On Fri., Sept. 26, the varsity football team faced off against Boca Raton High School in the Homecoming game, which was at 6:30 p.m. at Cumber Stadium. After losing their first two games of the season, varsity won both of their last two matchups, bringing them to a 2-2 record going into the game. Boca Raton entered the game with a record of 3-1.
“Playing in my first homecoming game was a great experience,” defensive back Max Troy (31) said. “Seeing all the students and parents there to support us felt great.”
The game began with Boca Raton kicking off. The offense attempted to catch the Boca Raton defense off guard with a wide receiver double pass on the first play of the game. Wide receiver Anthony Diaz’s (3) pass was underthrown and intercepted, losing on their first play gamble.
Boca Raton was inside the five-yard line following a long pass that was tipped and caught, despite the varsity team’s insistence that the ball came out on the reception. The Boca Raton offense capped off their drive with a short rushing touchdown. The extra point was missed and the team trailed 6-0 with 9:21 left in the first quarter.
Following the first drive’s turnover, the varsity team attempted to get into an offensive rhythm. After a couple first downs, the drive stalled out and they were forced to punt. Boca Raton kept the ball on the ground, using a rushing attack to move the ball down the field. However, this time the defense stood tall, breaking up the pass on the fourth down and forcing a turnover on downs.
To begin their third drive of the game, linebacker Keegan Lake (45) broke off a 20-yard rush. On third and long, Diaz drew a pass interference call to move the chains. The team continued to move the ball down the field before the conclusion of the first quarter.
The second quarter commenced with the varsity team having possession of the ball in scoring range. After being unable to convert on the fourth down, the team sent out kicker Brody Kefford (9) to attempt to cut the deficit to three. The Boca Raton special teams unit was ready, though, blocking the kick to keep the team off the board midway through the second quarter.
The defense once again stifled the Boca Raton offense, as they quickly forced a punt, giving the team a chance to get some points before the first half was over. Varsity’s offensive woes continued and they fumbled the ball away on this drive. The Boca Raton offense took advantage of this, scoring their second touchdown on a quarterback run.
After a failed two point conversion, the team was down 12-0 with under five minutes left in the first half.
After the kickoff, the team finally began to find some momentum on offense. A string of run and passing plays from Lake and wide receiver Johnny Debs (1) set the team up inside Boca Raton’s five-yard line. Running back Jonah Lenamon (10) punched the ball in for the score, and following a missed extra point, the score was 12-6 heading into halftime.
“I feel like the team’s effort was there,” quarterback Sampsen Orlinsky (14) said. “We are always giving our best. Every one of us no matter what. It was honestly just the little mistakes that most people watching from the stands don’t even see. But we will get those fixed and beat [Coral Glades High School] next week.”
The second half started with a kickoff to Boca Raton. The defense picked up right where the offense left off, as they once again held the Boca Raton offense on fourth down to take over possession on Boca Raton’s 45-yard line.
After moving the ball down the field, the drive stalled out and varsity had to send out the field goal unit. The kick was missed and the team’s deficit remained at six with under half of the third quarter to go.
In their own end, the defense forced another fourth down, but Boca Raton had an ace up their sleeve, faking the punt and converting on the fourth down. This set up a long rushing touchdown, setting the varsity team behind 18-6 going into the fourth quarter.
To begin the fourth quarter, the team was forced to punt following a three-and-out. Boca Raton threw a long touchdown pass, but for the fourth time in the game, did not convert on the point after, leaving the team with a 24-6 deficit.
The offense fumbled the ball once again on their final drive of the game, which allowed Boca Raton to run the rest of the clock out.
“The team as a whole has to work on fixing small mistakes because they add up,” offensive lineman Andrew Saybe (70) said. “Also, we have to move onto the next play, because many players will have one bad play and keep it in their minds for the rest of the game.”
It was an underwhelming performance for the team in the 24-6 loss on homecoming. Despite the loss, the defense played well in most cases and the offense showed flashes of potential. They will work hard to correct these mistakes before their next game against Coral Glades High School on Fri., Oct. 3.
