.
“It’s a bittersweet ending to the season,” he said. “We just competed with a great team and we had a chance to win that game. Our kids are resilient, scrappy and they play hard. We are never the biggest, fastest, and strongest team on the field. We have kids that are willing to fly around. Anybody who plays us knows they play a hard-nosed team who will do whatever it takes to win. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Routson had a breakout season in his sophomore campaign at quarterback.
“Chance is resilient and tough,” Savakinas said. “He took some big shots tonight and played through it. Chance is a great high school quarterback and he has so much potential and is willing to learn. We would have never been in that situation without having him.”
